Is Aamir Khan's box office overrated?

This is a post to discuss Aamir Khan's career purely from perspective of box office.

Aamir Khan appeared onscreen as an adult for first time in Holi (1984). But Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak is considered his debut as a full fledged lead (1988). He's been around for more than 24 years now (if you leave Holi and take QSQT as start of his career). In total he's done around 38 films till date as actor (Talaash being latest release). Here are box office verdicts for each:

1.) Holi (1984) - Flop

2.) Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988) - Super hit

3.) Raakh (1989) - Flop

4.) Love Love Love (1989) - Flop

5.) Awwal Number (1990) - Flop

6.) Tum Mere Ho (1990) - Flop

7.) Dil (1990) - Super hit*

*2 years & 4 flops later, Aamir managed his next hit film with Madhuri Dixit (the biggest female star of that time) as his co-star, only to return to his flop phase again.

8.) Deewana Mujhsa Nahin (1990) - Flop

9.) Jawani Zindabad (1990) - Flop

10.) Afsana Pyar Ka (1991) - Flop

11.) Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahi (1991) - Average (above average at some sources)

12.) Isi Ka Naam Zindagi (1992) - Flop

13.) Daulat Ki Jung (1992) - Flop

14.) Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar (1992) - Average

15.) Parampara (1993) - Flop

16.) Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke (1993) - Semi Hit

17.) Andaz Apna Apna (1994) - Flop

18.) Baazi (1995) - Below average

19.) Aatank Hi Aatank (1995) - Flop

20.) Rangeela (1995) - Super Hit (listed Semi hit at some sources)**

**Rangeela was Aamir's only second success 7 years after QSQT (1988). Even this one's a clean hit or not is disputed since it's listed as semi hit at some sources

21.) Akele Hum Akele Tum (1995) - Flop

22.) Raja Hindustani (1996) - All Time Blockbuster***

***Aamir Khan was the first Khan to debut, yet the last Khan to give an ATBB and even his ATBB is third after Salman's HAHK & SRK's DDLJ. Salman had given 2 ATBBs by the time Aamir managed to give one

23.) Ishq (1997) - Semi Hit

24.) Ghulam (1998) - Above Average

In 10 years since "official debut" (QSQT, 1988), out of 23 films Aamir had only 3 clean hits (QSQT, Dil, Raja Hindustani) or 4 (if Rangeela is taken as super hit).

25.) Sarfarosh (1999) - Above Average

26.) Mann (1999) - Flop

27.) Earth (1999) - Flop

28.) Mela (2000) - Flop

29.) Lagaan (2001) - Super Hit****

****Lagaan was Aamir's 1st clean hit after Raja Hindustani (1996).

30.) Dil Chahta Hai (2001) - Average

Aamir took a 4 year break after DCH and returned with Mangal Pandey: The Rising in 2005. The film got huge opening due to hype of Aamir Khan returning after Oscar nominated Lagaan but fizzled out after first week.

31.) Mangal Pandey (2005): The Rising - Below Average

32.) Rang De Basanti (2006)- Superhit/Hit

33.) Fanaa (2006) - Super Hit

34.) Taare Zameen Par (2007) - Super hit/Blockbuster (different verdicts given on different sites)

35.) Ghajini (2008) - All Time Blockbuster (First film to gross 100 crore nett in India)

36.) 3 Idiots (2009) - All Time Blockbuster (First film to gross 200 crore nett in India)

Both Ghajini & 3 Idiots became highest grossing Bollywood films of their times, with 3 Idiots still holding the record.

37.) Dhobi Ghat (2011) [Second lead] - Below Average

38.) Talaash (2012) -Official Verdict from all trade sources Pending (Hit according to some sources, BOI declared it super hit overseas but overall verdict pending)

[Verdicts are taken from Box Office India, its archives, Wikipedia plus most-oft quoted verdicts for a film across different sources online - in case of older films]

Pointers-

- Till date, Aamir Khan has given only 10 clean hits (9 if you take Rangeela as semi hit!) in his entire career of 24 years and 37-38 films. Are just 9 or 10 clean hits in 24 years (& out of 37 films), good box office record?

- Remaining much lionized films of Aamir Khan viz., Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahi, JJWS, Ishq, Sarfarosh, DCH etc. are all just average/above average/semi hit and are not clean success at box office.

- Holi, Raakh, Earth and Dhobi Ghat are the only truly offbeat/niche/experimental/limited appeal/arthouse/parallel cinema films in his filmography as actor.

- Prior to Lagaan (2001), no Aamir Khan film managed to do well in overseas markets. In 2001, from Lagaan onwards his films started to do noticeable business overseas, but he was still behind likes of SRK etc. Only in 2008, his Ghajini did slightly better than RNBDJ in US. But it is Rajkumar Hirani's 3 Idiots which did record business overseas. It still holds record for biggest Bollywood grosser overseas, but it's the first & till date the only time an Aamir Khan starrer managed to break all records in overseas markets. Currently Talaash is doing Superhit business overseas (post-3 Idiots craze).

- Aamir Khan has never been able to give more than one clean hit in one year, except 2006, when he had RDB & Fanaa. He's either given averages/flops when he had multiple releases in a year or avoided releasing more than one film a year. (In 2001 only Lagaan was clean hit, DCH wasn't)

- Between Raja Hindustani (1996) & Ghajini (2008), the only times Aamir managed to do something close to exceptional at box office were the openings of Mangal Pandey:The Rising & Fanaa - out of which the former didn't sustain & the latter became superhit.

- Aamir has not given any flop since Mela (2000). But he has done only 9-10 films after this period. After 2000, he's spent about 7 years without having any release (gaps after Lagaan & later 3 Idiots). How can he be compared to stars who've consistently done films or given hits every year?

- It is only the exceptional feats of Ghajini (2008) & 3 Idiots (2009) becoming first films to cross 100 crore and 200 crore nett benchmarks at Indian box office, due to which Aamir Khan's name began to figure in discussions about box office.

- In the 1990s, except Dil & Raja Hindustani, Aamir Khan starrers would barely make it to even top 10 grossers of their years of release or just about manage to scrape into top 5 grossers of the year. These were the years when not only SRK, Salman Khan, Sunny Deol, Anil Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt films but also Govinda, Ajay Devgan and Bobby Deol films used to outgross Aamir Khan films at box office.

(To get an idea of his low star power, consider this - In late 1980s-early 1990s, even ageing Rishi Kapoor gave hits like Chandni, Deewana, Damini whereas Aamir Khan - the "phenomenal sensation" post QSQT was stuck in average/flop rut with exception of Dil)

Some fans make excuses of Aamir not having worked with big banners but then, who was stopping him from working with big names in industry? He made his own choices! (He'd failed to achieve much success with big names too. Flop Parampara with Yash Chopra and just average Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahi with Mahesh Bhatt, who gave a hit Aashiqui with even Rahul Roy!)

- Are only 3-4 clean hits out of 23 films in his first 10 years of career (1988-1998) some good success record?

- Can a star's career be judged only basis of one "flop-less" decade or 2 exceptional years when he gave the biggest grossers? A star who made his debut in 1988, is it fair that his career be judged (& even ranked ahead of others) from just 2001 or 2008 onwards?

Has Aamir Khan been consistent in delivering success at the box office since his debut?

- His latest release Talaash, a co-production of Excel Entertainment & his own much successful Aamir Khan Productions, his comeback to silver screen after the biggest hit ever (Rajkumar Hirani's 3 Idiots), and with established heroines Kareena Kapoor & Rani Mukherji with whom he's made successful onscreen pair in past; did receive a very good opening. But is it enough for an Aamir Khan starrer? It is not even the biggest non-holiday opener.

It may not be as commercial as 3 Idiots or Ghajini but it is also not a Black Friday or Dhobi Ghat! It got good support from critics, has good performances. Yet its collections are constantly dropping on week days!

It is now being said Talaash may not even cross 100 crore (nett) mark at box office.

Is such a performance good enough considering that even Barfi crossed 100 crore mark this year? (Barfi has a much younger star Ranbir Kapoor in the lead, both he and Priyanka played characters suffering from disabilities, it was also a class/niche film, released in non holiday period without much pre-release hype or marketing blitz)

Is even the good overseas opening of Talaash, due to Aamir Khan's star power or the goodwill created by exceptional success of 3 Idiots?

What does Aamir Khan's pre-2001, pre-2008 record and current performance of Talaash at box office, say about his overall star power?

Is Aamir Khan overrated as a commercial star?

[This is only about box office. Not about acting/quality of work.]

Like I said in Kareena's topic about boxoffice power...it seems a little blurry who has the boxoffice power these days apart from Salman Khan. It seems like these days only good films do well no matter who the stars are. Obviously the industry got it wrong...Amir's Talaash didn't get the numbers that 3 idiots had. Maybe because of lack of hype, and the genre..Talaash seems like a dark film. But all that matters is that the film didn't flop and is a Hit.

Its not overrated but the fact is he never tasted BO success and immense popularity like the other 2 😆

No his cinema isnt overrated,its actually so good to see his performances,some real talent.

The thread was about box office. Not quality or talent. You don't mix quality or acting talk with box office and star power.

SRK and Salman are much bigger stars than Aamir boxoffice and popularity wise that is a FACT!!

Although his movies never earned much compared to SRK or Salman, I loved some of them. I think this guy just strives to do quality movies regardless to whether the audience likes it or not

Before Lagaan only heroine-dominated films with hit music got him hits - Dil (MD+music), Raja Hindustani (Karishma Kapoor+music) and if we take Rangeela as a clean hit then it's AR Rahman+Urmila Matondkar (though over the years Aamir's performance in it got appreciated, that same year after Rangeela, Akele Hum Akele Tum released and it did not even get an opening!).

I loved Akele hum Akele tum... such a good movie. Didnt know that it was a flop. And wasnt DCH a trend changer around that time? 😕