Aamir Hussain Khan, from a chocolate boy to Mr.Perfectionist

In 1993, he did Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke. Aamir again excelled by giving a mature performance. Aamir Khan's off screen skills (read direction) got a superb boost with this film. Though his firsr collaberation with Yash Chopra failed big time, it didn't put him off at all. He didn't go behind success by doing routine flicks but chose to role which was so unconventional for a star of his age, none of his contemporaries would've tried to change their on-screen image by playing a father/guardian to kids. It was a risk that paid off.

In 1994, he ventured into a genre which was ruled by Govinda. He dared to do this role & proved that he's not the one to do only gentle comedy but he can go outrageous & loud too. Box office verdict might say differently but Aamir had already proved his point here.

1995 came his Baazi, his first attempt at a cop's role & his first change from his usual chocolate boy image. This film didn't set the box office on fire, but Aamir made it clear that he was up for the challenge because with this role he was all set to take over other stars in the action/thriller genre. This was followed by Rangeela, where he instantly surprised the entire industry as well as the audience with his choice of role followed by the performance. Remember, Jackie Shroff's owns the kinda role Aamir played but Ramu gave this challenge to Aamir & he just made the best out of it.

The same year he did Akele Hum Akele Tum & proved to be the most versatile actor that year & also among his colleagues. Infact out of the Khans, he was the first to play the father character on-screen. While others thought it was forbidden to play such roles so early, Aamir disproved everyone.

Aamir Khan continued with his unique pattern of working. Others weren't that confident due to the fear of losing their stardom, Salman Khan had registered himself as the superstar of the country & in 1995, Shahrukh Khan was crowned as the superstar of the country. This didn't deter Aamir at all. He was convinced that growing as an actor was more meaningful than doing run on the mill movies. His performance in Akele Hum Akele Tum was not completely convincing or may be it was his first time playing a father, he came back with Raja Hindustani, exploring his acting skills as a typical bollywood hero - a poor innocent lead man with ample opportunity to register his acting skills as a husband, a lover & a caring father, he gave it 200% of his efforts because he knew it was about time that he announced himself as big a superstar as his colleagues.

The gigantic success of Raja Hindustani didn't change him at all. People came to know about this principle of his as one of the dialogues in 3 Idiots but Aamir had already implemented it in his way of working in the early 90s itself, "put an honest effort, success will follow". This is the reason why he continued being versatile in the coming years too. 1998 had him in Ghulam, 1999 had him in Sarfarosh, Mann & 1947 Earth. All of them being distinct films. One catered to the masses & others claimed themselves to be niche unconventional films. He also tried mantain the balance between usual Bollywood cinema by doing Mann. Result was same, Aamir started growing stronger & stronger as an actor. More than stardom, being called an actor meant a lot to him.

Skipping the nightmare 2000, 2001 saw what could be termed as the best year of Aamir Khan's career as well as Bollywood's. Versatility at it's best. This year introduced to a new face of Aamir Khan i.e. Aamir Khan the producer. He was not risking himself as an actor but he risked himself as a producer too. Lagaan, at the pre-production level was considered as joke by the industry. Even after the release it was evident when Gadar Ek Prem Katha won the battle very easily. True, Gadar did deserve some recognition outside the box office too which was taken over by Lagaan but Lagaan for a fact earned every single accolade it recieved. Who thought off a cricket match inside a film? That too a period film? Period films are meant to be patriotic, serious drama & by that it was clear that it meant business. Gadar followed it too, for them the partition was a backdrop that's all but the movie heavily relied on its love story which triumphed. Lagaan not just had the British Raj as the backdrop but also kept its love stories as a part of sub-plot while relying heavily on something which the entire country worships, CRICKET. Not to mention, Lagaan reaped gold everywhere. It was a box office hit as well as film that helped Indian cinema to shine worldwide, making the world look back at our cinema beyond all the glitters, songs & dances.

He immediately came up with a totally different film, which even looked different to the existing generation. They were shocked to see themselves in the roles of Aamir, Saif & Akshaye. Again it was not box office but quality cinema which Aamir chose plus he again proved he's trendsetter as far as new looks goes. He didn't hesitate a bit to work with debutante director right after one of the biggest successes of his career. Aamir "perfectly" became an actor turned producer. And thus, kick started his image makeover from a chocolate boy to Mr.Perfectionist.

And then he chose to disappear for 4 long years...

2008, Aamir Khan created history with his All Time Blockbuster, Ghajini. Everybody knows it started the 100cr club & it also created a huge buzz. The main thing to watch out for how effectively Aamir underplayed his character. Sure, it was a remake, Suriya had already a given a superb performance but Aamir chose to be Aamir. He gave something of his own to the character, it was again shear talent. His first commercial film exactly after 10 years & he had his 2nd ATBB.

This was followed by what you can call a phenomenon called 3 Idiots. Less said is better for the movie because by now everyone knows the worth of this film & how Aamir owned the character of Rancho / Phunsukh Wangdu. His 3rd ATBB again became the highest grossing Bollywood movie.

Then not surprisingly, he didn't get carried away with the box office success. He acted in 2 off-beat films, one a drama while another a rivetting thriller.Again Box office verdict aside & also my personal opinion about these movies, Aamir once again proved his versatility. He became a master in underplaying roles which very few actors have mastered upon.

And he's ready with his Dhoom avatar now.

The journey started with a chocolate boy then it was Aamir The Ace Khan & now it's Perfectionism personified. That's how you describe Aamir Hussain Khan.