
Aamir Khan reveals people thought his career was over after gaining weight for Dangal: ‘He cannot make a comeback now'
Speaking to Raj Shamani, Aamir Khan recalled his college days and said, 'I was always Rancho type who didn't care about certificates. I skipped formal education.' He said it was his real life choices and thinking process that made Rajkumar Hirani cast him as Rancho. 'One of the biggest reasons why Raju (Hirani) wanted me in the film is because of my thinking. That is my belief as well. That is who I am.'
All the films that brought him immense fame are the ones he took big risks with. Be it Lagaan, which eventually went to the Oscars or Dangal, which broke all box office records, these are the projects that nobody believed in but Aamir Khan followed his instincts.
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He did, 'I also did Lagaan going by instincts. It was a time when everybody thought I was a fool to do it. They thought who will watch a film based on cricket. Even when I took up Rang De Basanti, it was the fifth remake of Bhagat Singh and Azad in that one and half year. It was extremely impractical to take up a subject made so often. Taare Zameen Par and Dangal, all of these projects were my impractical decisions. When I did Dangal, and gained weight for the same, I remember anybody who met me from the industry used to give me weird reactions. They would say, 'Aamir Khan gaya, he cannot make a comeback.' Their reactions used to be so funny. I have taken risks. All these decisions maine pagalpan mein li hai and I have been lucky.'
Aamir Khan is currently gearing up for the release of Sitaare Zameen Par on June 20.

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Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Aamir Khan's Sitaare Zameen Par adds Rs 2.5 crore over the weekend despite ‘Saiyaara' wave
Aamir Khan's Sitaare Zameen Par demonstrates remarkable staying power at the box office, grossing Rs 165.5 crore after 31 days, even amidst the release of Saiyaara. Despite a moderate opening, strong word-of-mouth and a loyal family audience propelled the film's success. Its emotional narrative continues to resonate, proving the appeal of meaningful cinema alongside youth-focused romances. Aamir Khan 's Sitaare Zameen Par has proved its staying power at the box office, holding strong even as Mohit Suri 's much-talked-about romantic drama Saiyaara, starring newcomers Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda , stormed into cinemas with record-breaking collections. After completing 30 days in theatres with a robust Rs 164.15 crore across all languages, Sitaare Zameen Par witnessed a notable resurgence over its fifth weekend, despite stiff competition. On Day 31 (5th Sunday), the film added Rs 1.35 crore (Rs 1.33 crore in Hindi and Rs 1 lakh each in Tamil and Telugu), bringing its total collection to a commendable Rs 165.5 crore. The fact that it managed to post such a number on its fifth Sunday — while Saiyaara raked in Rs 37 crore on its opening Sunday — highlights the strong word-of-mouth and loyal family audience base Sitaare Zameen Par has cultivated. The film, directed by RS Prasanna , explores learning disabilities in children through a fresh lens and marks Aamir Khan's return to emotional, socially-driven storytelling. While the opening was moderate at Rs 10.7 crore, the film quickly gained momentum, thanks to excellent weekend jumps — Rs 20.2 crore on Day 2 and Rs 27.25 crore on Day 3. What's particularly remarkable is how the film sustained its momentum week after week. After closing its first week at Rs 88.9 crore, it collected Rs 46.5 crore in Week 2, Rs 18.95 crore in Week 3, and Rs 8.65 crore in Week 4. In most cases, Week 5 would mark a significant dip, especially with a high-profile release like Saiyaara entering the fray. But Sitaare Zameen Par defied the odds. On Day 30 (5th Saturday), the film had already shown signs of life with a Rs 80 lakh collection, a major jump of 128 % from Friday's collection of Rs 35 lakh. The Sunday surge further confirms that the emotional core of the film continues to resonate, especially with families and older audiences. While Saiyaara has dominated youth attention with its fresh faces and romantic music-driven narrative, Sitaare Zameen Par remains a preferred pick for viewers looking for meaningful, feel-good cinema. In fact, the simultaneous success of both films showcases the diversity of content drawing crowds in 2025 — one led by a superstar addressing educational challenges, the other a musical romance by newcomers.


Mint
3 hours ago
- Mint
Sitaare Zameen Par Box Office collection Day 31: Aamir Khan's movie maintains surprise run, mints...
Sitaare Zameen Par Box Office Collection Day 31: Aamir Khan's movie has maintained a surprise run at the Indian box office as it entered another week, Week 5 on Friday, July 18. Despite an overall slowdown and clashes with big Bollywood and Hollywood titles, the movie continues to strike a chord with the audience. Braving the Saiyaara storm this weekend, Sitaare Zameen Par recorded a decent collection. However, it has been struggling ever since it hit the ₹ 160 crore mark in India. It remains to be seen how Aamir's 'no OTT' policy will fare for Sitaare Zameen Par. According to industry tracker Sacnilk, Sitaare Zameen Par earned ₹ 1.33 crore on Sunday, Day 31. This came as a surprise spike in collection, considering the movie's run in lakhs over the past week. The total business made by the film is ₹ 165.49 crore. Sitaare Zameen Par, directed by RS Prasanna, has earned ₹ 262.75 crore globally in 31 days. Its overseas collection stood at ₹ 65.25 crore, while its India gross was ₹ 197.5 crore. Sitaare Zameen Par is the Bollywood remake of Woody Harrelson's Champions, which was inspired by the Spanish film Campeones. It tells an inspiring story about a group of specially abled individuals who are coached by Aamir Khan's character for a basketball match. The film also stars ten neurodivergent actors in lead roles, marking their Bollywood debut. Aroush Datta as Satbir Gopi Krishnan Varma as Guddu Vedant Sharmaa as Bantu Naman Misra as Hargovind Rishi Shahani as Sharmaji Rishabh Jain as Raju Ashish Pendse as Sunil Gupta Samvit Desai as Karim Qureshi Simran Mangeshkar as Golu Khan Aayush Bhansali as Lotus Sitaare Zameen Par stars Genelia D'Souza as its female lead. Aamir Khan reportedly has a very different plan for Sitaare Zameen Par. Instead of selling the streaming rights to any major OTT service, the actor will likely release the movie on YouTube for a pay-per-view fee, to allow him to have full control over its release window and pricing. While trade analyst Komal Nahta said the actor is taking a stand against the current trend of early digital releases in the hope of restoring the theatre-going culture in India.


India.com
3 hours ago
- India.com
Aamir Khan's 2-hour 50-minute film, made on budget of Rs 55 crore, earned profit of Rs 400 crore, IMDb rating is 8.4; Movie is...
Aamir Khan is currently making headlines with his film Sitaare Zameen Par, which has earned Rs 259 crore worldwide so far and is still running in theatres. Meanwhile, today we're talking about another Aamir Khan film that gave the makers a profit of over Rs400 crore. Released 16 years ago, this film proved to be a goldmine for its producers. The movie we're talking about is a coming-of-age satirical comedy-drama, written and directed by Rajkumar Hirani under the banner of Vinod Chopra Films. The story revolves around the friendship of three engineering students. The film stars Aamir Khan, R. Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, and Boman Irani in lead roles. You must have guessed the movie – it's 3 Idiots . This film is one of the most iconic works of Aamir Khan's career. Even after a decade and a half, audiences still love to watch it. A film that won hearts in theatres also created a storm at the box office. 3 Idiots earned nearly eight times its production budget. What was the budget of 3 Idiots? Directed by Rajkumar Hirani, 3 Idiots was released on 25th December 2009. The film also featured Kareena Kapoor Khan, Omi Vaidya, and Mona Singh. The makers spent Rs 55 crore on this comedy-drama. How much did 3 Idiots earn? 3 Idiots created a storm at the box office. The trio of Aamir, Sharman and Madhavan left no stone unturned to win the hearts of the audience. The collection of the film at the Indian box office was recorded at Rs 202 crore. At the same time, it earned more in foreign countries than in India. It earned Rs 460 crore worldwide.