Aamir Khan In ‘dangal': How A Major Bollywood Star Uses Cinema To Raise Awareness

The Bollywood actor explains his approach to using films as a platform for raising awareness about major issues facing Indian life today.

Call Aamir Khan a perfectionist, and he’ll lightheartedly brush off the label, preferring to describe himself as simply “passionate” instead. Terminology aside, a mere glance at his 28-year career is ample proof that for Khan, going the extra mile is practically the equivalent of slacking off—the 51-year-old actor, producer, and director usually travels another 10 for good measure.

He did it in 1998’s “Ghulam,” when he turned down a body double or special effects in favor of sprinting towards an oncoming train for a stunt, avoiding it by a mere second and gambling his life for the sake of realism.

In 1999, when a script about 19th century villagers protesting British land tax with a game of cricket was dismissed by every financier in Bollywood, Khan took on his first producing role alongside his acting credit to make the film. Three years of grueling production later, Lagaan” became the third Indian movie in history to be nominated for an Academy Award.

In 2012, while it seemed like every other Indian actor was anchoring frothy reality TV series and game shows, Khan opted to spotlight mental health initiatives, dowries, and domestic violence as the host of “Satyamev Jayate,” a program centered on creating discourse around India’s social issues

And most recently, his inimitable dedication has been captured in a video (above) of his jaw-dropping physical transformation for his upcoming film “Dangal,” the true story of former wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat, who trained his daughters, Geeta and Babita Phogat, to become world-class competitors despite the longstanding bias against girls in the state of Haryana and within the sport.