Aamir Khan's journey to become one of the most celebrated names in Bollywood has been far from simple, as the actor recalled his career's toughest days.
Speaking at the BFI London Film Festival, the Ghajini actor highlighted the challenging phase that he faced after the success of Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak in 1988.
Khan shared that he was labelled a "one-film wonder" after Mansoor Khan's film, which made both him and Juhi Chawla overnight sensations.
Despite the film's successful run, the PK star said he struggled to receive offers from the filmmakers he truly wanted to work with.
Films including Love Love Love, Raakh, Awwal Number, and Tum Mere Ho failed commercially before Dil, opposite Madhuri Dixit, revived his career in 1990.
Aamir Khan struggled to secure desired projects
Recalling that period, Khan said, "Because when I started acting, when QSQT came out, it was a big success. And I was certainly this overnight star. But at that time, things were different."
"So I was a successful person, but I didn’t have the kind of work that I wanted," he noted.
The actor explained that during that period, it was common for Bollywood stars to take on dozens of films simultaneously, and following the trend, he signed around eight to ten projects, most of them with new directors.
Aamir admitted that the experience taught him one of the most valuable lessons of his career.
"My biggest learning came very early—that filmmaking is a director's medium. Unless you have complete faith in the director and your sensibility matches with theirs, you imagine you're going in one direction, but you end up somewhere else."
Aamir Khan reveals three critical points he sees before signing a film
Khan shared that the experience led him to adopt strict criteria before signing a film, including a strong script, complete trust in the director, and a producer willing to support the creative vision.
Following continuous failure, "I suddenly got labelled one film wonder," said Khan, adding, "I used to come back from work and cry because I was really unhappy with the work I was doing. This is not why I had wanted to be in films."
Eventually, Aamir Khan landed on the 1990 blockbuster Dil, paving the way for successful films like Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin and Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar.
