At the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI 2025), Aamir Khan delivered an unusually candid reflection on his decades-long career in Bollywood. “I don’t know how I became a star,” he confessed. “By all logic, I should not have been a star. I broke all the rules and I made everything impractical.”
That admission is striking, because for many, Aamir has always seemed like the archetype of success: the actor-producer who balances commercial hits with socially resonant cinema. Yet the man behind the success says his journey defied industry logic. None of his career decisions, he said, were designed with box-office formulas in mind. Instead, he followed his instincts, even if that meant choosing what seemed risky, unconventional, or “impractical.”
He pointed to his own filmography for evidence: the likes of Sarfarosh, Lagaan, Ghajini, Dil Chahta Hai, Taare Zameen Par and his most recent release Sitaare Zameen Par, films he says he picked without any certainty of success. “Almost every film I used to pick, I used to be like, ‘I don’t know whether this is going to work,’” he said.
That uncertainty, paradoxically, turned into one of his greatest strengths. Aamir explained that he deliberately avoided repetition. “I don’t want to do the same thing again and again,” he said. His motivation was never to chase trends, but to follow what intrigued him personally: a great script, a compelling character, a story worth telling. Films, to him, are not just about entertainment, though entertainment remains a priority, but about exploring new ideas, pushing cinematic boundaries, and connecting with audiences on deeper emotional levels.
In a film industry often driven by formula and predictability, where producers frequently aim to replicate past successes, Aamir’s path stands out. During the session, he acknowledged how many filmmakers second-guess the audience: they choose genre, tone and themes based on market calculations. But he stayed true to his personal taste, even when the risk seemed high.
Take “Ghajini”, for example. When Aamir decided to make it in 2008, action films were reportedly out of favour. But with the film’s success, the genre, and the industry’s faith in unconventional projects, found a new momentum.
His latest film, “Sitaare Zameen Par”, which released this year, underscores how his instinct-driven choices continue to defy expectations. Even after over three decades in the industry, the actor says he still searches for projects that excite him, regardless of current market trends.
Aamir Khan’s reflection is more than a behind-the-scenes confession. It is a statement about individuality, risk, and the courage to defy convention in an industry that often rewards formula over creativity. His success, built on what he himself calls “impractical” choices, offers an alternative blueprint for aspiring actors and filmmakers: one where integrity, artistic curiosity, and emotional honesty matter just as much as box-office numbers.
In this sense, Aamir remains a star, not because he followed the rules, but because he rewrote them. And by doing so, he has occasionally surprised the audience and himself.