Aamir Khan has often spoken about the emotional investment he puts into his films, and the superstar has once again opened up about how deeply failures affect him. Known as Bollywood’s ‘Mr Perfectionist,’ Aamir revealed that he goes into a phase of emotional distress for months whenever one of his films fails at the box office.In a recent conversation with Zee Music Company, the actor said that a film’s rejection feels deeply personal to him because he treats every project like his own child. Clarifying that he was speaking in a figurative and emotional sense rather than a clinical diagnosis, Aamir reflected on the heartbreak that comes with audience disappointment.
‘When a film flops, it feels like losing a child’
Talking about the impact of a film’s failure, Aamir said, “It breaks my heart when a film flops. At the end of the day, we make a film for our audience. When they buy a ticket and come to theaters to have a good time, and when they don’t like a film, then there is a flaw in your work; the audience never decides intentionally to go and watch a bad film. If they are disappointed, there is a mistake you have made.”He further added, “I go into depression for 2-3 months when a film doesn’t work, a film is like your child, when it doesn’t work or gets rejected, it is very painful. I feel it’s important to mourn your losses. When your film doesn’t work, it is like losing a child, so you should cry over it, give it time, so that it is out of your system and helps you move on.”Interestingly, just a week ago, Aamir’s son Junaid Khan had also spoken about how the actor was struggling to deal with the poor performance of Ek Din. The film marked Sai Pallavi‘s Bollywood debut.
Aamir recalls reworking films after disappointing first cuts
The actor also spoke about the filmmaking process and revealed that there have been instances when he sensed early on that a film was not shaping up well. However, he stressed that films can always be improved with patience and persistence.“Sometimes on a set you figure out a film is not going to work, it has happened very few times with me. When I see a film’s first cut, I never fool myself; I look at it objectively. If I don’t like it, there is something wrong with it,” he shared. Aamir then cited examples of films that underwent major changes before release. “It has happened with a lot of my films where we didn’t like the first cut. Delhi Belly’s first cut was not nice at all; people didn’t enjoy it. Then we reworked it. You can always correct a film if you want to; it requires lots of endurance, stamina, patience, and passion.”He added that films like Taare Zameen Par, Delhi Belly, and Laapataa Ladies also went through extensive editing struggles before they finally reached the desired version. According to Aamir, filmmaking is essentially about communication with the audience, and audience feedback plays a major role in helping filmmakers understand whether they have succeeded in conveying the intended emotion.
‘Real success is making the film you set out to make’
Aamir further explained his belief in audience testing and honest feedback. “Filmmaking is communication; if you receive a different message, then I need to change my communication. This process starts after the first cut. I believe a lot in testing the film, so we call the audience and ask them how they liked the film. Based on their feedback and reaction, we gauge if the film is working. For me, real success is to manage to make what you set out to make,” he said.Meanwhile, Ek Din failed to perform well commercially despite receiving critical appreciation. According to Sacnilk, the film earned Rs 1 crore on its opening day. In 11 days, it managed to collect only Rs 4.25 crore in India and Rs 5.44 crore worldwide.