Mansoor Khan made four films in his career in the form of Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, Akele Hum Akele Tum and Josh. Out of these, three starred his cousin Aamir Khan. In an interview with us, Mansoor looked back at his short but eventful career.
Mansoor Khan on not offering the role of Max to Aamir Khan in Josh, “It must have come as a shock to him”
Mansoor, you went on to do three very successful films with Aamir Khan
Yeah. Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, Akele Hum Akele Tum. That’s it.
What is your opinion of him as to how he has evolved as an actor?
I think Aamir chose some very wrong films. Especially in the beginning. Yeah, in the beginning. But one film which I think opened him up was Dil. Indra Kumar’s style is very different from mine. His moments are loud, you know. You know, every scene is a little more intense and more over the top. So, I think that helped him. Because some scenes he was feeling very awkward. I didn’t like was when they make fun of this overweight girl.
During those days it was considered okay to make fun of fat people, dark people, stammers, etc
I told Aamir, I said, Aamir, how could you do this? And at that time, Aamir said, ‘No, no, what’s wrong? It’s funny’. I said, ‘No it’s not funny’.
Well, I can tell you one anecdote that when Mela was released and there was a scene where he pees into a bottle. So I asked Aamir, how can you do something so crass? (He said) ‘No, no, no. People loved it’. So, he was in that phase at that time.
Well in one of my father Nasir Hussain’s films there was some crass humour where a booze flowed froma water spring.
He made films where everyone can go and have a picnic inside the theatre. That’s not crass at all. That’s not crass? Did you miss Aamir in Josh?
No, I was very clear that I wanted Shah Rukh (Khan) for that role. But Aamir wanted to do that role and not the Chandrachur role. And when I was writing the script, I wrote Chandrachur’s part for Aamir. I was hoping that I could bring these two actors together. But that was the point when Aamir was shifting gear. So, I narrated to him and I didn’t tell him which character he’s playing. And then he started imagining that he’s playing Max.
Okay, he thought you were going to offer him that anyway?
But I didn’t… It must have come as a shock to him. Yeah, so next day Aamir came to my dairy office and he had a chain around his hand. He was trying to be Max. So, he was trying to tell me. And still I didn’t know how to tell him because I hadn’t narrated the script to Aamir or Shah Rukh. So, I said, wait a minute, let me play my cards slowly. So, then I went to Shah Rukh. And I narrated to him and after the narration, Shah Rukh said, ‘Yeah, in fact, see Max can do this, in fact, see Max can do that, in here is this and that.’ So, I said, wait Shah Rukh, forget that. Are you doing the film? He said, no. No? He said, ‘I’m sure you’ll give Max’s role to Aamir so I’m not doing the film’. So I left.
Then I came back and told Aamir, ‘Sorry, I’m taking Shah Rukh for Max’. And Aamir said, ‘Oh no, I won’t do the film’. Because one is that he’s pitted against his arch rival. Right. And second was that he was at the point where he was trying to break out of the lover boy, goody-goody image. So, he told me very clearly and I said I was disappointed but I said I wish he could have made that sacrifice.
Would you have made the role of Rahul Sharma (Chandrachur’s character) any different if Aamir had played it?
No, the role would have been the same. So, I didn’t re-narrate it for Chandrachur Singh. But obviously when Aamir would re-narrate it, it would bring a lot more. I mean, Chandrachur did it well in his own way. But he has a romantic lead, you know. But honestly, Max’s character was so charismatic that at that time I was thinking of casting Aamir, Shah Rukh, and Shah Rukh’s sister would have been Kajol. But she too wanted to play Max. So then I realised that Max is such a powerful, visualised character.
Of the three films that you did with Aamir, which is your favourite?
Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, I guess. It also relates to my own journey, because I was a college dropout, was a wastrel, you know, a rebel without a cause, you know. So, that’s why that script was inspired, because it was me. And I had to prove myself to my father.
And Akele Hum Akele Tum?
I thought I had made a bad film. So, I didn’t watch it after the release for fifteen years now because I felt it required time for the audience to mature to accept that a woman can also have a career and yes the child doesn’t have to be the be-all end-all of her existence. But when I saw it fifteen years later more objectively, I said it’s not bad. I slowly started really appreciating and loving our work. Baba Azmi had done such a good job behind the camera and Raju Khan has done some excellent choreography. I had a screening where I called Baba Azmi, I called Anu Malik and I called Aamir. I felt, hey this is a good film. I should celebrate this at least once with the core team, and why only the team? Akele Hum Akele Tum should go out to the audience once again.
Also Read: Alia Bhatt drops major hint about the ultimate collaboration between Aamir Khan and Ranbir Kapoor
More Pages: Josh Box Office Collection , Josh Movie Review
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