Luck

I envy Aamir Khan’s success. The amount of love and respect he draws is unparalleled. While he educated us about ‘dyslexia’ in ‘Taare Zamin Par’, he also inspired millions to pursue their calling through ‘3 Idiots’, which has gained cult status now. What helped him deliver such path breaking movies? Was it just luck?

In quest to discover answer to my question, I watched many of his interviews, read many articles, went through media reports. And here are some facts, which I feel pushed him to the top:

1. Focus: At one point of time, Aamir did have his share of flops. Before ‘Mela’ bombed at the box office, his career was fluctuating. The classic failure of ‘Mela’ gave him insight to rethink his approach to the films and he stuck to One Film at a Time and No Work on Sunday philosophy.

2. Quality above Money: He gave up the greed to make fast money by whatever came his way. It’s not easy as actors are the most insecured lots. Since then, he only did the films which excited him. The first outcome was ‘Lagaan’, which was nominated to Academy Awards in Best Foreign Language Film category.

3. Reinvent the Idea: He recognized the changing aspirations of the society and reinvented the concept of socially responsible films, which used to be appreciated only by critics. He made some of them huge commercial success.

4. Quest for Excellence: He goes deep into everything he does and absorbs the characters he plays. Imagine a 40 plus man, the father of two, playing the role of a teen in 3 Idiots. Don’t blame the media who calls him Mr. Perfectionist.

5. Everyone Should Win: He firmly believes in Win-Win. Therefore, his movies and not sold at exorbitant prices. If it’s a success everyone wins, if it’s a failure, everyone shares.

All this reminds me of the following poem:

Luck

He worked by day;
And toiled by night.
He gave up play;
And some delight.
Dry books he read;
New things to learn.
And forged ahead;
Success to earn.
He plodded on with;
Faith and pluck;
And when he won;
Men called it luck.