Aamir Khan’s journey with cinema has always been unconventional. Since the success of Mansoor Khan’s 1988 romantic drama ‘Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak’, he has relied on test screenings to shape his films. Yet, when it comes to attending screenings organized by others, especially those held just before release, he admits he is not the ideal participant. At a Screen Academy Masterclass at Whistling Woods International, Aamir opened-up about his unusual relationship with movies, “I see very few films, which is very odd. But that’s been the case since my childhood. I’ve never been a watcher. But I read a lot, so that kind of compensates.” His honesty often makes him hesitant to give feedback if he doesn’t like the movie. “One of the reasons I don’t see films is I don’t know how to lie. If someone asks me how the film is, I’ll say, ‘Bahut bakwaas thi yaar. Pakk gaya main.’ (It was awful. I got bored). It’ll show on my face,” he confessed. He added that last-minute screenings serve little purpose, “They call you a week before the release. You can’t even contribute anything at the last-minute. It’d only ruin their sleep.” To the students listening, he offered a piece of advice: if they conduct test screenings in the future, they must approach feedback with openness rather than defensiveness.
