Our Top 5 from Aamir’s many hits: Happy 50th birthday, Mr.Khan!

Yes, incredibly young as he looked in Dhoom 3, Aamir Khan turns 50 today.

From the fresh-faced lover of Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak to the bowler-hatted acrobat avenger of Dhoom 3 and the space-travelling simpleton of PK, we’ve seen Aamir in an incredibly varied range of roles.

Unlike some other mature Bollywood stars, Aamir clearly thinks with some seriousness about both the social and artistic value of cinema and about his place in it, and has not been desperate to mop up what money he can from his projects. Instead, he has used what surely must be his last decade as a ‘hero’ in the conventional sense to create some memorable cinematic moments.

We also want to salute this Khan for the mammoth and incredibly courageous Satyamev Jayate. No matter what critics and sceptics may have to say about his motives or about his tendency to burst into tears on screen, we believe that Aamir’s intentions in making the path-breaking series came from a place of genuine concern about the problems India faces, and that what he had to show and tell will make a difference in the years to come.

When we sat down to choose our top 5 Aamir Khan films, here’s what we decided on:

1. Dhobi Ghat

The classiest and most intelligent of Aamir’s films, Dhobi Ghat was the one that best deserved an Oscar nomination. Yes, and not Lagaan, which was much more about the national obsession with cricket and our continuing postcolonial angst than about acting. We do think the collaboration with Kiran Rao works very well for the star.

2. Rang De Basanti

If we had to choose the Aamir film that best examines Indian history and its relationship with contemporary Indian society, it wouldn’t be Mangal Pandey. Three cheers for Rang De Basanti and its very genuine and totally justifiable anger about what the country has come to.

3. Talaash

Aamir’s moving portrayal of the grieving and haunted police officer in Talaash does him great credit. This is a ghost story with a serious difference; also, a great cinematographic ode to Mumbai, particularly nighttime Mumbai and very hummable music.

4. Dil Chahta Hai

Coming of age, Aamir style. Dil Chahta Hai practically attained cult status, especially – natch! –  among young people. The bromance chemistry between the three male actors had us all transfixed and the songs were fabulous too.

5. Andaaz Apna Apna

Another cult film, Andaaz Apna Apna displayed Aamir’s near perfect comic timing and can still make us hold our stomachs and guffaw. We can’t really imagine a film that stars both Aamir and Salman today; this one goes down in our list of greats.

Two honorable mentions: for Tare Zameen Par, which opened up an issue that badly needed inspection, but which was really young Darsheel Safary’s film. And one more to PK, again, more for the social intent than for any thespian prowess. It must be hard not to overact if you’re obliged to be goggle-eyed for the better part of three and a half hours, so we’re giving AK-from-outer-space a hall pass for this one.

So, here’s to many more years of meaningful cinema, Aamir.

And Happy Birthday!