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Aamir Khan: In cinema, you have 2.5 hours thats where the economy of storytelling comes in
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If you have to enter films, you need to know about writing. Even if you don’t become a writer, you need to know about writing,” Aamir Khan told film students who congregated at Whistling Woods International, Mumbai, on May 5 for the third Screen Academy Masterclass. The actor has been credited as a screenwriter in only two films across his 42-year career — Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke (1993) and Ghajini (2008). But Aamir insists that even students, who are not aspiring screenwriters, must learn the craft to be one with the film they are making. For this, Aamir strongly recommends the book, The Art of Dramatic Writing (1946) by Hungarian playwright and teacher Lajos Egri. “It’s the mother of all books on writing. It’s primarily about theatre, but translates very well to cinema as well,” he said. The very first chapter of the book is about setting the premise, similar to what his late father and veteran filmmaker Tahir Hussain would ask every screenwriter even after getting a three-hour long narration: “Narrate the story in one line. If you can’t do that, your film won’t work,” Hussain would say. “I used to find it very unreasonable,” confessed Aamir in a conversation with Priyanka Sinha Jha, COO, Screen Academy. The Screen Academy is an initiative to nurture and showcase new voices in Indian cinema.“Later on, I realised what he was trying to say: that you need to have clarity of your premise, of what you’re trying to communicate. For instance, in Dangal, we were trying to say, ‘Humari chhoriyan chhoron se kum hai ke (Our girls are no less than the boys)’. That was our premise,” he says, referring to his 2016 blockbuster, where he played a retired Haryanvi wrestler who trains his daughters to follow in his footsteps. The Art of Dramatic Writing also underlines the importance of goal-setting in a movie. “Unlike in a book, in cinema, you only have two to two-and-a-half hours to tell your story. That’s where the economy of telling a story comes in,” said Aamir, “So, the goal-setting needs to happen early. For instance, in Lagaan, when Bhuvan says, ‘Sharat manjoor hai (we accept your challenge)’, you know the goal is locked. The audience knows where the film is headed,” he said, illustrating from his seminal 2001 sports drama, which revolved around a team of misfits from a village uniting to compete with the British cricket team as a desperate attempt to waive off exploitative taxes in colonial India. Aamir also clarified that while one is free to break these screenwriting rules, one must be well-versed with them in the first place. He’s no stranger to that, having gone against the mainstream order with blockbusters such as Lagaan; Rang De Basanti (2006), his 2007 directorial debut Taare Zameen Par and Dangal, where he played an overweight, 51-year-old father to four girls. “When you love something, make it with full passion and honesty. It may or may not seem ‘mainstream’ then. More than half of the films I did weren’t supposed to be mainstream,” he said. Aamir Khan played a retired Haryanvi wrestler in Dangal.When asked about that dividing wall between commercial and arthouse cinema, he answered, “According to me, everything is commercial. Each and every film you make ought to make money. Filmmaking is an art form. So, every film is commercial, and every film is art, to different degrees.” Aamir, however, also cautioned film students against approaching a mainstream film with an uncompromising arthouse approach. “Once you’ve committed to a film, you need to be honest to its flavour. For instance, when it’s Andaz Apna Apna, it’s a whacky comedy. The pitch or the sur is very high, so if I do a very realistic performance, I’d stick out like a sore thumb,” said Aamir, in reference to Rajkumar Santoshi’s 1994 cult classic comedy, starring him and Salman Khan.Story continues below this ad He maintained that irrespective of his star stature, he’s always in service of the film. “For me, what character I’m playing comes secondary. The only film
Anurag Dobhal opens up about selling his luxury bike collection worth Rs 10 crore.YouTuber Anurag Dobhal, better known as UK Rider 07, has been making headlines over the past few months due to his strained relationship with his family. In March, Anurag also crashed his car during an Instagram Live. Now, as he attempts to rebuild his life, the YouTuber has resumed vlogging. In his latest vlog, UK Rider 07 visited his hometown Dehradun, where he gave viewers a tour of his garage. Speaking about how emotional it feels to see the space empty now, Anurag recalled selling off his luxury bike collection, reportedly worth Rs 10 crore, earlier this year. Anurag Dobhal gets emotional as he gives a tour of his empty garage In his latest vlog, UK 07 Rider visited his garage in Dheradun. Seeing the place empty, Anurag Dobhal said, “The empire we built is empty today. We had to sell off most of the bikes last year. We only have two bikes left. I had to sell the bikes because I was dealing with a financial crisis, and I needed money. Only I know how I survived that time; there was instability around me. It hurt when every bike was sold. I was not in the vlogging zone, so I couldn’t share earlier. The garage property is also not in my name, so electricity was cut off.” In the title of the video, Anurag stated that the bike collection was worth Rs 10 crore.Also Read: Anurag Dobhal apologises for car crash, reunites with wife Ritika: ‘Won’t reconcile with family’ Talking about his current situation, Anurag said, “We are figuring out a place to live. I had planned to re-release my merchandise last year, but we couldn’t do it. I am very emotional standing here. Ultimately, we had to vacate the garage. We will try to rebuild everything we once owned. I was also very upset leaving Dehradun.” UK 07 Rider also checked on his remaining two bikes and became emotional upon seeing them. Talking about riding these bikes, Anurag said he couldn’t do it now since he is still recovering. “My legs are not so strong that they can bear the weight of the bike; it will take at least 6 to 8 months.” Anurag Dobhal controversy Earlier this year, Anurag Dobhal shared a video on YouTube accusing his family of mentally harassing him. He alleged that both he and his wife, Ritika, had been mistreated by his parents, and even claimed that his life was in danger because of his family. Following the unfortunate car crash, Anurag also announced that he was severing all ties with them. Recently, however, he returned to vlogging once again and said, “It has been almost 7-8 months since we posted a vlog. We had stopped being regular almost two years back. We were dealing with a lot of things in the backend. We also didn’t want to post because we wanted to make a positive impact. We used to just shoot for 15-20 mins to show all was well with us, while we were dealing with negative things. All of it happened for us at once. Ritika and I have been in a relationship for 3-4 years, and we have always suffered for the family’s love. We tried to sacrifice a lot for the family till the end, but I don’t know what happened.” Anurag and Ritika also assured fans: “Now that we are together, we will build a life again. I gave tuitions and built such a huge empire, so it’s difficult for a person to restart. I took the wrong step because the people I did everything for, they cut me off. I never thought about the future. I got out of that loop that day; now there are no expectations of that love or family when they can not come in your worst times. Even though my life doesn’t matter to them, they will always matter to me. I don’t hate them, but we have realized and decided that we won’t go back to reconcile. We cannot spoil our lives for this anymore; we have a child to look after. We are starting a new chapter now; this one is closed, and we will not be discussing this ever again. We apologise to everyone whom we have hurt, and thank you for all the s
New DelhiMay 14, 2026 02:56 PM IST Why Kiara Advani prefers to keep her personal life private. (Source: Instagram/@kiaraaliaadvani)Kiara Advani had kept her relationship with Sidharth Malhotra successfully away from the prying eyes of the media, till the couple announced their wedding in 2023. Since then, nothing much changed — save for occasional photo dumps on Instagram and glowing mentions in interviews about each other. Talking to Raj Shamani on his podcast The Figuring Out Co. recently, the War 2 actor revealed why chooses to keep her personal life private. “We never shared it publicly, it’s private, we wanted to just live our private life. It’s an unsaid thing, they (media) almost knew it. The close ones obviously knew, but the public also did in a way. We didn’t feel like we wanted to share that part of our lives at that time. Sometimes, I feel that it’s easier to keep our personal life private,” she told the host. Counselling psychologist Athul Raj explains that people generally keep relationships private to protect their emotional space. It allows the bond to grow without external judgment, gossip, or pressure shaping it. “Privacy can also give someone the chance to process feelings, test compatibility, or figure out how to navigate family expectations. It’s a way of controlling the narrative so that work or personal achievements aren’t overshadowed,” he tells indiainexpress.com. According to him, secrecy becomes harmful when it creates constant stress, guilt, or fear, or prevents honest communication with loved ones. And handling judgment starts with clarity about your own values and decisions. Raj says that when you are grounded in your choices, outside opinions lose power. Setting boundaries is crucial — deciding what to share and with whom protects emotional energy. Kiara and her husband Sidharth. (Source: Instagram/@kiaraaliaadvani)Raj elaborates that viewing criticism as commentary rather than truth helps create distance from negativity. Surrounding yourself with supportive voices: friends, mentors, or family who respect your choices–provides reassurance. “However, when hiding a relationship is about avoidance rather than protection, it can erode trust, self-confidence, and emotional well-being,” he warns. Striking balance Maintaining emotional safety starts with firm boundaries. Raj suggests limiting exposure to social media, filtering conversations, and delegating stressful communications help protect energy. Grounding techniques like deep breathing, journaling, or mindfulness can calm the mind and reduce reactivity, he adds. The psychologist also highlights that reframing criticism as irrelevant to your personal happiness helps maintain focus on the milestone. “Creating a supportive environment of people who uplift and reinforce positivity ensures that joy isn’t diluted by outside noise, letting the celebration remain personal and fulfilling,” he concludes.Story continues below this ad DISCLAIMER: This article is based on information from the public domain and/or the experts we spoke to.
Junaid Khan opened about the debacle of Ek Din. (Photo: Aamir Khan Productions)Junaid Khan has had a lukewarm career in films so far. His previous two outings, Maharaj and Loveyapa, made headlines for the wrong reasons, and his performances drew criticism from reviewers. Now, his third film, Ek Din, backed by his father Aamir Khan, has also failed to meet expectations, crashing at the box office. ‘Aamir Khan is still hopeful’ Amid the film’s underperformance, Junaid spoke about its reception in a chat with Vickey Lalwani on his YouTube channel. He said, “We were hopeful. But I guess… It didn’t do well. It happens sometimes. It’s a film that I really liked, I really enjoyed. I think we all really liked and enjoyed it, and I guess… a lot of people did really like it, but I guess most people didn’t like it. That happens sometimes.”When asked how his father was taking the film’s debacle, he explained that Aamir often becomes deeply attached to the films he produces and takes time to come to terms with their outcome. “He is still hopeful. Yeah, even after all these years, after seeing everything, it still really bothers him. But he keeps himself busy and gets back to it, and goes back out there and does it all over again.” Recently, Sai Pallavi, who made her Bollywood debut with Ek Din, said that she felt perhaps she was miscast in the film. When Junaid was asked about the same, he clarified his stance: “She didn’t say that. She was misquoted in the sense that when we were chatting, when she first saw the film and Sai Pallavi is the kind of person who is a little diffident, so she was not very thrilled with her work. We all think she’s spectacular in the film. But she is the kind of person who feels like, ‘I could have done better,’ or ‘maybe somebody else should have been there’.” Even Aamir Khan hasn’t gotten his own roles right Wouldn’t let Aamir Khan produce his films In the same conversation, Junaid also revealed why he wouldn’t let Aamir Khan produce his films going forward. “No, because I made that mistake with Ek Din.” He recalled how the script of Ek Din was originally supposed to be backed by the director of Maharaja, Siddharth P Malhotra, and that shooting was planned to start soon after Maharaja. However, Junaid, who liked the script and wanted a second opinion, approached Aamir, which changed the course of the project. “I thought, ‘Okay, shall I have a second opinion from dad? I really like it, but maybe I should get a second opinion from him.’ So I set up a narration. And so when the narration happened, dad really loved it. And he was like, ‘Siddharth, let me produce it.’ Suddenly he was like, ‘I want to make it. I really love it, sell it to me. I’m finally getting a chance to make a film for my son, everyone is making a film for him.’ It was a rather emotional decision.”Story continues below this ad He added, “I think he’s a fantastic producer, especially for a film like Ek Din. But what ends up happening is, then it takes five years to make. AKP (Aamir Khan Productions) is big production banner, it takes time. So then I realised, if I take it to dad and he loves it, then he’ll be like, ‘I’ll produce it,’ and then I’ll have a film coming out once in five years. Which is great for him. He’s at a stage in his career where he can do one film in five years, I’m exaggerating a bit, I guess, but yeah, he can do one film in three years, four years, five years, and it’s fine. But I’m just starting out. I need to have a steady stream of work. And dad’s now dying to make another film with me, but I’m like, ‘in a bit.’” About Ek Din Directed by Sunil Pandey, Ek Din is produced by Aamir Khan, Mansoor Khan, and Aparna Purohit. The film is a remake of the 2016 Thai romantic drama One Day, and follows the story of a young man who falls in love with his colleague but struggles to confess his feelings. His wish to spend just one day with her unexpectedly comes true, setting the story in mot
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