AAMIR KHAN - CHANGING TRACKS

'I need to gather

my energies"

              As Bollywood's biggest icon, Aamir Khan, steps into his drawing room, rubbing his eyes, you're left wondering, Has he really turned a year older? His dishevelled, straight-out--of-bed  look belies his age. Yes, Aamir turned 45 yesterday. His last release, 3 Idiots, is the biggest hit in Bollywood film history, and, of course, the discerning actor is sitting pretty on a pile of money and scripts. But what's shocking is the fact that he has decided to sit his 45th year out as an actor.

             Aamir has already announced his decision not to do a single film this calendar year. Instead, he will concentrate on releasing his banner's three films which are under production -- Peeple Live,Dhobe Ghat and Delhi Belly.

           Seeing the slightly lost look in his eyes, we ask him if he's feeling lonely at the top and he replies pat, "I'm certainly not lonely, which might mean that I'm certainly not at the top. I'm very fortunate with the kind of relationships I have made with the people I have worked with. Today, I feel more connected to my audience than ever before. So actually, I'm neither alone nor am I lonely. "

               His decision to not drive to the studios, though, is a conscious one. Says Aamir, "Professionally, I have been giving so much of myself in the last three years. I ended up directing Taare Zameen Par, Ghajini and 3 Idiots were both physically and mentally demanding. I now feel the need to just stop and take a breath.I need to gather my energies again. My father's (Tahir Hussain) sudden death came as a blow. I realised on that day how fragile life was. We take too much for granted. And I've made up my mind to spend more time during the coming year with my children Junaid and Ira, my mother, Faisal, my sisters and my wife Kiran. Time is passing. Relationships need to be nurtured. I want to give value and importance to my personal life. "

               There are also a number of things Aamir wants to start learning. He says, "I want to learn to swim, I want to take cooking lessons from my mother. And I need to pick up some languages, I will learn how to speak Marathi, It is really shameful that I don't speak the language of my state. On the other hand. I can speak my mother tongue Urdu. But I don't know how to read and write Urdu. So this is my first priority. I will concentrate on my cooking and then swimming. So, this year, I will spend more time in the kitchen than in the studios. "