Aamir Khan was paid Rs 1000 per month when he worked on QSQT, on how stardom changed his life: ‘Mera jeena mushkil ho gaya tha’
Did you know that Bollywood star Aamir Khan earned Rs 1,000 per month while he worked on his debut as a male lead in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak? The actor made the revelation in a recent chat as he opened up about tasting success with QSQT, and understanding what stardom meant.
The Mansoor Ali Khan movie earned a total of seven Filmfare awards post its release, but even as a newcomer, Aamir was not bothered about how much money he earned or what credits his film bagged nationally.
Speaking to Humans of Bombay about that time, Aamir said, “I don’t care about awards. I shouldn’t be speaking like this but I had doubts regarding the awards. I didn’t have so much regard for them. Winning them was not that big a moment for me, but the experience of making the film was a big moment for me. Mansoor is a very fine director, a very fine mind. I learnt a lot, my growth was very fast. I wasn’t just their actor on that set, I was a first AD as well. I earned Rs 1000 a month, and during that time, that was enough for me.”
Aamir then elaborated upon the film’s insane reception, stating that QSQT brought back youth and families to the cinemas.
“When it released it went through the roof. Youth and families flocked to the theatres, I was shocked, I thought my work was very average. I liked Juhi (Chawla) and Mansoor’s work, but not mine. So my first film was a superhit and I became an overnight star to my surprise. I didn’t know what was stardom, but things changed because I couldn’t travel freely anymore, people began to recognise me. Then I borrowed an old fiat but even in that, people would recognise me and autos and cars would come to a standstill, eventually blocking the road. It was like a tidal wave,” said the actor.
Aamir Khan also spoke about the special reception he would receive whenever he shot in Delhi post the release of the movie: “Whenever I would travel to Delhi, I would stay in a hotel. As soon as I would enter the room, the phone would ring. First, the operator would talk to me and then her entire group of friends lined up to have a chat, and then the entire hotel staff and their families would come up to visit. Mera jeena mushkil ho gaya tha (Things were becoming hard to tackle), so I started running away from it all since I am a shy guy and I am not good at taking praise.”
On the work front, Aamir is presently on a break, but will be seen in a cameo in Kajol-starrer family drama Salaam Venky. The movie has been directed by Revathy and will release in cinemas on December 9.
