Indian cinema going through a change

Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan, whose recent films 3 Idiots and Peepli Live has hit the right notes with the audience, says that Indian cinema is going through a change and there is demand for varied content.

"I feel that Indian Cinema is constantly going through a change. Nothing is static. It is nice to see that the audience wants to see varied subjects and different kinds of movies," Aamir told PTI.

In London for the release on September 24 of Peepli Live, a political satire about farmer suicides in India, Aamir, who has produced the film, said it has done "really well" in India, USA, Middle East and Australia.

"I am happy with the way Anusha Rizvi has made the film. This is her first film as writer and director and I think she has been able to translate the script onto the screen very well," said Aamir.

Aamir, who made his directorial debut with Taare Zameen Par in 2007 and starred in a supporting role, said that the film was not expected to do well.

"That is a new phenomena. Ten years back you would not expect a film like that to do well," he said.

When asked whether it is the social issue or any particular message that drives him to do a film, the actor-director-producer replied in the negative.

While admitting that Peepli Live has a specific message, his next film Dhobi Ghat, written and directed by his wife Kiran Rao, has no message.

"It is just about the lives of people. Dhobi Ghat is about the life of four characters in the city of Mumbai and how their lives affect each other. It is also about the city itself which is the 5th character of the film. Again there is no social issue or message in it," said Aamir.

When a script is offered to the 45-year-old actor, it is important for him to react to it instinctively to be able to say yes to the film.

"Me being attracted to a script is a very instinctive reaction. When I am reading a script, I am like an audience. The script which touches me, moves me, makes me laugh or cry, enriches me in any way or I get excited, that is the kind of film I have been doing all along," said Aamir.

"Each film is an experience because I get to learn more. The field of film-making is quite fascinating. While producing Taare Zameen Par, I had to do a lot of research about education and children with learning disabilities," he added.

The actor further said that his 1998 film Sarfarosh, in which he played an honest cop engaged in fighting border terrorism, was also a learning experience.

"I came to know so much about the police force and their problems. We constantly complain about them but we don't understand what they go through," said Aamir, adding that he got superb feed back after the film's released.

"Every cop I met told me it is such an accurate story showing exactly what happens. At least someone is showing police in the proper light," said Aamir.

Similarly, after the runaway success of Taare Zameen Par, "the way parents and teachers reacted and the way the education system reacted was tremendous. There have been a lot of policy changes after that."

"That is what I like about cinema. You touch people's lives, you make them laugh, you make them cry, you make them think, you make them feel. I find that fascinating," said Aamir.