Our man in Mumbai, DEVANSH PATEL, meets India's finest actor to discuss his performance in his wife Kiran Rao's debut feature

THE most enduring image of Aamir Khan is as the actor walking the red carpet at the Oscars nine years ago. Then in 2007, we saw him walking the red carpet at the BAFTA for his film Rang De Basanti, and it was hard to believe, seeing him looking resplendent in an immaculately tailored suit and open-neck shirt.

That is Aamir Khan - an actor with immense respect for his craft in Indian cinema.

A few days ago, I met him at his Bandra residence in Mumbai, where he seemed very relaxed, despite is being just a week before the release date of his wife's first film, Dhobi Ghat.

Aamir rushes out of a costume trial in his black shorts and a grey T-shirt, sporting a cap. A firm handshake, then he pauses and recollects the last time we met - he orders tea while I remind him.

Though Aamir can be serious and intense, a twinkle is never far from his eye, which you may detect from the way he answered my questions.

DEVANSH PATEL: You have played all author-backed roles in your career. Dhobi Ghat has changed that, right?

AAMIR KHAN: Yes, right. I was aware of the fact that my role in the film wasn't the author-backed role. When I read the script, I really liked the character of Prateik Babbar, called Munna, and there was no way I could've done it because he plays an 18-year-old kid and I don't look that age (laughs). But as an emotional thing, I still wanted to be a part of my wife Kiran Rao's first film. I liked the script too.

While it is unusual for me not to be doing an author-backed role, it is also unusual for an audience. The audiences will take time to come to terms with Aamir Khan not being the central guy in the film, but it works somehow.

DP: Are you proud of Prateik's performance in the film, which was the most talked about at the London Film Festival last year?

AK: I am so proud of Prateik. He is such a talented boy, committed, passionate and still laid back. As a producer, I found him to be an ideal actor for Dhobi Ghat. He has got acting in his genes. The camera loves him. I am a big fan of his mother, who was a yesteryear actress, Smita Patil.

This is the 25th year of her passing away and I want to do everything that I can to give Prateik a great launch so Smitaji feels happy, wherever she is.

DP: All three new talents are amazing, aren't they?

AK: When I saw the first cut of the film, what hit me was that all three of them - Monica Dogra, Kriti Malhotra and Prateik Babbar - were all first-time actors, though Prateik was there, as is Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, in a small role. Their performances are so raw, natural and yet at the same time, very effective. I realised that youngsters today do not come with a baggage of what acting is like or what it should be like.

A lot of the credit goes to Kiran Rao for extracting such performances. For sure, all three are better than me.

DP: What will you draw on after being a part of a young team in Dhobi Ghat?

AK: Over the years you acquire skill and that replaces the rawness in your performance. One big lesson I've learned from Dhobi Ghat is that now, every time I do a film, I'm going to try to unlearn everything that I've learned. I want to throw my experience out of the window and act as if it's my first film.

That is what I am going to do with Reema Kagti's film. So let's see what happens.

DP: You play a painter in the film.

AK: I play a very cloistered character in Dhobi Ghat.

I play a painter who doesn't communicate with people. He doesn't want people to come too close to him. The role I play of Arun is emotionally very brittle and has a past, and because of that he doesn't allow himself to open up to anyone.

Arun has got rough edges and he isn't quite nice to people sometimes. It was my idea to have the salt and pepper look for the role I play of Arun. It adds to my character and the appeal of Arun, I think.

DP: Will people in the UK go to watch Dhobi Ghat because of Aamir Khan? AK: Firstly, Dhobi Ghat isn't an Aamir Khan film; it is a Kiran Rao film and I'm just acting in it.

I don't know if Dhobi Ghat will appeal to the traditional Indian audiences. It is not a film that makes you laugh, it's not a film that make you cry, and it's not one that has any message. But it is delicate about characters and small moments and it's about a lot of the things which are unspoken. It's about how sometimes you realise, much later, what the importance or value of somebody else was in your life, sometimes, after you've lost the person.

Dhobi Ghat is not for people who like watching comedy, action, thriller or any fast-paced film. It is more for an audience which likes music, one which reads a lot and for a more niche audience.

**Dhobi Ghat is on worldwide release from Friday.