Aamir Khan (
pronounced [ˈaːmɪr ˈxaːn]; born
Mohammed Aamir Hussain Khan on 14 March 1965) is an Indian film actor, producer, director and television talk show host. Through his career spanning over thirty years in
Hindi films, Khan has established himself as one of the most popular and influential actors of
Indian cinema.
[1][2] After the overseas success of his movies
PK,
Dangaland
Secret Superstar, he is being called the Worlds biggest superstar.
[3][4] His massive fan following in India, China and Hong Kong, which amounts to one-third of the world population, is yet another reason to this claim. He is the recipient of
numerous awards, including nine
Filmfare Awards, four
National Film Awards, and an
AACTA Award,
[5][6] while one of his productions received an
Academy Award nomination. He was honoured by the
Government of India with the
Padma Shri in 2003 and the
Padma Bhushan in 2010,
[7] and received an honorary title from the
Government of China in 2017.
[8] With a large global following, especially in India and
China, he has been described by
Newsweek as "the biggest movie star" in the world.
In 1999 he founded
Aamir Khan Productions, whose first film,
Lagaan (2001), was nominated for the
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and earned him a
National Film Award for Best Popular Film and two more Filmfare Awards (Best Actor and
Best Film). After a four-year absence from the screen, Khan returned to portray leading roles, notably in the 2006 box-office hits
Fanaa and
Rang De Basanti. He made his directorial debut with
Taare Zameen Par (2007), a major success that garnered him the Filmfare Awards for Best Film and
Best Director. Khan's greatest global success came with the thriller
Ghajini (2008), the comedy-drama
3 Idiots (2009), the action film
Dhoom 3 (2013), the satire
PK (2014), and the sports biopic
Dangal (2016), each having held the record for being the
highest-grossing Indian film ever,
[12]while
Secret Superstar (2017) held the record for being highest grossing Indian film featuring a female protagonist of all time.
[13]Khan won his third Best Actor award at Filmfare for
Dangal,
[14] as well as Australia's AACTA Award for Best Asian Film.
[5][6] His films are known for dealing with social issues in
Indian society,
[15] and they often combine the entertainment and production values of commercial
masala films with the believable narratives and strong messages of
parallel cinema.
[16]
Within and beyond the film industry, Khan is an activist
[15] and humanitarian, and has participated and spoken out for various social causes, some of which have sparked political controversy. He has created and hosted the television talk show
Satyamev Jayate, through which he highlights sensitive social issues in India, occasionally influencing the
Indian parliament. His work as a social reformer, tackling issues ranging from poverty and education to abuse and discrimination, earned him an appearance on the
Time 100 list of most influential people in the world.
[15] Khan was married to his first wife, Reena Dutta, for fifteen years, after which he married the film director
Kiran Rao. He has three children—two with Dutta, and one with Rao through surrogacy.
