MUMBAI: Aamir Khan’s response when asked about his memories of the iconic film Sarfarosh, “I still haven’t come to terms with the fact that it’s been 25 years.”
In the movie, Aamir starred with Naseeruddin Shah and Sonali Bendre as police officer ACP Ajay Singh Rathod. John Mathew Mathan, a former advertisement director, helmed the picture.
He said,“It’s a long time ago, but it feels like yesterday,” says Aamir, who recently caught up with all his co-stars and crew members. “It was very nostalgic.”
Aamir admits that Sarfarosh was a realistic police drama in the mainstream, a far cry from the commercial potboilers in which the protagonist said, “Yeh police station hai, Tumhare baap ka ghar nahin!” (This is a police station, not your father’s house!)
Further he added,“It’s an important film for our country, and it touched a lot of people,” says Aamir. “It has been an important film for the cops as well. I recall many cops who met me after the film and even now, when cops come up to me, whether a constable or a senior officer, they compliment me on the realism in the film. When we made the film, we did a lot of research on how policing takes place and the challenges cops face. John had done his own research when he wrote the film, but I did some myself as well. I was surprised to learn many things, like how cops sleep or eat whenever they get a chance. And when it came out on screen, it was appreciated. I still get compliments on the way policing was depicted in Sarfarosh.”
Additionally, Jatin-Lalit provided some unforgettable music for Sarfarosh, including a Jagjit Singh classic. These days, the song Hoshwalon Ko Khabar Kya... is regarded as a classic.
Aamir says,“Jagjit Singh sang such a lovely song, and Naseer saab, Sonali, and I were all in it.The way her scarf falls down and I pick it up — it was so brilliantly captured by John and the cinematographer Vikas Sivaraman. Even the romantic songs were shot beautifully.”
Given his reputation for perfectionism, Aamir would be shocked to hear that Sonali Bendre, who plays the lead role in the movie, hasn't watched the full film. “Oh, she hasn’t? I wasn’t aware,” Aamir chuckles. “I’ve seen it so many times. If we put it back in theatres, people would come and see it all over again, and new audiences could discover it too.”
Aamir was also asked about the sequel where he said, “I’ve even spoken to John a few times about doing one, and we can do one when he has a good script. I think he has one in mind, actually. In fact, from now on, we’ll seriously pursue the idea for a sequel. Remember how we left the ending open-ended, saying ‘Veeran ka pata chal gaya hai!' (We found Veeran).”
A movie like Sarfarosh arrived at a time when Aamir's career was taking off. At the box office, the Rs 8 crore movie made nearly Rs 33 crore. It's crucial to remember that back then, movie marketing expenses were somewhat smaller, which translated into much bigger earnings.
Aamir said,“The story really touched my heart.It was an unusual story when it was narrated to me, and I was very surprised. We don’t get many scripts like that in the mainstream, but here it was, talking about sensitive issues with a lot of sensitivity. I was more than excited, and when I learned that John had also assisted filmmaker Govind Nihalani, I listened to the script.Normally, I relaxed and listened to a story, but after 15 minutes, I was leaning in, waiting for the next line and the next after that. That’s how captivating the film was. I fell in love with it.”
Aamir acknowledges the risk, “There was this guy with an English name like John who wanted to make a Hindi film... He had not made a film before...” Despite the uncertainty, Aamir highlights the importance of taking these risks, “See, we all take risks in every film.” He references other films where he embraced unconventional roles, “Most films I have done have been ones which are not the kind of films many take up...” He concludes, “Plus we had a great team of actors in Sarfarosh...”
Aamir does express one regret, though. “My only regret about Sarfarosh was that I was doing two more films at the same time...”
Following the same he said,, “I really wish he [John] had spared me the nightmares for the past 25 years...”
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Credit: freepressjournal
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