My mistakes have taught me the most: Aamir Khan

Superstar Aamir Khan has been rewriting the rules of box office hits for more than a decade now but the actor - often referred to as Mr Perfectionist because of his well-planned career moves -- attributes his success to early failures.

Aamir says that while his creative involvement has always been the same, he did go through a learning curve.The actor, 52, has not had a flop since his "Mela" days in 2000 and while "Mangal Pandey" was not a grand success, it managed to recover its costs.

His hit-list has blockbusters like "Lagaan", "Dil Chahta Hai", "Rang De Basanti", "Taare Zameen Par", "Ghajini", "3 Idiots", "Dhoom 3", "PK" and "Dangal".

"It is now 27 years that I have been acting and very early in my career, I went through a phase that was a huge learning experience for me. The level of input that I have been putting has been the same right through but I made mistakes.

"So, what I am today is not just the result of my successes but also because of my failures. They taught me the most. That's why I have been able to build my career the way I have," Aamir told PTI in an interview over the phone from Malta where he will start shooting for his new film "Thugs of Hindostan" from June 5.

Aamir is reteaming with his "Dhoom 3" director Vijay Krishna Acharya and co-star Katrina Kaif for the Yash Raj project that also has his "Dangal" co-actor Fatima Sana Sheikh. But it is working with megastar Amitabh Bachchan for the first time that he is most excited about.

"It is an exciting script and above all, it is the first opportunity that I got to work with Mr Bachchan. I have always been a huge fan. It is really a great moment for me that I am finally getting to share the screen space with him." 

His film "Dangal" is doing exceptionally well in



China after a golden run at the Indian box office. The actor, who is perhaps the most popular Indian face in the country, is surprised with the way film has broken collection records there by earning Rs 1000 crore since its release on May 5.

The actor says it is hard for him to understand why he has connected so well with the people there. He first realised he had an audience in China when "3 Idiots" did surprisingly good business at the box office.

"Why an actor connects to an audience is difficult to articulate. It is a very intangible thing, you cannot really pin it down. But I would like to believe that it is my films and my good work that has connected me to the people whether it is India or anywhere else in the world." 

China has a successful homegrown film industry and has emerged as an influential player in the global entertainment market. Hollywood has been wooing the country for a while now.

However, it is only recently that Indian film industry has woken up to its potential through releases and collaboration deals.As a producer and director, Aamir feels China has shown the way when it comes to taking the entertainment business forward and hopes the Indian government also promotes "popular art and culture" in a big way.

"The Chinese government has encouraged local cinema in a big way. They have about 45,000 screens whereas, in India, we barely have 8000 screens for all languages. It is really something that we need to learn from them.

"The Indian government should do the best it can to promote popular art and culture. It needs to be exported. We need more theatres. I think that will really help the Indian film industry.

Aamir is also open to collaborations if an interesting story comes his way.