‘Aamir Khan had a problem with my scene, he told Mahesh Bhatt': Tiku Talsania recalls getting ‘really worried' before conversation with star

Indian Express

16 hours ago

Aamir Khan's relentless pursuit of perfection is no secret in the Hindi film industry. Known for diving deep into the nuances of every script he takes on, the actor is famously known to call for reshoots if a scene doesn't sit right with him, even if it's just a minor detail. Veteran character actor Tiku Talsania, in a recent conversation with Friday Talkies, recalled one such moment during the making of Mahesh Bhatt's Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahi, when he worked with Aamir for the first time.
Sharing the anecdote, he said, 'Only about 15 days were left for the film's release. Bhatt saab called me and said, 'Tiku, where are you? Come to Film City.' I asked, 'What happened?' He said, 'Arey, this Aamir yaar…' The moment I heard that, I knew something was wrong. Bhatt saab told me, 'He has a problem with the scene you did with him.' I got really worried and told my wife, 'See, this is what happens when you get a good scene, it'll probably get cut now because of him.' If Bhatt saab is naming Aamir, then it must be that only.'
He continued with a laugh, 'But when I reached the set, Aamir was the first one to get up and respectfully offered me his chair. He said, 'Sir, sir, please come, sit.' That made me even more sure the scene was about to be cut!' However, what followed changed his impression of the superstar completely. 'Then he said something so beautiful, I still remember it. He told me, 'I've seen the film 25 times, and the only thing that bothers me is the scene where I take money from you. My character shouldn't be accepting that money. Even when I take money from Pooja's grandfather later, it's the money I spent on her, not a reward. So if I take money from you, the whole character arc will feel wrong.''
Tiku then asked him what they should do. 'He said, 'You still hand me the money like you did earlier, but this time I won't accept it.' That's the genius of Aamir Khan. He touched my heart that day. He thinks about the film, about everything. Watching your own film 25 times just to reflect and fix one detail, that's no small thing.'
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Tiku also shared another incident from the sets of Mahesh Bhatt's Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke, where Aamir and he collaborated again. This time, the actor's commitment extended to an entire scene that he didn't feel was working. 'I had reached the set and saw Aamir's father standing there, agitated. He told me, 'Look at this Aamir, he's cancelled the shoot!' Then I met Aamir and asked him if the shoot was really off. He explained to me, 'If it's just you, Mushtaq and me, this scene won't reach its full potential. We've already sung a full song, we've made 2,500 shirts in the film. I need the whole crowd for this to become a triumphant moment.''
A similar incident occurred on the sets of Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin, where Anupam Kher revealed that Aamir Khan took issue with his performance and raised it with director Mahesh Bhatt. In an interview with Siddharth Kannan, Kher explained: 'He wasn't upset with me personally, but with my interpretation of the climax. My character tells his daughter to abandon her groom at the altar — I played it with a comic touch, thinking only an irrational man would say that. Aamir didn't like it and complained to Bhatt saab, even though he was just a co-actor.'
Interestingly, Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke was also the film where Aamir took on screenwriting duties, co-writing the screenplay with actor and writer Robin Bhatt. The film, an unofficial remake of the Hollywood classic Houseboat, was both a critical and commercial success, much like Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahi.