Aamir on Mangal Pandey

He explains his long absence from the big screen. "I went through a personal crisis. That's why I didn't do any film for the first two years," he says, referring to his divorce from wife Reena Dutta. "After that, it took another two years to complete Mangal Pandey with director Ketan Mehta," he explains.

Asked about his look in the movies, Aamir says, "It took six months for my moustache and 18 months for my hair to grow. I didn't want to use a wig. Besides, Mangal Pandey cannot have today's physique. So I have a gawthi (villager) look."

Why did Magal Pandey appeal to him, considering he's extremely picky with the movies he chooses to work in? Aamir says, "Two things attracted me to this film: Firstly, I was amazed with the fact that this film is set about 150 years ago, in 1857 but the incidents of that time are still very contemporary. At that time, the East India Company came to India and took over. They started ruling us. They started destroying our country economically and enforcing their social views on us. They said they were doing us a favour. Today, America is doing the same to Iraq and Afghanistan. So Mangal Pandey is very contemporary in that sense.

"Another reason why I did this film was because this person became the first martyr of the war of Independence. So it was an opportunity to play the part of a man who became the symbol of freedom. Very few people know who Mangal Pandey was. He was neither a king nor a statesman. There is nothing recorded about him. Whatever record we have about him is by the British."

Does he fear controversies can bog down this historical film? Aamir retorts, "None should feel that way. According to me, Mangal Pandey belongs to everyone. He is a concept; he is beyond just a mere human being. I don't feel there is an issue."

Asked about his reputation as being "Mr Perfect", Aamir smilingly says, "It is important for me to achieve perfection as an actor. When audiences come to the theatre to see me, they come with high expectations. I must not let them down. I work with passion to achieve the character. But I don't think I always achieve what I want to."

Compiled by Cultural Correspondent