December 16, 2009 3:44:28 PM IST Enkayaar, Bollywood Trade News Network

A decade is a long time in the tides of an institution and the world of Hindi films is no exception. As we are at the cusp of entering a new decade, this special column would seek to analyse the significant achievements during the last decade. If Big B defined the decade with his towering presence, it was Aamir Khan who created new benchmarks of film making, and emerged as the most bankable star in the recent memory, whose films refuse to topple at the box office. Here is a snapshot of the decade from Aamir Khan's perspective.

	AAMIR KHAN

AAMIR KHAN: Redefining the contours of marketing of films

When Sachin Tendulkar decides to provide clue to the whereabouts of a film star, who also happens to be his buddy Aamir Khan, it is sort of acknowledgement about the ingenuity that Aamir Khan adapts in marketing his films as he is currently doing for 3 IDIOTS, and as a result of which he has emerged as the most successful star of the decade gone by.

For Aamir Khan the decade opened with his acting in an offbeat film EARTH-1947 produced by Deepa Mehta, based on the novel Ice Candy Man by Bapsi Sidhwa which had an interesting relook at the notion of Partition of the country, and Aamir Khan got critical acclaim for this film. Along with it came MELA co-starring his brother Faizal Khan. It was one of the rare flops in Aamir's career.

However as is his wont, Aamir bounced back with one of the biggest hits that Hindi cinema has ever seen, LAGAAN. LAGAAN also created ripple effect internationally when it was nominated for Oscars and Aamir along with Ashutosh Gowarikar left no stone untouched to facilitate LAGAAN become a cult film at the international level. LAGAAN also emerged as a case study for the management graduates at IIM Ahmedabad.

CHECK OUT : Analysis of the present decade of Hindi cinema- Part 1 

The decade of 1999-2009 was defined by Aamir's experimentation in his getup, in his choice of films and the causes with which he associated himself. From the rural hinterland Aamir's next film zoomed into the most urban of the spaces that Indian youth can visualize with DIL CHAHTA HAI, setting into context the angst of modern youth growing shoot like cut of from reality. It also started new Aamir Khan haircut and keeping of a goatee.

MANGAL PANDEY came along the same time and again emphasized about the fact that indeed Aamir has the ability to get under the skin of the character to etch a realistic portrayal. Aamir achieved another extreme in terms of portrayal of character through his next film RANG DE BASANTI, which again epitomized the frustration of the present day youth of the middle class, and it has also emerged as one of the hallmark films in Indian cinema.

Having played to the gallery as a nationalist Aamir moved to another extreme as a terrorist in FANNA and again proved that he still had the mean streak, he had shown its shades for the first time in RAAKH. No other actor in the mainstream has shown the guts so far to portray the role of a terrorist, but for a Sanjay Dutt in KHALNAYAK, but Aamir did it with FANAA and inspite of his negative role he gave a super duper hit film. But it was TAARE ZAMEEN PAR his in-house production that rewrote the manner in which films addressing children's issues ought to be made. It created a wave of revisiting the art of parenting among the parents and there could not have been a better reward for Aamir.

CHECK OUT : Aamir's Rs 25,000 saree for Kareena 

He is one actor who does not rest on his laurels and it was proved with GHAJINI where he again played with his getup and looks and set the whole nation on fire with his GHAJINI looks and mannerism. The 8 films that he has acted in are indeed the vital signposts of the Indian cinema per se. Aamir Khan is also one actor who bears the responsibility of being a just citizen on his sleeves.

So he did not think twice before associating with the programme 'Atithi Devo Bhav', initiated by Government of India to bring about an improvement in Indian image among the eyes of the tourists.

May be, at the end of this decade a new chapter would be added in the Indian marketing lexicon where Aamir Khan would find a significant reference.