Aamir Khan says Thugs of Hindostan was 'basically Sholay', admits he made an error

Aamir Khan has said that Thugs of Hindostan had "a very normal story" and compared its format to the 1975 classic Sholay. He also reflected on why the 2018 film failed to work. Speaking at the recent Screen Academy Masterclass at Whistling Woods International in Mumbai, the actor said the film "bounced very badly" at the box office and described it as the only project in which he chose his part over the story.

The actor said that, as a rule, he always puts the script first when deciding whether to do a film. Looking back at YRF's Thugs of Hindostan, directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya, Aamir said he departed from that approach and later realised it was a mistake. He also said the version released in theatres was very different from the original script because it went through several changes during the casting process.

How Aamir says he usually chooses films

Aamir said the role he is offered is not the main reason he agrees to a film. "For me, what character I'm playing comes secondary," Aamir said. "So, when I say yes to Dangal, it's because I love the script. It's a great story with all parts having wonderful stuff to do. Then I focus on my character, Mahavir. But I haven't said yes to the film because kya character hai Mahavir ka [what a character Mahavir is!]."

Released in 2016 and directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Dangal featured Aamir as wrestler Mahavir Phogat and went on to become the highest-grossing Indian film worldwide, earning over Rs 2000 crore.

The one exception

Aamir said Thugs of Hindostan was the only time he broke his own rule. "There has been only one instance, when I gave precedence to my character over the story, but it bounced very badly," he said.

He added that he was strongly drawn to Firangi, the character he played in the film. "Firangi is such an unreliable character. You don't know when he's speaking the truth and when he's not. He's only about himself. I found him to be a very attractive and engaging character. He's got some great moments," Aamir shared.

Why he compared it to Sholay

Explaining what he felt the film's structure was, Aamir said, "Thugs of Hindostan has a very normal story. It's Sholay." He then spelt out the comparison between the two films.

"In Sholay, you have Sanjeev Kumar's Thakur, who needs to take revenge for his family being wiped out. And two people come in and help him - Jai (Amitabh Bachchan) and Veeru (Dharmendra). Over here, it's Zafira (Fatima Sana Shaikh) whose family gets wiped out. She needs help, and Firangi (Aamir) comes in," he said.

Aamir continued, "It's a very similar format. So, Jai and Veeru are the heroes of the film, but it's not their story. It's Thakur's story. Similarly, it's not Firangi's story. It's Zafira's story. So, in terms of its formula, it was more similar to a film like Sholay."

What changed in the film

Aamir also said that the film eventually seen by audiences was not the same as the script first written. According to him, repeated changes were made because of casting issues, and those changes altered the film in a fundamental way.

"For casting reasons, we kept changing the script. I wouldn't know I'd do a fundamental error, but sab se hota hai (it happens with everyone). We should not have changed the script even if we didn't get the casting we wanted," he said.

He added, "So, when you've seen Thugs, you haven't seen the original script that Victor had written because it went through a lot of changes."

Released in 2018, Thugs of Hindostan starred Aamir alongside Amitabh Bachchan, Fatima Sana Shaikh and Katrina Kaif. The film, though highly anticipated, bombed at the box office, and remains one of the most disliked films from Aamir's resume.