It’s rare to see Aamir Khan step away from the meticulous, almost obsessive rehearsal process to simply sit and talk. But for the 37th Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF), he’s making an exception. The actor is set to receive the Screen Icon Award, but the real draw isn’t a trophy—it’s a time machine. On October 22, Khan will sit down for an In Conversation session, a rare unscripted moment where the star of Taare Zameen Par opens up about the craft, the grind, and the man behind the roles.
But the award is just the appetizer. The main course is Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India, celebrating its 25th birthday at the festival. Khan will attend the screening with director Ashutosh Gowariker, the man who turned a period sports drama into a global phenomenon. For a generation of Indian cinema fans, that film isn't just a movie; it's a cultural landmark. Seeing the two of them together, discussing how a village cricket match against British officers in 1893 still resonates today, offers a glimpse into the architecture of a classic.
The film’s legacy is hard to overstate. Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2002 Academy Awards, it narrowly lost to the Bosnian entry No Man's Land. That close call only added fuel to its mythos. Back then, the cast—featuring Gracy Singh, Rachel Shelley, and a young, hungry Aamir—felt like a rebellion against the glossy, formulaic Hindi cinema of the late 90s. Now, 25 years later, the texture of the film holds up because the emotional stakes were never about the cricket. They were about dignity.
While Singapore serves as the stage for this retrospective, the gears in Mumbai are already turning for what’s next. Khan is reportedly in talks with R Balki and Sajid Nadiadwala for a superhero project, a genre he’s historically resisted. But don’t expect a quick yes. The actor is notorious for his commitment to the script, and the makers are deep in the writing phase. Alongside this, he’s set to star in Lalkaara, another Gowariker sports drama based on the 1952 India-Pakistan Test series, with shooting slated for November 2026. It’s a busy pipeline, but for now, the focus is on looking back.