Mar 14, 2026 12:14pm IST
Aamir Khan: 38 ‘Gifts’ He’s Given The Hindi Film Industry
Aamir Khan, who turns 61 today, has been over the course of the years, a child actor, leading man, screenwriter, singer, producer and director. It would be safe to call Khan a human 'discovery channel,' having introduced a whopping 38 significant talents on screen and off it! These include the 10 amazing talents who top-lined "Sitaare Zameen Par" as well as NRIs and other international names.
On his birthday today (Mar. 14,) here's a round-up of the 'gifts' he has given the Hindi film industry
DIRECTORS
Aamir signed writer-actor Amole Gupte for "Taare Zameen Par" (2007) for what would have been his directorial debut. However, the two had creative differences and Khan took over the mantle within a week, maintaining his script and billing Gupte as ‘Creative Director’. Next up was seasoned writer Abbas Tyrewala's directorial debut with "Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na" in 2008, followed by Khan’s second wife Kiran Rao's debut with "Dhobi Ghat" in 2010 (she also directed "Laapataa Ladies" in 2023). For 2010's Peepli [Live], he stepped in as producer for the directorial debut of Anusha Rizvi, who had been looking for someone to back the film.
Abhinav Deo was introduced to Hindi cinema in 2011's "Delhi Belly" and Advait Chandan in "Secret Superstar" in 2017, followed by "Laal Singh Chaddha" in 2022. Kavi Shastri, a British TV and film actor of Indian origin, co-directed "Happy Patel: Khatarnak Jasoos" with Vir Das in 2026. Khan’s upcoming production, "Ek Din," is directed by Sunil Pandey, who, like Chandan, has been assisting on his productions.
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SITAARE: INTERNATIONAL
Like Kavi Shastri from the UK, Khan also brought in Poorna Jagannathan, an Indian-American producer-actor, who last featured in a starring role in the Hulu series "Deli Boys". She played a key role in "Delhi Belly". Academy Award-winning Argentine composer Gustavo Alfredo Santaolalla scored the music for "Dhobi Ghat". And Rachel Shelley and Paul Blackthorne were British actors who played major roles in "Lagaan".
SITAARE: INDIAN
And in the 2025 film "Sitaare Zammen Par," Khan introduced an absolutely endearing ensemble of actors: Aroush Datta, Gopi Krishnan Varma, Vedant Sharmaa, Naman Misra, Rishi Shahani, Rishabh Jain, Ashish Pendse, Samvit Desai, Simran Mangeshkar and Aayush Bhansali, all playing differently-abled basketball players.
ON-SCREEN TAARE
Gracy Singh was Khan’s first choice for "Lagaan". Others who made it big from the film he made include his nephew Imran Khan and Pratik in "Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na", and Fatima Sana Shaikh and Sanya Malhotra in "Dangal". The same film marked the debut of Zaira Wasim (later the lead in "Secret Superstar") and Suhani Bhatnagar as well. Sai Pallavi ("Ek Din") is a South veteran. The versatile Aparshakti Khurana was introduced in "Dangal" (2016), both as a character artiste as well as the narrator.
Darsheel Safary, the child prodigy from "Taare Zameen Par", has evolved into a leading man who does both Hindi and Gujarati films ("Phule," "Kutch Express") and streaming ("Maharani 4"). He has now been cast in an Indo-US co-production by Mumbai-based Azure Entertainment (makers of "Badla") and the USA-based Red Bison Productions.
Pratibha Rannta, who recently sparkled in "Accused", played the pivotal role in "Laapataa Ladies", along with Nitanshi Goel. And Omkar Das Manikpuri and Shalini Vatsa have since made their marks as character artistes, since first being seen in "Peepli [Live]".
Incidentally, many character artistes who made an impact with "Lagaan," have all owed their ‘breakthroughs’ to Khan even though they had started their careers earlier. They include Akhilendra Mishra, Rajesh Vivek, Shrivallabh Vyas, Dayashankar Pandey, Aditya Lakhia and Yashpal Sharma who are technically not Khan’s discoveries.
The Write choices
Apart from Amole Gupte, Sneha Desai, who has written "Laapataa Ladies" and the forthcoming "Ek Din", was known earlier for her small-screen work in serials like "Byaah Hamari Bahoo Ka", "Wagle Ki Duniya" and "Pushpa Impossible" and is a noted playwright. Atul Kulkarni, veteran actor, was assigned the script of Khan’s adaptation of Forrest Gump, "Laal Singh Chaddha".
Yes, the birthday boy has been responsible for the professional births of several 'gifts' to Hindi cinema.
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