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It was a sudden end but he had his life all wrapped up neatly just before he went away. Aamir Khan’s father, Tahir Hussain (who once boasted in jest about his virility and said, “I can produce another Aamir Khan today if I want to!”) was what the film industry fondly calls rangeela. He had the nicest possible wife in Zeenat, the mother of Tahir’s four children, including Aamir. But he liked to occasionally stray from the fold. Among those who figured intimately in his life was an actress called Rabia Ameen, now known as Jiah Khan’s mother. But no, Tahir Hussain was not Jiah’s father. In fact, Tahir steered clear of fathering children from any of his women, including his young second wife. It was after he moved out of Zeenat’s house and moved in with his new wife in Yari Road that the papers had a field day writing about his private life. Tahir didn’t mind the attention especially since he and his new wife had invited the press into their house for a birthday celebration and posed for the cameras feeding each other cake.
Aamir Khan, who was off the press those days, stayed stoically silent all through his father’s antics. The only time the actor went public was when he put a legal notice in several publications distancing himself from his father’s financial deals. That was just after Lagaan when Aamir had made pots of money and his dad had squandered away most of his own.
Tahir Hussain was always the more approachable one in the family, perhaps a little naive too. He gave quotes indiscriminately and didn’t think twice before commenting on a family matter. It was Tahir again who brought his emotionally delicate son Faisal’s problems out into the open, leading to a stand-off between Aamir and his less fortunate sibling. It was unfortunate for Aamir because he kept characteristically mum while everybody flung weird charges at him when the truth was that he was always a very caring older brother to Faisal. Ever professional, Aamir had even done a silly film called Mela just because it co-starred Faisal and was a terrific opening for him.
It was almost like one of Aamir Khan’s meticulously scripted films when his father returned to first wife Zeenat. The buzz is that Tahir pronounced talaq, talaq, talaq to his second wife and came back to Zeenat barely a month before his demise. Meanwhile, Aamir had quietly bailed his dad out of his financial woes and taken Faisal under his wing, installing him in his production office. Aamir does not talk about his family but he takes his role of son and brother as seriously as his celluloid ones. And it was really a case of Aal izz well when Tahir Hussain succumbed to a heart attack on February 2. You could say that Tahir died a contented man; all the loose strings had been tied up and he went in peace.
As everybody knows, Aamir Khan was in Los Angeles when his father passed away. But his dad’s farewell was so meticulously organised by the actor that by the time he landed in Mumbai, a few hours before the funeral, he had every little detail in place. His close buddy and chartered accountant Bimal Parekh took care of Aamir’s ticketing and brought him back post haste. His PR department headed by Shilpa handled all queries and were posted at the gate to meet and escort those who wanted to meet Aamir. Actor Ronit Roy, who has handled Aamir Khan’s security arrangements since his Lagaan days, had worked out a smooth passage for the hundreds who poured in to give their condolences.
Ronit and Aamir go back a long way. When there was a threat to Aamir’s life just before Dil Chahta Hai, Ronit had thrown a tight security ring around him. When Aamir got married to Kiran Rao in Panchgani, it was Ronit who had provided the security to take care of the guests and to keep gatecrashers out.
A few years ago, when Karan’s father Yash Johar passed away, I’d watched Ronit swing into action. He’d put his team through a drill, showing them where to stand, how to direct the numerous visitors, where the footwear would be kept and how to handle every person who walked in.
Obviously, Ronit and his guys know the drill well by now. At Aamir’s place, it was so meticulously executed that one could quickly walk inside, go up to the first floor, join Raju Hirani and all other mourners. A freshly showered Aamir in crisp white kurta-pyjama came in and met every single person and then we were politely ushered into the room where Tahir Hussain lay in peace with Zeenat, Kiran, Faisal and his family by his side.
For an affable man like Tahir Hussain, he got the best farewell that his famous son could give him.
FAREWELL THOUGHT
Chew on this. 3 Idiots has done such tremendous business that after paying off Reliance and settling all bills, the three equal partners, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani and Aamir Khan (they get 33 and 1/3rd per cent each) stand to get a net amount of not less than Rs 50 crore each.
