Get me a Diet Coke and a fresh ashtray please,” Aamir asks his house help as he sits cross-legged on a sofa in his drawing room. While we wait for the cold drink and ashtray, Aamir takes in the sunset from his 5,000sq ft sea-facing home on Carter Road, in Mumbai’s Bandra. “It’s a beautiful view, isn’t it?” he asks, as he lights a cigarette.

Didn’t he stop smoking after Dhobi Ghat? “Oh no,” he looks guiltily at the cancer stick. “I start smoking exactly a month before a film release and stop the morning after. So, I’ll stop smoking on December 21. I find it helps me de-stress before a release. Many people ask how I can stop smoking so easily. I don’t really know. All I know is that I manage. I know it’s a bad habit but it’s my only vice…. I think,” he says with a laugh, as the Diet Coke and ashtray are placed on a table next to him.

“Haan, let’s start,” he says, a glass of Diet Coke in one hand and a cigarette in the other. And, start we do. The Dhoom:3 actor talks about everything — from why he had to sleep eight hours a night for two years in preparation for the film, why he thinks Salman Khan is a bigger star, and about his sons Junaid and Azad.

What got you interested in Dhoom:3?

It was primarily the script. And I believe that it’s the most challenging role I have done in my 25-year-long career. As a performer, this film has stretched me beyond anything I have done before. Unfortunately I can’t tell you why.

You play the antagonist in the film. Having mostly played the ‘hero’ through your career, how do you approach a role that is grey?

My approach to a role gets decided by how the script handles the character. In this case, Sahir is nothing like a typical negative character. He is not an Amrish Puri kind of villain. So, he is not killing people like in Fanaa where I played a terrorist. Sahir has a past and his future is dictated by that trauma. I am hoping that he wins the audience’s sympathy.

But Dhoom:3 did challenge you physically as well, right?

It did. I trained for almost 45 days for the title track in Mumbai and then Australia. For the Malang song, I trained with circus artistes. I was popping motion sickness pills while shooting Malang because I would keep getting dizzy from spinning around on the strap or the loop.

You did spend a long time preparing yourself physically for this role...

I did. I had trained a lot for Ghajini as well. But the requirement of Dhoom:3 was different. In Ghajini, I had to look like a tank... it was all about brute strength. In Dhoom:3, I play a gymnast/circus artiste, so I had to have a lean body. So, I came down to nine per cent body fat while we were shooting. I was on a very strict diet, workout and sleep regimen.

Sleep?

Yes, it was written into my daily schedule. I had to clock eight hours of sleep every day. And this went on for two years.

Have you seen the previous Dhoom films?

Unfortunately I missed Dhoom:2, but I really enjoyed Dhoom. I remember I missed it when it released. I was surfing channels one evening at home and I chanced upon Dhoom. And Kiran (Rao, wife) and I sat and watched the whole film. It was lots of fun.

You worked with a new set of co-actors in this film…

You know, Katrina (Kaif) is a treat to work with. She is a great person to be with and has a great sense of humour. Both of us like playing chess, so that helped break the ice. She is very easy-going. Both Abhishek (Bachchan) and Uday (Chopra) are really fun guys. On the set, I gave them nicknames ...Yajud-Majud! (Laughs) They were always up to some mischief.

There have been so many rumours about Dhoom:3 over the last few years. What’s the craziest thing you’ve heard?

Oh! There have been quite a few. Apparently the film is about time travel. Also, I play a double role in the film. So, there is a good brother-evil brother situation. But the funniest I heard was that Katrina is playing my mother! I am happy that people are curious about the film.

You were the first Khan to set the Rs 200cr mark with 3 Idiots. All eyes are now on Dhoom:3 to go past that record. Are you feeling the pressure?

I was also the first Khan to create the Rs 100-crore club (laughs). [Ghajini in 2008.] But seriously, I don’t believe in numbers. Most people might not believe me but all I want is for my film to be a success. I want to win people’s hearts. What excites me about 3 Idiots is not that it made Rs 202 crore, but that people loved the film. It’s touched hearts. That’s what I want for Dhoom:3. If I was bothered about numbers, I wouldn’t have done a film like Talaash. The first step for me, when I am offered a role, is instinctively to see if the script works for me. The next is to look at it practically, in terms of how it’ll do commercially. With Talaash, I knew that it didn’t have the potential to be a Dhoom:3 or 3 Idiots. It wasn’t a universal subject. I was aware of that but I still did it. If I was concerned about numbers, I wouldn’t have done it. It went on to do Rs 95 crore which was great, but numbers still don’t excite me.

But there is a lot of pressure on actors today, especially the Khans, to deliver at least 100-crore films.

See, you said my film 3 Idiots did Rs 200 crore, but it is not my film. It is Raju’s (Rajkumar Hirani) who directed and Abhijat’s (Joshi), who wrote it along with Raju. Yes, all stars have the potential to draw audiences to the theatre, but that lasts only for the first three days. Beyond that, we don’t have any influence.

Of course, this rule doesn’t apply to Salman (Khan). He’s managed everything (laughs). He is the real number 1. He bulldozes through every logic. I don’t have that capability. For me, if the film is not good, I don’t have it in me to pull the audience. I feel that when a film is good, it does those kind of numbers. My contribution ends after the first three days.

People always say that competitors can’t be friends. But Salman and your friendship has stood the test of time. What works for your relationship?

I don’t believe that competitors can’t be friends. While Salman and I are ‘big stars’ and both of us want to do better, I have nothing but love and warmth for Salman. Like I said, I think he is a bigger star than me. He has the ability to take a film’s responsibility on his shoulders, I don’t. I don’t have any hesitation in saying that Salman is a bigger star because that’s the truth. I like to see fellow actors doing good work. I liked Ranbir (Kapoor) in Barfi! I remember asking Kiran when we were watching the film: ‘What is he doing differently from me?’ I feel that I need to learn from him. I want to do well for myself but someone else’s success doesn’t make me bitter or angry. Good work gives me joy and it doesn’t matter that it’s not mine.

What about the third Khan, Shah Rukh?

I really enjoyed his DDLJ (Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge) and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. A film of his that I am still hoping to watch is Chak De! India. I have heard a lot of praise for his work in that film. Shah Rukh is a well loved and extremely charming actor. I love to watch him on screen.

Your son Junaid has taken his first steps in Bollywood as an assistant director on Peekay. Has he been enjoying his stint?

He is really happy being on sets and that, in my opinion, is a good sign. He hasn’t told me what he wants to do after Peekay.

Your younger son Azad recently turned two. Are you a hands-on father?

I am afraid I am not. I think I am too self-centred for that. I get too lost in my work. But I am not a bad father. I spend a lot of time with him. I tell him stories at night. He’s recently started playschool so I spend time with him in the morning before he goes to school. Before that, he’d come to the Dhoom:3 sets every day. He’d cling to me as soon as I would get ready to leave home. So, I’d take him along and he would hang out on the set. This was his routine for almost a year. He even learnt a bit of tap (dance) when I was learning it for the title track.

What has Kiran been up to since Dhobi Ghat?

Kiran is working on a script. She is very secretive about what she writes. I like it that way. I would much rather hear a complete script. Let’s see what she’s written. I would like to be in her film no matter what the subject… unless I don’t like the script. I have to be honest to my creative instincts.

KARISHMA UPADHYAY

DHOOM:3 DECODED

Plot: While Yash Raj Films has kept the plot under wraps for over two years, the promos suggest that Aamir Khan’s Sahir is a circus artiste-cum-illusionist who pulls off daring heists, with Katrina Kaif’s Aaliya as his partner. His ultimate goal? To avenge the death of his dad (Jackie Shroff). But cop Jai Dixit (Abhishek Bachchan) and his tapori assistant Ali (Uday Chopra) are hot on his heels.

Cast and crew: Aamir, Katrina and director Vijay Krishna Acharya make an entry into the Dhoom franchise. Abhishek and Uday (below) return for the third time, with Yash Chopra’s son slated to hang up his acting boots after Dhoom:3.

Notable cameo: Cocktail girl Diana Penty plays Selina Kapoor.

Shot in: Mumbai, Chicago and Zurich and Ticino in Switzerland.

Prep: Aamir learnt tap dance and parkour and trained extensively as a gymnast. Katrina took paragliding and singing lessons.

Rumours: Aamir in a double role; Priyanka Chopra as a second heroine; Rajinikanth in a special appearance.

Run-time: A whopping 172 minutes!

Music: Pritam scores for his third Dhoom film. Aamir dedicated the title track to Sachin Tendulkar at his last Test in Wankhede. Dhoom machale also has an Arabic version.

Reported budget: Rs 150 crore. The picturisation of the Malang number — featuring Aamir and Katrina— alone cost Rs 5 crore.

Brand tie-ups: Close to 200. Bags to bandanas, dolls to diaries, scarves to satchels.

Why will you watch Dhoom:3? Tell t2@abp,in