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The buzz is that Aamir Khan is planning to make an English film that will solely cater to the overseas market. According to industry sources, “The actor has been talking to friends about a film that he plans to make in English. The actor has, in fact, zeroed in on a script. Although it is not clear who will direct the film, the actor has certainly set his eyes on the overseas market.”

It has also been learnt that Aamir Khan will make the film in English and release it only outside India. The actor, who is now focusing only on his production house, is currently busy with the post-production work of his directorial debut Taare Zameen Par.

The film deals with a relationship between a father and son. Khan took over the reigns of the film’s direction after he felt Amol Gupte the director of the film was unable to handle the film. The actor had reportedly stated that the child artistes of the film were growing up and the actor could not afford to waste time as the kids were good performers.

After Saif, another Khan who has successfully given up smoking is our perfectionist Aamir. Not many know that Aamir Khan at one point was a chain smoker. He was often spotted carrying his favourite brand of cigarettes. “But post Saif ‘s heart attack, AK too has realised his folly and has decided to give up smoking for good,” says a friend of the star. We wonder when will the other two Khans, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman call it quits?

The Mani Ratnam-Aamir Khan combo was one that everyone was waiting to watch, but alas… it broke many hearts (including Kareena Kapoor’s, who was on-top-of-theworld about working with her screen-idol) when it was heard that the mega project – Lajjo had been shelved. Sources close to Mani claim that the film’s been put on the backburner, but with the bad news, there’s some good news, too. Mani and Aamir are planning a different project altogether, and his team of scriptwriters have already set pen to paper. Of course, the leading lady in question might not be Kareena Kapoor again.

Aamir Khan is gung ho about the DVD launch of ‘Lagaan’ and the making of the film ‘Chale Chalo’. “You would think it’s so typical of Aamir to wait for six years before launching the DVD of his film. But this time I am not to blame; I was under a contract,” he says in good humour.

Aamir confesses watching ‘Chale Chalo’ left him teary-eyed.

He says, “So many things have changed even personally six years. Junaid (his son) was just a baby during the mak ing of the film and now he’s 5’11′,” he says with a grin.

With Bollywood fever gripping the world, does he think ‘Lagaan’ would have had a better chance of winning the Oscars had it been nominated now? “The time ‘Lagaan’ went for Oscars was very significant for Indian cinema. Perhaps Indian cinema wouldn’t have gotten as much attention from the world if not for ‘Lagaan’ I would say it was a kind of turning point for Indian cinema.”

The perfectionist believes he is too creative a person to be a producer, but “once I was convinced with ‘Lagaan’s’ subject, I was looking for a producer who would share our belief. We could have got any producer since Aamir Khan was starring in it, but who knows if he would share our passion for the subject. That’s why I decided to produce the film myself and that’s the very reason I am producing ‘Tare Zameen Par’ too.

Talking about his current films, is it true that he is going bald for ‘Gajini’? “Yes, I am. One half of the film will see me bald and one half will see me with hair. I act in one film at a time so I have all the time to go through the kind of changes physical required to suit the character,” he says.

The perfectionist Aamir Khan is all set to get into film production in a big way. He’ll be producing two projects, directed by Abbas Tyrewala and Amol Gupte. The only film he produced till now is Lagaan in 2001. In Abbas Tyrewala’s directorial debut, Aamir will introduce his nephew Imraan Khan.

The film is titled Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na. Director Abbas confirms the news, saying, “It’s a college campus romantic comedy. Apart from Imraan, some more new faces will be launched while the hunt for the lead girl opposite Imraan is on. Music is by AR Rahman.” It is scheduled to go on the floors in October. Before this, Aamir plays the lead in Amol Gupte’s as yet untitled film.

Finally, speculations about Aamir Khan’s next home production have been put to rest. Aamir is going to start work on the remake of Tamil-thriller Ghajini, a year from now. Even if the project is in its nascent stage right now, AR Murugadoss (the director of the Tamil version) has been finalised to direct the Hindi version. However, the casting and other details remain to be finalised. “I met Aamir twice recently. He was so impressed by Ghajini that he expressed his desire to remake it in Hindi,” says Murugadoss.

Apparently, Aamir has bought the rights of the Tamil film. “Aamir is a very intelligent man and wants to produce the film,” says Murugadoss. “We did have a detailed discussion on how to change and adapt the film, in order to make it acceptable and understandable to a larger Indian audience.”

Considering Murgadoss’s inability to speak in Hindi (he gave this interview in Tamil), how does he plan to direct the film? “Language should not be a barrier. I do speak a little bit of English and that’s how we will interact,” he replies. Quiz him for some more details, and Murgadoss gets tight-lipped. “It is too early to reveal any other details; the casting still needs to be worked out,” he says. The original Tamil film stars Surya Sivakumar, Nayantara and Asin in the lead roles.

There is good news for the movie lovers. Aamir Khan and ace-director Mani Ratnam have decided to work together in a romantic comedy titled High Jump.

Mani Ratnam is currently busy with Guru starring Abhishek and Aishwarya .The credit for bringing then together goes to The Rising producer, Bobby Bedi. “This project will go on the floors in October-November. We intend to release the film in mid-2007,” confirms Bedi. Bobby also asserts that the film is a romantic comedy. “This is the first time these Bollywood biggies are working together so the film has to be exceptional,” he adds. The hunt for the leading lady and the remaining cast is still on.

Buoyed by the SC verdict, Aamir Khan says holding back the release of ‘Fanaa’ in Gujarat would be contempt of court.

In a last minute press conference yesterday, actor Aamir Khan said that after the Supreme Court’s ruling, it is the Gujarat state government’s responsibility to protect the release of the film throughout the state. “I welcome the Supreme Court judgment which has proved that this is a free country where we are allowed to express what we feel. Now it is the duty of the Gujarat state government to see to it that ‘Fanaa’ has a peaceful release,” he said.

Calling on the protestors to revise their stand, Aamir said the political parties involved should also see reason. “If the BJP youth wing respects an individual’s freedom and respects democracy in this country, then they will not thwart the release of the film. If in spite of the SC verdict the film is still not allowed to be released, it will be proof that the BJP youth wing and party don’t have respect for democracy, the Constitution and the SC.”

But what are the actor’s options if the film remains stalled? “The solution now lies with the BJP youth wing. They have to take the step.” To whether the entire issue was political Aamir said, “Why is that when a celebrity speaks on soft issues such as AIDS and drugs it is welcomed, but it troubles certain groups when the same celebrity voices concern over certain harder issues. In my case, I am repeatedly being asked whether I would apologise to the people of Gujarat. I have merely stated what the SC said earlier — so would you ask the Supreme Court to apologise as well?”