Aamir Khan is known for being a perfectionist and doing things precisely right to the last detail and director Reema Kagti got a taste of his meticulousness while directing him in Talaash. “Last January, we did a hair and make-up look test and zeroed in on a moustache for Aamir. Though he has a cute 'chocolate boy' type of face, his character in the film is a man who is going through some intense emotional issues. So we tried to offset his look with a moustache,” says Reema. Aamir took up the challenge so enthusiastically that he grew a moustache longer than the look required.

“After the styling team trimmed away some of his facial hair, Aamir suddenly announced that he wanted to sport a fatter moustache. We were all surprised as it was way too bushy for a cop,” Reema says with a laugh. “Aamir can be extremely stubborn when he wants to be, so even though I tried everything from gentle persuasion to being blatantly honest, he refused to let us chop any further.”

As the look test trials were done in his house, Reema got her good friend and Aamir’s wife Kiran to help her out. “When we approached him, Aamir put his hand on his moustache as he thought someone would sneak up on him and cut it off. It was hilarious!” she says.

“I told him that I was certain about rules and regulations for cops’ moustaches and that he couldn’t have just any kind he wanted. He rubbished me and asked me not to try these ‘stunts’ on him. That’s when I called in a cop assigned to his security detail and asked him, when Aamir was around, about the rules for facial hair. He was nice enough to clarify those and Aamir being a stickler for rules and regulations, gave in and trimmed his moustache,” Reema says.