‘My career was going down the drain’: Aamir Khan recalls being ‘unhappy’ with his work in the early years as an actor

Speaking at HTLS 2025, Aamir Khan shared that after the huge success of Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, he was labelled a ‘one film wonder’.

Aamir Khan opened up about how deeply unsatisfied he was with the films he was doing at the beginning of his career. The actor was speaking at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit 2025, when he touched upon what transformed his career, and how he came to emphasise on the importance of scripts.

Aamir Khan at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit 2025. (HT Photo)

‘I am not built to do 2-3 films together’

Aamir was in conversation with Sonal Kalra, Chief Managing Editor - Entertainment and Lifestyle, Hindustan Times, when he shared that he signed a number of films after his debut with Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, and then regretted those choices.

During the conversation, Aamir said, “My first film QSQT (Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak) was a huge success, and made me an overnight star. I started getting a lot of offers for films. I wasn't getting offers from the directors I wanted to work with. I had a list of directors I wanted to work with, but none of those directors approached me. I think at that time, even after a superhit like QSQT, you still had to establish yourself as a star. So yes, I signed some 8-9 films, thinking that the rest of the actors are doing 30-40, so under 10 should be okay for me. But when the shooting of these films began, I realised what a big mistake I had made. I am not built to do 2-3 films together, and that was my first realisation.”

‘I was dubbed a one film wonder’

The actor said when those films released, they bombed, and he was labelled a ‘one film wonder’, something he doesn't disagree with. He added, “I realised in the first 6-8 months of working in these films that 3 things are very crucial in every film; the script, the director and the producer. Until these 3 are ticked off, I realised I won't do a film again. I was very unhappy with the work I was doing. In the first couple of years in my career as an actor, after QSQT, I was not happy with the projects. My sensibility did not match the people I was working with. To cut a long story short, these films started releasing eventually, and they started bombing. Ek flop hui, dusri flop hui, teesri flop hui (One flopped, then another flopped, then a third one too). I was labelled ‘one film wonder,’ and rightly so.”

Aamir said he felt his career was over, because he still had unreleased films that he felt were bad. “Those 3-4 films which had not done well brought me to the situation, and the remaining 5-6 films which I was working on… I knew how bad they were! I was like, ‘I am sunk! My career is going to go down the drain in this manner!’ I used to come home in the evening and cry. I swore to myself that never again will I compromise with my work.”

Aamir did find success again, starting with Dil in 1990. In the 90s, he starred in some of the most successful films of the decade, including Raja Hindustani and Sarfarosh. He further cemented his place among Bollywood elites with back-to-back all-time grossers like Ghajini, 3 Idiots, PK, and Dangal, which still remains the highest-grossing Indian film.

Aamir's recent work

His last release was Sitaare Zameen Par. The film crossed ₹200 crore worldwide. The film, directed by RS Prasanna and starring Genelia D’Souza, skipped an OTT release for a direct release on YouTube after completing its theatrical run.