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Amid strained LAC ties ‘Cultural bridge’: Aamir Khan’s Chinese fans ring in his 56th birthday
Beijing India and China might be grappling to resolve the worst military standoff in decades at the border but for actor Aamir Khan’s Chinese fans Sunday, March 14, was the day to celebrate his 56th with love and a large cake
Beijing India and China might be grappling to resolve the worst military standoff in decades at the border but for actor Aamir Khan’s Chinese fans Sunday, March 14, was the day to celebrate his 56th with love and a large cake.
A bunch of Khan’s fans from the “Aamir Khan China Fan Club” or “a+”, as it is called in short, gathered at the Indian embassy on Sunday afternoon to cut a cake, sing birthday songs, watch clips from his popular movies and read out letters addressed to the actor from admirers across the country.
Several clips of earlier events related to Khan were shown including one on a young Chinese woman, Karen, who was invited to the actor’s home a few years ago.
A Chinese remake of the “Dhaakad” music video from “Dangal” was screened as well during the two-hour event.
“a+” boasts of a million followers on its Chinese social media handles on Twitter-like Weibo and Douyin, the domestic version of TikTok, and organises events related to Khan and his movies in different cities.
Khan’s “Dangal” and “Secret Superstar” made big money and were big hits in China – despite the Doklam standoff in 2017 – but many of his followers fondly remember both “3 Idiots” and “PK”.
In the letters that were read out, the writers wrote about how Khan’s movies had a positive impact on their lives; how in times of trouble the messages delivered in his movies had helped them to be emotionally resilient.
Yang Ajie, who calls herself the “leader” of the fan club said Khan is like a “cultural bridge” between India and China.
Yang said his movies – at least most of them – have “emotionally connected” with the Chinese audiences.
Giving the example of the theme of “3 Idiots”, she said Chinese college students face similar problems like tough competition in academics and competitive exams, which are not easy to crack.
And, in “Secret Superstar”, it was the tender mother-daughter – two of the film’s protagonists -- relationship that found empathy among the Chinese, she said.
“Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to call him a cultural bridge between China and India. At the same time, he has a huge fan base in China and also maintains good interactions with fans from all over the country,” the fan club said in a message ahead of the event.
While earlier events organised by the club were held both online and offline, this year was the first time that “a+” held Khan’s birthday event at the Indian embassy.
Though his Chinese fans will love it, it remains to be seen if Khan can visit China ahead of his next release “Laal Singh Chaddha”, a remake of the critically acclaimed and Oscar-winning “Forrest Gump”, later this year.
