Isn’t that the case with every Dhoom film? But then, expectations are sky high from the third instalment because of the Ikka Khan factor. In cinema for two days now, the results have yet to come in, and it seems Aamir Khan will be on tenterhooks for quite some time. As Bollywood Hungama notes, "Aamir Khan is entering the larger than life and over the top genre of Bollywood with hardcore commercial film like Dhoom 3. Often known for its action sequences, trendy bikes and glam quotient, the Dhoom franchise has been Yash Raj’s trump card in the action genre and this time it’s Aamir Khan who is the new ‘joker’ of this pack!"

Over to Aamir Khan who gets candid in this interview where he talks about signing up for Dhoom 3, working with his co-stars and all about his character Sahir - the clown antagonist.

What made you choose Dhoom 3?

I loved the script. I also believe it is the most challenging role I have done till date, even as a performer, leaving aside the physicality. It’s also a very emotionally moving script. It’s entertaining and has all the other elements of the Dhoom franchise like the songs, bikes, action etc. and more to it. Up till now, the earlier Dhoom films did not have an emotional heart to the film but this one has it.

Have you seen the other films of the Dhoom franchise?

I haven’t seen Dhoom 2. I had seen Dhoom at home with Kiran on television. I found that movie very exciting and lots of fun. I sat till the end. In fact, I loved the music too. I used to dance on my bed whenever I heard the theme soundtrack of the film. Kiran was shocked to see me like this. Unfortunately, I missed the second one.

Buzz is that you are doing a double role in the film. Is it true?

No, absolutely not! It’s all rumours. In fact that is just one of it. There are many other interesting ones like time travel and the most hilarious one I came across was ‘Katrina is playing my mother in the film’.

Describe Sahir as the villain of Dhoom 3

Sahir is not Amrish Puri kind of negative. He is not actually killing people. It’s not like my role in Fanaa where I am responsible for many people losing their lives. Sahir is the guy who has a past and has gone through emotional trauma. The script is such that you as an audience and your emotions are with him. He is a character, we are hoping, will win your sympathy.

You are playing a gymnast in the film. What’s your connection with the Joker?

I am a circus artist but our kind of circus is very different. Normally we associate Indian circus with animals like hathi (elephant) and sher (lion) and in case of artists, its trapeze artists or contortionists (women who bend their body). But that is old traditional circus; the modern circus is different. It hasn’t come to India as yet. In India, if you choose to be a clown, it’s normally a joker jo topi pehen ke kuch utpatang cheezen karega, like slapstick humour. But it’s different in modern circus. There, if you choose to be a clown, you paint the character you want to play and you cannot change it in your entire life. If I am doing trapeze or any other stunt, I will do it staying into that character. I don’t know if people are going to understand that. But we have gone with the modern day clown. He is a character who may not make you laugh but he is someone who will entertain you.

How was working with Katrina, Abhishek, Uday and music director Pritam?

It’s my first film with all of them. The experience of working with Katrina is wonderful. She is easy going and has a great sense of humour. She likes chess just like the way I do. Abhishek and Uday too are fun people to work with – always up to some mischief like I am. In fact, I have even given them nicknames – Yajud and Majud (Instep note: Yajooj and Majooj perhaps, hmmm.) Pritam has done some fantastic work for the film. ‘Malang’, Katrina’s song ‘Kamli’, my tap dance song and my favourite ‘Tu Hi Junoon’ is the best song. We have decided to release only 30 seconds of all the songs except ‘Tu Hi Junoon’. This romantic number is not going to be released before the film hits the theatre.

What about not promoting Dhoom on television reality shows and serials?

It is a project which already has brands like Yash Raj, Katrina, Abhishek, Uday and me. We do not want to promote the film on TV shows. We want to achieve more but we want to keep the promotions less. I don’t want to promote Dhoom on TV. Though, I feel TV shows are popular and I have been on these shows, for me it’s only for small films. When you are doing a film like Peepli Live that do not have a big budget, A-list stars and the resources are less, that’s when appearing on TV shows gives you a huge platform which can help you tell the audience about the upcoming film. For a film like Dhoom 3, we buy promos. For films like this, promos are the only way of promoting where people can view the content of the film and then decide, whether they still want to watch the film or not.

According to me, big films being promoted on television is not going to make a difference. While people are already aware of the film, their decision of watching or giving it a miss depends on their choice and the actors going for every show will not make a difference. In case of Dhoom though, we aren’t promoting it on TV shows, we are going very heavily on the Internet. We also think this film is universal – from rural to urban, for grandparents and kids.

Do you think the international appeal of Dhoom 3 may make the ones in rural areas feel disconnected?

I don’t think being in urban or rural areas affects your choice of films. I love watching Lagaan though I am not a villager. The reason why I say that the film is universal is because it is entertaining. The huge mass audience is going in for entertainment. It promises the same and hope we deliver that.

Any expectations attached to Dhoom 3 entering the 100 crore club?

I am the first Khan to create a 100 crore record but to be honest, I don’t believe in numbers. Most people will not believe me when I say that. But I want my film to win hearts. What excited me about 3 Idiots is that people have loved the film not the numbers. It has touched everyone from parents to children. That’s what I want for Dhoom 3. When I got Talaash, I knew it did not have a potential for being a 100 crore film but I still wanted to do it. Numbers don’t excite me!

This interview was published on Bollywood Hungama. Aamir Khan was talking to Soumya Anantharaman.