good films like lagaan travel. now, two decades later, he's eyeing the oscars again, with laapataa ladies — meaning "lost ladies" — india's official pick for the oscars, directed by his ex—wife, kiran rao. heavy clash exclaims in hindi i sat down with aamir khan to discuss his career, hopes for an oscar and his future plans. aamir khan, thank you for coming here. congratulations on laapata ladies, or known as lost ladies, being india's pick for the oscars. the film is about women empowerment, but there's a strong male character, a main character in the film too. so, as a man, why was it important to back a film looking at the fight against the patriarchy? well, ijust loved the story. when i read the script, i was a jury in a script competition, and this is one

of the scripts that i read, and i really fell in love with it. i thought... it was, the film was saying such important things, but with so much heart. it was saying it with such humour. it was saying it with such poignancy. and the script really spoke to me, and ifelt that here is a film that not only is it a great script which pops really well, but it's also talking about such an important issue. women all over the world have been... ..subjected to a lot of, you know, challenges in their lives all over the world — notjust in india. i think it's all over the world that women... ..have a raw deal in life. it doesn't feel nice. so i felt that here is a story which really brings that out really well in such a nice way, which is why i wanted to produce it and i was very keen that kiran direct this film. for those who haven't watched it, just give an idea about the film, like the story, without giving too much away.

0h! well, the plot is really dramatic, actually, and i'm happy to share the plot. it's a story about rural india, where a young boy has just got married to a girl, young, very young couple. they're both very much in love with each other. it's a very traditional kind of a wedding in a village. and then he travels back home with his wife. it's a long journey because, you know, he goes through... first he, first they travel in a boat, then they walk, then they go through a bus, then they go through a train journey. and in india, the brides wear a veil which covers their face, you know. when he reaches home and the veil is lifted, he discovers that the girl is different. he's got the wrong bride home! and then he remembers that on the train there were other, you know, couples as well, because in india, you also have this periods where it's supposed to be auspicious to get married in that period. so a lot of people get married in a similar

time, you know. so in all the chaos, in the train and all of that, he...he... the veil is covering the face so he gets the wrong bride home. and then he's really scared that — where is his wife? and this girl who's landed up at this house is married to somebody else, and she needs to go back to her husband as well. and so the story really is — it starts with that, with this. yeah. it's a bit shakespearean in that sense because it's, you know... it's a satire. ..lost and found and, you know, mistaken identities and all of that. so there's a lot of humour in it, but it's saying some really important things, you know, about women's issues, their independence, their right to decide for themselves what they want to do. do you think indian films have a responsibility to make films which can help tackle sexism and the patriarchy? film—makers should be free to tell the stories they want to tell, and they may not be about issues, they may just. .. mightjust be a film that's

entertaining for an audience. so i wouldn't put it that way — that it's the responsibility. i think film—makers should make what they want. but i also feel that as people who are in this creative field, every now and then, we come across material which actually not only is... ..not only works dramatically, but also makes us think about things that we perhaps need to think about. it sheds light, it sheds stories, can shed light on issues which sensitise people. you know, as creative people, we are able to touch people's hearts. we can, you know, make you cry, make you laugh, make you feel certain things. that's...that�*s what we do as creative people. so every now and then, you get an opportunity as a creative person to actually also sensitise people about issues that we face in society. the film's got new talent, so how important is it for you to encourage newcomers? and does it show films without big stars can work,

or does more need to be done to support those films without the big canvas? well, i have always felt that the story is what always works. and certainly if you have a celebrity or an actor or an actress who's very popular, it helps this, the film gets a larger reach. but this is one of the things that i want to do actively in the next ten years, and that is really promote young talent, talent that i believe in. i would like to be a platform. you know, i've been working for about 35 years now, so i'd like to use the next ten years to be a platform for young talent, um, writers, directors, actors who i believe in, whose sensibility i believe and whose talent i believe in. and i'd like to be someone who helps fresh talent, which i believe in, you know, come into the film industry. india's never won the best international feature film at the oscars.

yeah. closest, we would say, india's got to was your own film, lagaan. why... there was mother india. mother india, yes. about 50 years ago. yes, yeah. yeah, and the most recent example, though, i guess, would be lagaan. lagaan, yeah. yes. why do you think indian films haven't been able to cut through on the global stage in terms of award recognition, despite having audiences all over the world? you must realise that when you are looking at the foreign language category, it's probably the toughest category at the oscars. it's tougher than best film, it's tougher than you know... because you're competing with the best film from each country. and, if i'm not mistaken, this year, there's about 80 films. so each country is sending their best film. so you're competing with 80 really good films, if you know what i mean. and so that competition is tougher — even to get nominated and be selected in the top five is huge for foreign language category.

so i think, um... it's a tough competition, i guess, so it's... india has made really great films over the years. um, occasionally, it's a matter of the right film not getting sent or the best film not getting sent. but otherwise, we have to understand that the films that you're competing against, you're not competing against five or six films. you're competing against almost 80 or 90 films, which are the best in the world. each country's best film has, you know, been sent. so, it's not surprising. do you see a future where india could perhaps win notjust the best international feature film, but could just win the best film at the oscars? yeah, i mean, that possibility, of course, exists. i think it really depends on the kind of films that we make. you see, india has such a large and healthy audience of her own and a very healthy film industry of her own — in different languages, as you know.

we make about 1,000 films a year. erm... so i don't think indian film—makers, at least the ones born in india, i don't think indian film—makers born in india are really even thinking of an international audience. we have such a large audience of our own that that doesn't come into our, you know, mind. we are making films for our own audience. and so, me as a film—maker, as an actor and film producer for the last, i don't know, 35 years, i've never really looked at an international audience. i've never pitched a film, i've never produced a film for an international audience. i have never. so that will happen only, i think when you start, when indians start making films for a world audience. i don't think we have the bandwidth for it right now. . . ..quite honestly. why is that? why do you... i mean, i have such a huge audience of my own,

which i have a very strong emotional connection with. they are the people i love telling stories to, and i feel that a film that is well made doesn't... it travels. you know, good films like lagaan travel. laapataa ladies, or lost ladies, no matter which society you're from, is a film that probably you will end up liking, you know? it connects with people. whether it's released injapan, it's released all over and people have really loved it across cultures. it's been...it�*s received a lot of love. and so stories travel, you know, you don't have to make it for a specific audience, you know, otherwise. but when you're talking of award ceremonies or you're talking about the oscars, and if you want someone to win the best film at the oscars, then you'll have to try and aim it at an american audience, which i don't think we have done so far. what would it mean to you to win the oscar for india? well, i think that, um... you know, very, very honestly, i think that it's so difficult tojudge one film

against the other. that's what i really feel. he chuckles it's so difficult to pit two or three films and compare which one is better, because they're all different stories and each one can be equally good. so i'm not quite sure how seriously to take a competition... it's not like a running 100m race where one person is clearly faster than the other, even if it's by a minuscule timing, but one person is faster than the other. but in cinema, it's so subjective. so that's why i don't, you know, view awards so seriously. so you don't go to the awards ceremonies...? well, those ones are... yeah, yeah. those are separate, that's a separate topic altogether. but, um... so when you're asking me how important is it for me, i think that i would be really happy if we win. it would create a tremendous opportunity for the film to be seen by a lot more people. because when a film wins an oscar or an academy award,

then people across the world want to see what it's like. so it opens a huge window of opportunity for a larger audience for yourfilm. and then, more important than that, i think, indians are so film crazy. and we've been dying to win the academy award for an indian film, which hasn't happened till now. so the country will go ballistic. they'lljust go mad if we win. so, just for the people of our country and just for our country, i'd be really happy if we win the award, yeah. the film is directed by your ex—wife, kiran rao. yeah. you've worked with her for years. mm. i've also heard she's also launched her own production company. she has. yeah. why did you think kiran was right to direct this film, and has your professional relationship changed? and if not, what is the secret? because i heard somewhere you said you're moving away as husband and wife, but not as human beings, which i thought was really nice.

that's true. yeah, yeah. you know, i'm so... i feel so grateful and fortunate that kiran has come into my life and we've spent 16 beautiful years together and i've, you know, learned so much from her and she's an amazing person. she's an amazing human being and she's also a great director. and when i read the script, the first name that came to my mind was kiran, because i feel that she's such an honest director and this is such a dramatic story. i wanted a director who would say it very honestly, and in telling the story very honestly, the drama actually increases. instead of dramatising the telling of it, which a lot of directors end up doing. i think the reason i chose kiran is because i knew that she'll be very honest with it, and that's what i wanted and that's what i felt was needed also. and she's... she has an amazing creative instinct. she's great with actors.

she really... once she takes ownership of a script or a film, she gives it her all, you know. i know that i can completely depend on her to do what is required for the film. and... so she and i are very alike in that sense. we give it all. and, uh, you wanted to know what is the secret? there is no secret. she's just a great person and i think i'm not too bad either. she laughs so we get along really well. we really love each other. we respect each other. you know, our relationship may have changed slightly, but that doesn't mean that what we feel for each other has, you know, gone down or something. i really feel so... ..happy, even just to see her. as you're honest, you're both very honest with each other, were there any arguments? on the film? yeah. oh, yeah, tons, of course. i mean, we can't make a film without an argument. so we argue every point, and we, you know, have strong opinions, but our sensibility is very similar. so we are not talking

about fundamental things, you know, we are just trying to sometimes convince the other person of a better way of conveying something. and she being the director, i obviously leave a lot to her. you know, i want to go with her instinct. i want her to own the film. i want it to be hers. i often feel that, you know, when you're making a film, the film is like a child, you know? and the director of the film is like the mother of the film. and the producer of the film is like the father of the film and all the various people, the actors, the crew members, and, you know, the head of departments are like uncles and aunts and siblings and all of that. but it's the mother... ..who really is the most important person for the child. and so in that sense, you know, that's how i look at it. you're busy with this, obviously, and other projects. sitaare zameen par, is that right? mm—hm. but you said you almost quit a few years ago. idid. i didn't almost quit, i quit. quit.

and i heard that yourfamily... but nobody knew about it. no—one knew about it. ..i heard your family convinced you, played a major role in helping you. my kids. yeah. my sonjunaid, and my daughter ira, were the two people who convinced me. but why? tell us why. why was that? why did you want to quit at that time? because i... during covid, i was spending a lot of time alone at home introspecting. and i felt that i had let my professional life... uh, you know, in... i mean, i've been so passionately involved with cinema and films that all my bandwidth has really been in the work that i've been doing, which is very exciting and which i've really enjoyed, thoroughly enjoyed. but in the process, i feel in these last 30 years, i've kind of not been there for my family in the way that i would like to be there. i have not been there for my children the way i would like to be there — for my mother, for my siblings, for kiran, for reena, my first wife.

so, in the... this happened right in the middle of covid, you have to remember. so it's now four years back or three years ago. and at that time, i went through so much of a guilt, you know, when i felt that i have not been there for people who are close to me for quite a long time. so that kind of... he chuckles ..didn�*t make me feel very good about myself. and so as a reaction to that, i kind of said, you know, i've done enough work. i've done so many films, i've done about a0 films, and i've worked for three, three decades. and now i'm in the, you know, mid—50s. i was, i think 56 at that time when i was going through all of this. i'm 59 now. so this was three years back. so i kind of told my family that, you know, "i'm done "with acting and films. "i don't want to produce or direct or act any more, "and i'd just like to be with the family now." so they were a bit taken aback. at first, they didn't

take me seriously. he chuckles but then... ..when i stopped going to work, they kind of picked up on it. and then i was spending a lot of time with my kids and with my family and, you know? so the next six to eight months was just me and my family. and then one day, my kids sat me down and said, "look. .. "..how are you planning to spend the rest of your life?" i said, "with you guys", you know? "i really love spending time with you guys and i never got "to do it. " so they were like, "yeah, but we can't spend 2a "hours with you. "so get real and get a life." so they kind of gently nudged me back into the films. and so i actually had quit, but this was two—and—a—half years ago, and no—one knew about it because i... ..i didn't want to make any big announcements. in any case, there was nothing happening. you know, there was no films

being made whilst covid was on and this was halfway through laal singh, you have to remember. we finished half of laal singh and that's when covid hit. so when we got back to work, at that time, i had planned just to complete laal singh and then, you know, move on. but, uh... and then my kids convinced me, and i... you know, my son said, "you're like an extreme person." and he's right, i am an extreme person. he said, "you're like a pendulum. "you know, you were right here and did only films, "films, films, films. "and now you want to swing to the other side and do no films "and just be with family, family, family. "there is a middle place also you can think about", he told me, and he said, "you should try and bring some "balance in your life." and i thought he was right. so since then, that's what i've been trying to do. yeah. living a balanced life, where i'm working really hard. in fact, i'm doing much more work than i ever did. so i don't work after 6 o'clock any more nowadays. so i'm...|�*m actually kind of finding that balance between work

and a personal life. so i kind of feel i've reached that space now. and you've spoken a lot about mental health, too. you did an interview with your daughter recently, as well. yeah. do you think there's still a stigma in india? notjust in india, all over the world. i think society has... it sometimes gets difficult for people to come out with what they are struggling with because they feel they'll bejudged. ira, my daughter, is working in this field of mental health and... actually, in a sense, she's the one who sensitised me in a lot of ways. and i started therapy about... i don't know, about two years ago, i think. yeah. or maybe longer, three years ago. i think that that's something that's really helped me. it's really helped me understand myself better. you know, look at myself in a different way and try and improve myself.

so, yes, there is, there are stigmas around it and i think that... ..hopefully, you know, with a lot of conversations happening about mental health, that should kind of go down and people should be more comfortable in talking about their health issues because we don't hesitate to talk about it if we have an injury on the foot or, you know, you hit your head somewhere. you go around telling people, "oh, look, i have "fractured my foot." but when you have a mental illness, you try to hide it and you don't want to share it because then you feel that you'll be judged by people. but the fact is that if you come out of your insecurities and seek the right kind of help, then you will find that you actually have a lot of support, and you will discover that you're not the only one. you know, other people also are struggling. you've been an actor, director, presented a television show on social issues, as well as doing lots

of humanitarian work. what's next for you ? and then, finally, if you could, if you could, you've told me about singing as well. well, i've started learning indian classical singing with, you know, my guru sucheta bhattacharjee. and she is a wonderful... i'm so enjoying, you know, learning with her. and, uh, it's really... you know, it's very healing, i think, when you learn singing. so what are my plans ahead? yeah... well, i plan to really, you know, i've got aparna purohit, who used to head amazon india, she's now heading my company and i really want to produce a lot more films and give an opportunity to young talent. and, uh, i guess i'll continue acting. i usually do three to four, i do one film in two or three years as an actor. but in the last, i mean, in the next decade or so,

i'm hoping to do one film a year, erm, and produce a lot more films with stories that i love and i'd like to... like the mahabharat, you want to try and do that? well, that's my dream project. you know, it's. .. but it's a very scary project. it's so huge, and i'm scared of getting it wrong. it's a big responsibility because, you know, as indians, it's something so close to us. it's in our blood. so, i want to get it right. i want to...i want to make every indian proud. and, so... and i also want to show the world what india has, you know, as...as... so i don't know whether it will happen, but it's something that i really want to work towards, so let's see. 0k. just, finally, sing two lines for me because you said you like singing. oh. what would you like? well, let me sing a song. from yourfilm? let me sing a song from lost ladies.

it comes in the end... ..it�*s towards the end of the film, the song. i really like the song. # dheeme—dheeme chale purvaiya # bole, "thaam tu meri baiyan" # sang chal mere # roke kyun jiya # dheeme—dheeme chale purvaiya. i didn't sing it very well. thank you. that was brilliant! thank you very much. thank you. nice talking to you. hello there. it's been a mild

start to the week. temperatures at swa nage, in dorset on monday reached 13 celsius. it'll be mild on tuesday, as well — but again, there'll be a lot of cloud around. we're on the warmer side of the jet stream, and that's why we've got these higher temperatures — there's the position of the jet stream, it's to the north of the uk — so we're on the warmer side of that. but along a weather front, we've seen a lot of rain in the northern highlands — that's moving away, but this area of low pressure will bring some wetter weather back in to the north and west of the uk. so on tuesday, it looks like scotland and northern ireland will be cloudy, and there'll be some rain from time to time. england and wales looking mostly dry — again, there'll be a lot of cloud around, limited sunshine. and we're more likely to see a little rain into these western areas of england and wales, especially later on in the day as the wind picks up. a southerly wind will be freshening through the day, but at least it is drawing in milderair. those temperatures will be 11—12 celsius. temperatures won't drop very much on tuesday night, because it'll be windy — this area of low pressure

passing to the north of scotland will bring with it some rain, as well. most of that rain should have cleared by wednesday morning, and we'll see some sunshine following in scotland and northern ireland, and a few showers. now, it could brighten up across the midlands and some eastern parts of england, but then, the cloud increases and we see some heavier rain coming into wales and the southwest on wednesday afternoon. still mild for england and wales — temperatures 12—13 celsius — chillier, though, with that sunshine in scotland and northern ireland, 8—9 celsius here. for england and wales, though, on wednesday night, there'll be a spell of heavier rain — that should tend to move away. with that rain having cleared away by thursday morning and the position of the jet stream changing, we'll then be in colder air on thursday. we'll have a northwesterly wind blowing in a mixture of sunshine, but also some showers — most of those in the north and west — and they could even be a bit wintry over the hills, especially in northern scotland. but at least there'll be more sunshine around on thursday, even if it'll feel chillier in that breeze — temperatures will be 6—9 celsius. and thursday night could

be the coldest night of the week ahead. there's a risk of frost, a touch of frost in that colder air before the atlantic air returns later on in the week, and that brings the chance of some more cloud and some more rain from the west.

live from singapore, this is bbc news. syria's former president bashar al—assad says he never intended to flee to russia, in what's thought to be his first statement since losing power. we have a special report on syria's streets with members of the rebel group now in charge. an alleged chinese spy with links to britain's prince andrew is officially named as china rejects the spying accusations as baseless.

south korea's constitutional court gives president yoon one week to answer questions, as his impeachment trial approaches. welcome to newsday, i'm suranjana tewari. we start with the latest on syria. bashar al assad, who was forced out of power a week ago, has issued what appears to be his first statement since he left the country. in what is believed to be a telegram post from moscow, the statement explains how he left after rebels took over, and that he never intended to seek refuge in russia. it's not certain that the post was written by him. here's our russia

editor steve rosenberg. where is bashar al—assad ?