Aamir Khan On Discovering 'Power Of Namaste' In Punjab: 'As A Muslim, I Was More Familiar With Adaab'

Aamir Khan opens up about how he discovered the power of Namaste.

Aamir Khan made his first appearance on Kapil Sharma’s show recently. During the latest episode of Netflix’s The Great Indian Kapil Show, the actor shared various anecdotes from his acting career. He particularly praised the humility of the people of Punjab and mentioned how he learned the significance of ‘namaste’ from them while shooting for Dangal (2016) in a village in Punjab.

In Hindi, Aamir expressed, “This is a story that’s very dear to me. We filmed Rang de Basanti in Punjab, and I had a great experience there. The people and the Punjabi culture exude love. So, when we went to shoot Dangal, it was in a small village in Punjab where we spent over two months. Every morning when I arrived around 5 or 6, as my car approached, people would be outside their homes ready to welcome me with folded hands and ‘Sat Sri Akaal.’ They were eager to greet me, never causing any disturbance. After my work was done, upon my return in the evening, they would again be there to bid me ‘Good Night.’”

Aamir further shared that as a Muslim, he was accustomed to a different way of greeting and initially found folding his hands for ‘namaste’ unusual. He said, “Coming from a Muslim background, I wasn’t used to saying ‘namaste’ with folded hands. Instead, I was more familiar with raising my hand (in adaab) and bowing my head. However, after spending time in Punjab, I realized the essence of ‘namaste.’ It’s a beautiful gesture. People in Punjab show immense respect to everyone without any bias.”

Aamir also spoke to Kapil about not being on his shows for 11 years. He said he was going through a tough time emotionally and found comfort in Kapil’s comedy. He also mentioned that the last two to two-and-a-half years have been very tough for him. “It’s been 11 years, but I am attending it for the first time because my last two to two-and-a-half years have been very tough. I was going through a tough emotional phase. During this time, I watched comedy with Kapil and it supported me a lot. You guys made me laugh when I was low and depressed. That is when I felt I should come here,” Aamir said.

the episode, there were fun skits by Sunil Grover and Krushna Abhishek, along with some heartfelt moments. Aamir also opened up about avoiding award shows and admitted his recent films weren’t good. He also mentioned that although many in the industry ask for his advice for their kids, his own children don’t listen to him. “Time is precious. You should use it wisely,” he said. During the chat, Kapil Sharma candidly asked him to remarry. He teased the actor by asking, “Aapko bhi settle ho jaana chaiye.” Aamir couldn’t stop blushing. The video instantly went viral.

In his most recent prominent role, Aamir starred in Laal Singh Chaddha (2022). He also made a cameo appearance in Revathi’s Salaam Venky (2022), where Kajol played the lead role. Looking ahead to his next project, Aamir Khan is set to collaborate with Sunny Deol in Lahore 1947, a film directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and produced by Aamir himself.