Dec 14: Chewing paan and riding a rickshaw, Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan turned Banarasi babu to promote 3 Idiots as he made his first stop in the holy city Varanasi. The 44-year-old actor has put on a disappearing act and is on a seven-city tour to promote the film.
Aamir reached Varanasi on Friday and traveled through the narrow lanes of the old city to search his mother, Zeenat’s birthplace in Teliyanala area, near the Prahlad Ghat at the banks of river Ganga.
Wearing a simple shirt, his face covered with a muffler, Aamir hid himself in old sunglasses. He stayed in the city for three days in the disguise of an old man.
The morning before leaving the city, Aamir reached the Teliyanala mohalla in the Kotwali area to visit his mother’s birthplace Khwaja Manzil, which is in a dilapidated condition.
"Was in your amazing city. It was a very emotional experience for me," Aamir told PTI before leaving for another destination.
The rickshaw-puller Ramlakhan Paswan, who drove the actor through the bylanes of the city, said, "Aamir got really emotional when he found the birth place of his mother."
"When Aamir reached his mother’s birth place he was chewing paan and his mouth was full of it. He was sporting a white beard so no one could identify him," Paswan said.
"He suddenly revealed his identity and asked the people in Bhojpuri, Ka Guru ee Banaras hau, Aamir Khan ke na pahachan pailen (Don’t you recognise Aamir Khan)."
Aamir also visited the famous Dasaswamedh Ghat.
The actor has roped in ’Master Blaster’ Sachin Tendulkar to endorse the movie, which gave the first clue about his whereabouts.
"I don’t know anything more than this," Sachin had said as he read out the clue in Hindi, "Kahan jaoon kaise jaoon, itne sawal kaise suljaoon, kabhi to sochoon main udd jaoon. Kabhi sadak pe car bhagaoon, ya chuk chuk gaadi ko aazmaoon, chahe main jaise bhi jaoon, maa ke aangan mein raat bitaoon."
This was the first of the seven clues Aamir gave to search him out as he travels to seven cities in disguise, spending one or two days in each.
Sachin has already watched the film at Ketnav studios in suburban Bandra along with his wife Anjali and friends including cricketer Ajit Agarkar.
3 Idiots, releasing on December 25, has Aamir playing a 22-year-old engineering student along with actors Madhavan and Sharman Joshi. Kareena Kapoor is the female lead.
After leaving Varanasi, the actor is headed to his second destination and clue for it is:
Andheri Kaali Raat mein aaunga main, Khooni Darwaja Khatkhataunga main, Aap mujh tak pahunche na par koi baat nahin, Kahin par apni chhap chhod jaunga main.
Hindustan Times