Aamir Khan says despite being a Muslim, he understood the power of Namaste while shooting 'Dangal' in Punjab

A still from Dangal

Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan, whose 2016 film 'Dangal' remains one of the highest-grossing movies at the box office, recalled how he understood the power of Namaste while shooting for it in Punjab. The actor who appeared as one of the guests on ‘The Great Indian Kapil Show' hosted by Kapil Sharma shared an interesting anecdote while filming the Nitesh Tiwari directorial.

‘Dangal' was based on India's first female wrestlers Geeta Phogat and Babita Kumari and their father Mahaveer Singh Phogat. Besides Aamir, it also featured Fatima Sana Shaikh and Sanya Malhotra.

During the show, which streams on Netflix, Aamir shared, "This is a story which is very close to me. We shot for 'Rang de Basanti' in Punjab, and I really loved it there. The people, the Punjabi culture... people are so full of love. So, when we went for the shoot of 'Dangal,' it was a small village we were shooting in. We shot for more than two months in that location and that house."

He further said, "You won't believe it, but when I used to reach there at around 5 or 6 in the morning, as my car entered, people would stand outside their homes just to welcome me with folded hands and 'Sat Sri Akaal.' They used to just wait and welcome me. They never disturbed me, never stopped my car, nothing. After my pack-up, when I would return, they would again be standing outside their homes and would greet me 'Good Night.'"

Aamir asserted that being a Muslim he was not used to saying Namaste. "I belong to a Muslim family, I am not used to folding my hands in 'Namaste.' I'm used to raising my hand (gestures adaab, commonly used by Muslims to greet) and bowing my head. After spending those two and a half months in Punjab, I understood the power of 'Namaste.' It's such a wonderful emotion," the actor concluded.

Meanwhile, on the film front, as a producer, Aamir is coming up with 'Lahore 1947', which stars Sunny Deol in the lead role. It is directed by Rajkumar Santoshi. Preity Zinta, Shabana Azmi, Karan Deol, and Ali Fazal are also part of the film. He also has ‘Sitaare Zameen Par' with Darsheel Safary.