Aamir Khan: I still don't know what connects me to audience

A still from Dangal

After a phenomenal run at the domestic box office, Aamir Khan-starrer 'Dangal' (2016) continues to shatter box office records in China. The sports biopic, which released across 10,000-odd screens in the Mainland earlier this month, has become the top grossing non-Hollywood film there with earnings of Rs 872 crore so far.

Also read: Box office: Aamir Khan's 'Dangal' becomes top non-Hollywood film in China

Speaking for the first time on the record-breaking spree, Aamir tells mid-day that the response came as a surprise. "We hoped that our film will be loved in China, but never in our wildest dreams did we imagine this kind of love and adulation. I am humbled," he says, adding that Chinese distributors deserve credit for giving the film a wide release.

Amit Mishra

What is it about him that strikes a chord with movie-goers? Aamir Khan quips, "I wish I knew the answer to that. I still don't know what connects me to my audience in India. What connects audiences with actors is inexplicable. In my case, I'd like to believe it's my good work that has formed this connection."

Discussing the number game, the star adds, "The success of each film is important to me. That is the sole reason I work. I want everyone who sees my film to love it, be touched by it, and gain something from it. Box office numbers are an indication of how much the film has been loved; by no means is it the only yardstick."

Rs 872cr Dangal's collection in China