Just as Aamir Khan lifts up the spirits of movie buffs with his films during the darkest times (read bad releases) in Bollywood, the versatile actor now gives his fans, especially in India, another reason to cheer.
Aamir has landed an exclusive cover with US-based news magazine TIME. The weekly magazine has unveiled the list of 100 Most Influential People in the world for 2013 and the Bollywood actor is one of the seven who were selected for a cover of their own.
The other 6 include Pakistani child activist Malala Yousafzai, Oscar winning actress Jennifer Lawrence, hip-hop mogul Jay-Z, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, inventor and entrepreneur Elon Musk and Chinese tennis star Li Na.
The 100 most influential people have been classified under the categories Titans, Leaders, Artists, Pioneers and Icons. An interesting point to note is that the magazine has listed Aamir under the section ‘Pioneers’ instead of ‘Artists’. It clearly shows that the activist Aamir has outdone the actor Aamir this time around. But we are not complaining.
The publication has got celebrities to profile the ‘chosen’ ones, and Aamir has been profiled by none other than ‘The Mozart of Madras’, AR Rahman.
Aamir, known to reinvent himself with every film, made his presence felt at international level in 2012 with his TV series Satyamev Jayate. The talk show delved deeper into social ills like female foeticide, rape and medical malpractices, which made a great impact across the country.
After the episode on medical malpractices laid bare the loopholes in the system, state governments even promised to set up fast track courts and also invited Aamir to be part of discussion on medical FDI by a Parliamentary committee.
Praising Aamir’s sincerity and honesty in the glowing profile, Rahman writes, “His movies are commercial successes — Lagaan was nominated for an Academy Award — but they also display a sense of social responsibility: they tackle important themes, like poverty and education.
“His TV show, Satyamev Jayate, is part journalism and part talk show, and it confronts India’s deepest social ills, from sexual abuse to caste discrimination. He uses his gifts as a charmer to give his audience the most bitter medicine. Hypnotized, we take it without complaint. That’s Aamir’s magic at work.”
This is Aamir's second TIME cover. He had earlier been the subject of a cover story 'Khan Quest' in the Asian edition of the magazine in 2012.
Other Indians to make it to the list include Finance Minister P Chidambaram who has been listed as a Titan and Delhi based human-rights lawyer Vrinda Grover, one of the leading voices calling for change after the brutal gang-rape of a paramedical student on board a Delhi bus, who has been listed as a Pioneer.
The Time 100 list also includes "leaders" Barack Obama and Pope Francis, "pioneer" Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, "titan" Sheryl Sandberg, "icons" Aung San Suu Kyi, Michelle Obama, Daniel Day-Lewis, Justin Timberlake and Kate Middleton, and "artists" Jennifer Lawrence and Steven Spielberg.
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