Elusive Aamir gives Nasreen Munni Kabir the miss

She introduced the west to the 'inner worlds' of two of the biggest names in Bollywood, Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan; but documentary filmmaker Nasreen Munni Kabir's dream project now is to chronicle the life of actor Aamir Khan.

The UK-based filmmaker who is currently working on a biography of the 'Mozart of Madras' AR Rahman, says that Aamir is the "most elusive" of them all.

"A observational documentary on Aamir is something that I have really wanted to do for quite some time, but it is a daunting task, because he is the most elusive of them all," Kabir who is here to attend the 1st Pravasi Film Festival said.

The filmmaker has, over the past two decades, emerged an indefatigable chronicler of popular Hindi cinema, introducing Britain to Bollywood, its movies and its stars.

From her book on Guru Dutt to her 2005 fly-on-the-wall documentary about King Khan, The Inner and Outer World of Shah Rukh Khan, Kabir has had plenty of trysts with what she likes to call "history makers", and she says getting to them is definitely not an easy job.

"It took six weeks to get through to Amitabh Bachchan, and it took the same amount of time for Shah Rukh. But it is this elusive nature that gives them starpower," said Kabir, who does not quite understand the latest trend of stars blogging and tweeting.

"If you see a person constantly on TV, and then he also blogs, and you also follow him on Twitter and Facebook, then you know everything about him. Will you then buy a book about him or watch a documentary on the person, the answer will probably be no," said the self-confessed cinephile who has served as the governor of the British Film Institute.

Movie Mahal the Channel 4 series by Kabir introduced Britain to Bollywood, and over the years, the filmmaker has seen the interest in the Indian film industry increase.

"Everyone, from Ustad Bismillah Khan to Guru Dutt to Amitabh Bachchan, they are all history makers. Wherever I travel to, people have seen the documentary on Shah Rukh.

Bollywood is turning into the 'in' thing," said Kabir who grew up in UK on a steady diet of Bollywood films, which served as an umbilical cord to India, a country she had never seen.

"While growing up, films and food were primarily the only connection with India. There used to be an amazing sense of oneness while sitting in the theatre, because unlike the other films, the people on the screen were the same colour as you and spoke like you," said the filmmaker.

When asked whether she has any plans to make a feature film, Kabir answered in an emphatic no.

"I just don't have the energy. I have spent my life making documentaries, and I don't feel the need to cross over into fiction," said Kabir.