Aamir Khan supports note ban, hopes for better tomorrow

Actor Aamir Khan said here on Monday that he supports Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s demonetisation decision, which he felt was for the “betterment” of the country.

Addressing mediapersons, Khan said, “The government’s intention to curb black money is good and we should all support it. Even though demonetisation has affected me personally and others too, we should look at the long-term results.”

Khan said the city’s wrestling tradition had brought him here for the promotion of his upcoming movie, `Dangal’.He said he has come here in the past too for the promotion of `Mangal Pandey’ and ‘Sarfarosh’.

Legendary wrestler Dadu Chougule welcomed Khan by applying a `tilak’ to his forehead and presenting him with a `pheta’ (turban). Khan was accompanied by `Dangal’ director Nitesh Tiwari and co-actors Fatima Shaikh and Sanya Malhotra, who plays his onscreen daughters.

`Dangal’ tells the real-life story of Haryana wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat, played by Khan, who trained his daughters in the sport.

On the wrestling experience in the film, Khan said, “Wrestling is an amazing sport. Unlike boxing where one player might get hurt, one has to be quick in wrestling to avoid hurting the opponent. I learnt a lot about the sport during the film.”

Khan said he had to increase his weight and drop it again later when playing Phogat’s younger version. 

“I was fit with 8% body fat when I started shooting for this movie soon after I had finished doing ‘PK’. I had to step up weight for `Dangal’ and my body fat increased to 38% in five months.It had to be reduced again over the next five months,” he said.

Khan, who was sporting a thick beard and moustache, said this was his new look for yet another movie, `Thugs of Hindustan’.