Bollywood actor Aamir Khan, who recently appeared on ‘The Great Indian Kapil Show,’ revealed that he learned the power of ‘Namaste’ while shooting for his 2016 film Dangal in a small village in Punjab. Aamir Khan asserted that as a Muslim, he was not used to folding his hands for Namaste, but his experiences in Punjab made him realise that it is a wonderful emotion.
While praising the humility and hospitality of the people of Punjab, Aamir Khan asserted, “After spending those two and a half months in Punjab, I understood the power of ‘Namaste’ (gesturing with folded hands). It’s such a wonderful emotion.”
Notably, Aamir Khan appeared for the first time on Kapil Sharma’s popular comedy show, ‘The Great Indian Kapil Show‘, which is streaming on Netflix. During the episode, the Bollywood actor narrated several anecdotes from his acting career.
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Aamir emphasised that he had a great shooting experience in Punjab when he first went there for ‘Rang De Basanti’ and later for ‘Dangal’.
Aamir said in Hindi, “This is a story that 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 added, “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’. ”
The actor stressed that the locals never disturbed him or stopped his car, they used to wait and greet him.
Aamir Khan continued, “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 Khan further pointed out that being a Muslim, he was not used to folding his hands in Namaste, despite that, he learned its power and that it is a wonderful emotion during his stay in Punjab.
Aamir said, “I belong to a Muslim family, I am not used to folding my hands in ‘Namaste.’ I’m used to raising my hand (gesturing an adaab, the way Muslims greet each other) 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.”
For those unversed, in India, it is a tradition to greet each other with folded hands and say ‘Namaste’. It is also considered a Hindu way of greeting. ‘Namaste’ is an ancient word which also finds mentions in Sanskrit scriptures. Aamir Khan-starrer movie, ‘Dangal’ is based on the life of wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat, who trained his four daughters to become international-level wrestlers.
