From stealing hearts with his dimples to becoming "the actor" in the Khan clan, Aamir Khan witnessed a rather unusual career, carrying with him an air of unpredictability, unlike the other stars. Following the success of Dil Chahta Hai, the industry boomed with a stride no one saw coming. He has, ever since, been the trailblazer of change in Bollywood, redefining formulae and setting new records with unwavering determination to produce content of consistent quality. While his performances from his recent outings are often eulogised, other characters of nuance, such as Arun from Dhobi Ghat and Ajay Singh from Sarfarosh, were glossed over to be synonymous with 'ephemeral.' However, I'm the biggest fan of Pluto Mehra, the bullmastiff with poetry skills that would make Javed Akhtar want to level up (pun intended)!
In a world where intelligence is scrutinised and paid for, emotions falter, letting individuals down. Every such action inadvertently opens a can of worms in the swanky milieu set by Zoya Akhtar in Dil Dhadakne Do. A cruise overrun by unrequited, lost, and new love, also bears the weight of ego and rivalry among the families, who paste fake smiles on their faces to ensure a semblance of rapture. Being the voice of reason amid the squabbles and uncomfortable silences is a role pulled off to perfection by the actor, though we only see Pluto's adorable snout and not Aamir's visage of eclectic frowns. The yearning for reconciliation between Aisha and Sunny seeps through the beady eyes and mellow narration into our hearts, keeping the sail tethered to perspectives humans may have never imagined. Zoya, with her cast, weaves a plot for the 'betas' and 'betis' to break loose. Darkness is prevalent in everyone's life, though the frames are imbued with vivid hues of pretence.
While the world around Pluto crumbles, we see hope at the end of it all through his dichromatic vision of flawed people, their hard choices, and the ramifications. Aamir lends the much-needed bearing to a story that could have gone askew with an overwhelming number of subplots. His composed tone reflects the calm waters they're on but contrasts with the hostility among them with their "zubaan." I will always cherish Bollywood's best pet Pluto – the skeleton of a screenplay that advocates the simplest of sayings – 'live and let live.'
Decades have passed since his birth as a promising star, but, as far as vocalising life into a story is concerned, not many names pop up in my head. This is definitely not an attempt at discrediting the actor's ability to embody the gamut of emotions written into every other character. In fact, we should consider loving him more for how he masters controlling the reins of a tale with his voice, and sets the film cascading to a high. After all, acting is not only about countenance; it also encompasses the skill of engaging the viewers with effortless intonations.