‘Aamir Rushed Me To Hospital’

‘I
couldn’t
see
the
injury
but
I
knew
it
was
bad
from
the
expression
on
Aamir’s
face.’

They
worked
in
just
one
film
together
and
that
released
over
three
decades
ago.

Yet,
people
still
remember

Ayesha
Jhulka
as

Jo
Jeeta
Wohi
Sikandar‘s
lovely
girl-next-door
Anjali,
who
turns
out
to
be
the
perfect
partner
for
Aamir
Khan’s
Sanjay
as
he
comes
of
age.

The
actress
herself
admits
that
even
after
all
these
years,
Jatin
and
Lalit
Pandit’s

Pehla
Nasha
is
equated
with
first
love
and
romance.

Ayesha
shares
some

khoobsoorat
memories
about
Aamir
with



Rediff.com
Senior
Contributor

Roshmila
Bhattacharya.

“We
decided
to
have
a
contest
to
see
who
had
a
better
command
over
the
language.
We
had
to
spell
out
certain
words
on
a
sheet
of
paper.
To
my
delight,
Aamir
got
the
spelling
of
‘khoobsoorat‘
wrong.”

An
accident
and
surgery

Jo
Jeeta
Wohi
Sikandar
brings
back
so
many
wonderful
memories
–Cycling
in
Ooty,
running
around
Mumbai’s
Film
City
Studio
and
that
accident
while
shooting
the
film’s
climax
that
necessitated
surgery…

Yes,
I
hit
my
head
against
a
bamboo
pole
in
which
a
nail
was
embedded
and
it
pierced
my
forehead.

There
was
a
lot
of
blood.

I
couldn’t
see
the
injury
myself
but
I
knew
it
was
bad
from
the
expression
on
Aamir’s
face
and
the
way
he
urgently
called
for
ice
and
held
it
to
my
forehead
to
stench
the
flow
of
blood.

When
that
didn’t
work,
he
asked
for
a
doctor
to
be
rushed
across,
then
insisted
that
I
should
be
taken
to
hospital.

I
was
touched
by
his
concern.

They
rushed
me
to
Breach
Candy
Hospital,
Nasirji
(Nasir
Hussain,
Writer-Producer)
calling
ahead
to
tell
the
doctor
to
take
good
care
of
me
and
ensure
that
there
was
no
permanent
scar
on
my
forehead.

I
underwent
an
hour-long
surgery.

The
doctor
insisted
on
three
days
of
bed
rest
but
I
was
back
to
the
shoot
in
three
hours.

‘I
had
wanted
a
cycle
since
I
was
a
child’

I
knew
we
had
the
stadium
just
for
a
day
and
that
Mansoor
(Khan,
director)
had
organised
an
eight-camera
set-up
to
capture
the
race.

There
was
no
way
I
was
going
back
home
and
putting
the
unit
in
jeopardy.

I
told
them
that
I
was
fine
except
we
needed
to
cover
up
the
white
bandage
on
my
forehead.

They
gave
me
my
red
cap.

If
you
watch
the
film
closely,
you
will
see
that
I
am
without
the
cap
at
the
beginning
and
then
suddenly
wearing
it
again.

I
don’t
think
too
many
people
noticed
this
discrepancy
in
continuity.

Jo
Jeeta
Wohi
Sikandar
was
a
coming-of-age
sports
drama,
culminating
in
a
marathon
cycle
race
between
two
rivals,
Shekhar
Malhotra
of
Rajput
School
and
Sanjay
Sharma
of
Model
School.

While
growing
up,
I
had
never
imagined
I
would
be
a
part
of
a
sports
film
but
I
had
wanted
a
cycle
since
I
was
a
child.

My
mother
didn’t
want
me
careening
around
on
a
two-wheeler,
falling
and
hurting
myself,
but
that
didn’t
stop
me
from
pleading
for
one.

When
I
was
in
the
eighth
standard,
my
dad
promised
me
a
surprise
if
I
aced
my
exams.

I
got
over
90
per
cent
and,
to
my
joy,
he
gifted
me
a
cycle.

By
the
time

Jo
Jeeta
Wohi
Sikandar
came
along,
I
could
cycle
really
well
and
was
riding
around
even
between
shots.‘I
can
see
the
traits
of
a
director
in
him
even
back
then’

Aamir
was
also
very
comfortable
on
two
wheels.
He’s
an
actor
who
will
give
his
mind,
body
and
soul
to
flesh
out
a
character
convincingly.

He
was
just
an
actor
then,
but
looking
back,
I
can
see
the
traits
of
a
director
in
him
even
back
then.

Mansoor
and
he
were
always
discussing
scenes,
mindful
of
every
small
detail.

Nothing
was
left
to
chance.

At
the
same
time,
certain
things
happened
spontaneously.

Like
that
poster,
where
both
Aamir
and
I
are
enveloped
in
a
black
shawl,
only
half
our
faces
visible,
our
eyes
saying
it
all.

That
moment
was
not
in
the
script
but
something
along,
the
lines
was
alluded
to
and
Mansoor
was
wondering
how
to
capture
it
on
screen.

It
was
chilly,
I
had
a
shawl
with
me,
and
shivering.
I
wrapped
it
tightly
around
myself.

That
simple,
every
day
gesture
led
to
a
brainwave.

Why
didn’t
I
do
this
on
screen
too
and
envelop
Aamir
in
the
shawl
as
well?

It
turned
into
a
heart-touching,
intimate
moment
and
became
the
film’s
poster.

‘We
were
like
a
bunch
of
school
kids
on
set’

Aamir’s
sincerity
to
his
craft,
along
with
his
sensitivity,
made
him
a
wonderful
co-star
even
if
he
was
always
playing
pranks
on
me.

I
remember
once
he
told
me
he
had
got
me
a
gift.

By
then,
I
was
wise
to
his
mischievous
ways
and
pointing
to
the
present
in
his
hands,
I
asked
warily,
‘What
do
you
have
in
there?’

‘Bangles,’
he
informed
me
with
a
straight
face
and
offered
me
the
gift,
urging
me
to
try
them
on.

Curious,
I
unwrapped
the
paper
wrapping,
and
immediately
an
insect
wriggled
out,
terrifying
me
out
of
my
wits.

I
screamed,
and
laughing
delightedly,
Aamir
ran
off
with
me
chasing
after
him,
determined
to
get
even.

We
were
like
a
bunch
of
school
kids
on
set,
always
up
to
some

masti.

‘You
couldn’t
help
but
laugh
at
his
wit’

On
another
occasion,
since
I
was
always
being
complimented
for
my
chaste
Hindi,
we
decided
to
have
a
contest
to
see
who
had
a
better
command
over
the
language.

We
had
to
spell
out
certain
words
on
a
sheet
of
paper.

To
my
delight,
Aamir
got
the
spelling
of
‘khoobsoorat‘
wrong.

He
had
used

chhoti
oo
ki
matra
instead
of

badi
oo
ki
matra.

He
argued
that
the

matra
changed,
depending
on
how
beautiful
the
person
was.

‘If
they
are
very

khoobsoorat,
you
use

badi
oo
ki
matra,
and
if
they
are
slightly
less
beautiful,
it
is

chhoti
oo
ki
matra,’
he
quipped.

You
couldn’t
help
but
laugh
at
his
wit.

After
that,
whenever
we
met,
we
would
joke
over
whether
someone
was

khubsurat
or

khoobsoorat.

Films
never
die

Once
I
consciously
started
doing
less
work,
preferring
to
focus
on
quality
rather
than
quantity,
I
didn’t
meet
my
co-stars
too
often.

But
whenever
we
did,
it
was
amazing
how
quickly
and
easily
we
picked
up
from
where
we
had
left
off.

Aamir
is
my
neighbour,
we
both
live
in
Bandra
(north
west
Mumbai)
but
despite
that,
we
rarely
meet.

There
is
this
cute
little
coffee
shop
near
my
place
which
I
visit
often.

Once
when
I
went
there
to
pick
up
a
sandwich,
I
was
told
that
Aamir
had
just
left.

But
we
did
meet
at
the

Jo
Jeeta
Wohi
Sikandar reunion.

It
was
a
nostalgic
evening
with
all
of
us
talking
about
the
film
and
discussing
our
scenes.

Even
after
all
these
years,
it’s
amazing
that
people
still
equate

Pehla
Nasha
to
first
love
and
romance.

They
still
see
me
as
the
sweet
girl-next-door,
an
image
that
has
got
me
so
much
love
and
respect.

As
for
Aamir,
he
just
keeps
getting
better
as
an
actor.

When
I
saw
him
in

Laal
Singh
Chaddha
I
was
like,
‘Oh
My
God,
how
could
he
have
pulled
off
this
character
so
convincingly
and
beautifully.’

But
then,
I
reminded
myself,
that
he
had
been
accepted
an
alien
in

PK.

What
was
all
the
more
impressive
is
that
his
Laal
is
the
polar
opposite
of

Dangal’s
Mahavir
Singh
Phogat.

When
I
see

Andaz
Apna
Apna,
I
can
also
see
Aamir
in
Amar.

Rancho
in

3
Idiots
is
like
the
Aamir
I
had
met
on
the
sets
of

Jo
Jeeta
Wohi
Sikandar…
Bright,
funny,
caring
and
always
pursuing
excellence.

On
his
birthday,
I
wish
him
the
very
best
and
look
forward
to
many
more
wonderful
films
and
brilliantly
enacted
characters
from
him.