Aamir Khan has openly said that he did the film only to launch his brother Faisal Khan. Aamir is known for choosing his films very carefully so ‘Mela’ always stood out in his career. He never hid the reason. He did it for family. The film released in 2000 and starred Aamir Khan, Faisal Khan, and Twinkle Khanna. It was directed by Dharmesh Darshan. Even today Aamir speaks about it with full honesty.
Aamir on the film and its failure
‘Mela’ did not work at the box office and received mixed reactions. Aamir accepts that completely. In an interview with Bollywood Hungama he said, “I was obviously disappointed by its failure to achieve its potential. Beyond that, I think it’s tough to answer your question. First of all, let me tell you, every film I do means a lot to me.”
He also shared how the failure affected both brothers. “The failure of Mela definitely made a difference to me. It was hard on Faisal, but it was hard on me as well.” Aamir said the entire team worked very hard and everyone felt bad when the film did not do well. “I’m not comfortable with the idea of any of my films not realising their full potential. The entire team had worked very hard. We were all disappointed.”
Faisal Khan on long struggle behind ‘Mela’
Earlier in 2025, Faisal Khan spoke about the film in an interview with Pinkvilla. He shared how Mela took four years to make and how tough that time was. He said, “After Madhosh, I was critical about myself and I decided to start from scratch. I knew I was not a great actor, so I took lessons.” He worked on many things together. “I practiced singing to open up my voice. On the side, I was also learning to dance and fight.”Talking about the delay, he said, “Mela took four years to make. It started in 1996.” He also explained why Aamir chose to do the film with him. “Aamir was trying to get a film for me because at that time, many brothers were coming together.” He added, “Aamir thought if nobody wants to feature Faissal alone, we should do a film together.”
No regrets after 25 years
Even today, Aamir Khan says he has no regrets about ‘Mela’. The film may not have worked, but the intention behind it was pure. It was about giving his brother a chance. Mela may be remembered as a failed film, but for Aamir, it remains a very personal decision.
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