Turkish fans surprise Indian star Aamir Khan

ISTANBUL – Anadolu Agency

Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan has said he was surprised to learn about his huge fan base in Turkey and expressed his interest in learning more about Turkish cinema

Khan arrived in Istanbul on Oct. 4 on a special invitation from Turkey where he will promote his latest film “Secret Superstar” that will be released worldwide on Oct. 20.

Speaking at a news conference, the critically-acclaimed actor, whose films often break box office records in India and around the world, said he had been “constantly getting messages from Turkey” to visit the country.

“I didn’t know that in Turkey young people were watching my films. They kept inviting me and since then I have said I would like to come here,” he said.

He said his wife and son had visited Turkey a year ago and “they had the most amazing time of their life and since then my wife Kiran has been telling me that we should come back.”

Khan also expressed he had an interest in Turkish cinema. “I am really keen to experience Turkish cinema and I am very keen to watch works of artists from Turkey,” the 52-year-old said.

“I am going to start doing that and up until now I have not really watched films from Turkey,” he added.

Earlier, the Culture Ministry said in a statement that Khan had been invited to Turkey and that he would visit Istanbul and the capital Ankara until Oct. 14.

The actor is also scheduled to meet Turkish film producers, actors and cinema students.

Khan’s latest film tells the story of a talented 14-year-old girl who wants to follow her dream of becoming a singer.

Speaking about the concept of the film, Khan said: “Often we complain that not enough films were [being] made about what a girl is feeling or what a woman is going through,” adding that the movie was about a girl’s “dreams, her aspirations, her hopes.”

When asked whether he would consider acting in Hollywood films, Khan said: “Not actively. No.”

“I feel the American culture is perhaps very alien to me and I don’t know whether I fit into that, I don’t know whether I would understand the emotional key of an average American audience; I am not sure I understand it,” he said.

He added that there had been many offers from the U.S. but so far he had “not really come across a script that I have been excited about.”

“Other than that, for me it is not important where the films are coming from. It could be from the U.S., India, Turkey, China, or Africa. I don’t care where the film is coming from as long as I love the story.”

Following the press conference, Khan met his Turkish fans at an Istanbul theater ahead of the screening of his 2016 hit “Dangal.” The film, a biographical sports drama, was released on Aug. 18 in Turkey.