One of India’s most popular actors, Aamir Khan, is considered Bollywood’s man with the Midas touch. The 45-year-old actor was last seen in the 2009 comedy “3 Idiots”, India’s biggest blockbuster to date, with 4 billion rupees ($85.6 million) in box-office takings.

For his latest project, Khan turned producer for a low-budget film on the growing urban-rural divide in India.

“Peepli (Live)” released in August to rave reviews, with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh requesting a special screening. Khan spoke to Reuters about the importance of international audiences, the star system in Bollywood and why he isn’t interested in crossing over to the West.

Q: Your film “Peepli (Live)” is being released in the UK. As an Indian producer, how important are international audiences for you?

“It depends on the material. With ‘Peepli (Live)’, I felt that here is a film that has the potential to not only engage audiences who normally watch Indian films but also audiences who may never have watched one. I had in mind right from the beginning that if it turned out well, I would pursue that and it did turn out well. As a producer I am trying my level best to see how far I can push the envelope.”

Q: When you say potential to engage an international audience, what elements in a film are you talking about?

“I don’t think it is what a film has but just the sensibility it has. It is a different sensibility. I think in Indian cinema our emotional key is higher. Films that are more understated, more real can work for world audiences. Indian films are more larger than life and also the structure of the script matters. Also, how a film ends matters a lot. For Indian audiences, ‘Peepli (Live)’ is a very unusual conclusion. It doesn’t give you a very definite end and is open-ended on a lot of levels. It is not cathartic within the film itself.

“Most Indian films have a definite end so you come out of the theatre like this (dusts his hands). We don’t want you to dust your hands, we want you to have the problem in your lap. And internationally, audiences are used to watching a film like that.”

Q: ‘Peepli (Live) focuses on the poor in India and often films like this are accused of selling “poverty porn” to the West, reinforcing stereotypes about India. Do you think that’s true?

“I don’t look at this from that point of view. When I saw ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ that was the least of the problems for me. As an Indian, I am not defensive. I believe that every country and every culture has its issues. There are strengths and weaknesses in every culture and I don’t think ‘Peepli (Live)’ is trying to sell poverty. I don’t think Anusha (Rizvi, the director) wrote the script with that in mind. If it were made for audiences abroad, perhaps I would understand. But this film was made primarily for Indians so that is not an allegation I take seriously at all.”

Q: Bollywood is still a star-obsessed industry, isn’t it?

“The star system is there all over the world. People like to see their heroes on screen, so why should producers stop them? You don’t need to counter that but the origin of the film should be the script. But I have always been like that, so if you look at me, you won’t see the rule, you will see the exception.”

Q: Does our style of filmmaking allow us to reach out to the world?

“Perhaps not. But I am not looking to break out. And I think most of the filmmakers here have such a large and healthy audience here that they don’t need to look outside. It is countries where they have a small audience for their own cinema that they look for audiences outside.

Q: At a time when the industry was going through a rough phase, you starred in India’s biggest hit of all time and now you are associated with a small film like “Peepli (Live)”, which also makes money. What’s the secret?

 “No secret! I guess it is a combination of a number of things. I do what I enjoy doing. I have certain abilities. There is a certain amount of commitment I bring to a project. I am also going through a period where things are working out for me. And above all, the most important thing is that I am working with very talented people. When you take any of my successes over the last few years, you have to realize that a lot of people are behind the project.”

Q: But they say talent lies in choices.

“In filmmaking, it doesn’t stop at the choices. You are absolutely right, the choices are very important and that’s the first step. But making a film is such a difficult process that you can slip up any time. You can go wrong in the mixing of the film and you have failed. You can go wrong in the marketing of the film. The release could be at a bad timing. From the time the writer starts writing to the time the distributor releases it, everyone has to perform at a certain degree for the end result to be good and that’s not easy.”

Q: A lot of successes in Bollywood this year have been small-budget films. Is there a lesson in there for the industry?

“Actually, I don’t think there is a lesson in that. There is a lesson though and I’ll come to that. See, every year you have films coming out and every year you have films that do well and some that don’t. There are big- budget films that do well and smaller films which don’t succeed so I don’t think the formula for success is to do small-budget films. A film has to be good.

“What is important from the budget point of view is that each film should be economically viable in itself. Each film has potential and that potential is something you need to judge

Q: So do you think Bollywood is too myopic in the way that it looks at scripts?

“No, that is a whole different topic. Ultimately, the people green-lighting the projects might still green light the same projects but at least if there are ten other scripts being written, somebody will look at them and say ‘let’s make this’. Perhaps some producers don’t think it will work but I think it might.

Q: So you think there is a need to counter the star system?

“I don’t think counter is the right word. The star system is there all over the world. People like to see their heroes on screen, so why should producers stop them. You don’t need to counter that but the origin of the film should be the script. But I have always been like that so if you look at me, you won’t see the rule, you will see the exception.”

Q: Do you think that a no-star film like “Peepli (Live)” would have been the success it was if you hadn’t been associated with it?

 “I won’t say me but I will say someone like me. A film that is very political and social, offbeat, doesn’t have stars. If it is offbeat and has stars, it might work, but if it doesn’t, then it needs, rather helps if there is a celebrity attached to it. It brings value to the film.”

Q: You spoke about assessing a film’s potential and exploiting it. Can you give us a perspective on how you did that with “Peepli (Live)”?

“Actually for me, often when I am saying yes to a film, I am not really thinking of all that. It is once I have decided on doing it that I think of the practical aspects.

Q: This seems like basic knowledge, something any producer should know. And yet, in the world’s largest film industry, 90 percent of films don’t even recover their cost. What are we doing wrong?

(Laughs) “What are we doing wrong? Ok, let me not comment on what we are doing wrong but on something else. I feel that the core creative team needs to take financial responsibility of the project. As a creative person, if I want to have the freedom to make what I want to make then I must also be responsible for what I make. And I believe that if the core creative team does take on and share that responsibility, then things would improve. I feel that’s not happening.”

Q: When it comes to marketing your films, even the smallest film is marketed on par with a big-budget film. Why is that?

 “Well, marketing is a core responsibility of a producer. Also, I think marketing is a key part of storytelling.”

Q: Of storytelling? How is that?

“Yes, because if I haven’t got your attention then whom am I telling the story to? I have a story to tell, I am excited about telling it but I need your attention first. If I am excited, I will find a way to tell you. I may not be a management student, but my native intelligence will tell me how to get your attention.”

Q: We hear so much about Bollywood crossover films and whether or not our cinema can cross over. But do you think we should?

 “I don’t think we should… ok let me not talk for others but I don’t think I am looking to cross over. It’s not exciting to me. What is exciting to me is when I come across something that moves me or excites me. Let’s assume that something really exciting comes my way and for whatever reasons, I cannot make the film for India. Then I would make it for an international audience because I love it so much. I don’t calculate and say that let me make a crossover film. So far I don’t think any film has reached out like say a ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ or perhaps a ‘Life is Beautiful’.”

Q: If you had to give a business model for an Indian film that would make money, what would it be?

“That’s difficult to say if I don’t know what the project is, but I would say the budget of the film should be less than its potential.”

Q: But going by that, “Peepli (Live)” was hardly a small film then, because you spent more than ten crore on it.

“Yes, according to me we went over our budget. My instinct as a producer is that if we need to do this for the film right now, let’s do it. I go with the flow. I am not proud of the fact that we went over budget in ‘Lagaan’ or in ‘Peepli’. If the films hadn’t done well, it would have hurt me.”

Q: What about your debut directorial venture “Taare Zameen Par”?

“For ‘Taare’ we had a budget of eight and we spent nine. Even for ‘Jaane Tu…’ we spent a crore more than we should have… we made it in nine.”

Q: Shouldn’t the former have cost you more?

“Well, this comes back to what I told you earlier, which is that the creative talent in the film should have financial responsibility. So I did not load ‘Taare’ with the cost of my fees as an actor. If I add my fees to the budget of that film, it won’t be made. As a creative person, I took responsibility and said if the film makes money, I will get a fee and if it doesn’t I get less of a fee.”

Q: A lot of stars are doing that, aren’t they?

“Well, I am not sure people are doing that. If I take my fee and a percentage of profits, that’s not exactly doing that. If I am not taking my fee and only a percentage of the profits, then it is fine. Then I am not loading the film. My fee depends on the success of the film. If people don’t like it, I don’t earn.”

Q: Is that a pattern you follow with your other films too?