When Asha Bhosle once gave Aamir Khan golden advice to win an Oscar: “Play George Washington”

Movie lovers around the world felt sad on the afternoon of April 12 when the news came that famous singer Asha Bhosle had passed away. She was born on September 8, 1933, and started singing in 1943, making her career last for 83 years. During these eight decades, she gave many interviews where she shared not only her experiences working with filmmakers, actors, music directors, lyricists, and other singers, but also many interesting thoughts.

Once, Asha Bhosle gave Aamir Khan some special advice on how to win an Oscar: “Play George Washington.”

In 2010, Asha Bhosle talked about what Bollywood filmmakers could do to win an Oscar.

 At that time, the memory of Slumdog Millionaire (2008), a film set in India that won eight Oscars at the 81st Academy Awards, was still fresh. Aamir Khan was also closely linked to India’s hopes for an Oscar, especially because Lagaan (2001), directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, had been nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 74th Academy Awards. Later, Rang De Basanti (2006) and Taare Zameen Par (2007) were India’s official entries for the Oscars, but neither made it to the final nominations.

Against this background, Asha Bhosle suggested that Indian filmmakers should think beyond Indian stories if they really wanted to win Oscars.

 As reported by Hindustan Times, she said that if foreign filmmakers could make Oscar-winning films set in India, then Indian filmmakers should also make films about foreign themes. She even suggested that Aamir Khan should play George Washington, the first President of the United States, as a way to win an Oscar. She might have given this advice specifically to Aamir because of his connections to the Oscars.

As quoted by Hindustan Times, Asha Bhosle said, “If the Englishmen are able to make Oscar-winning films like Slumdog Millionaire and Gandhi, Aamir should also do a film on George Washington and finally win the Oscar.”