Faisal khan? Aamir ka brother?

Superstar Aamir Khan's younger brother and actor Faisal Khan is all set to give his acting career yet another shot with his comeback film, Chinar Daastaan-E-Ishq' that is slated to hit silver screens on October 16. Back in business after a long sabbatical, Faisal Khan hopes his second innings will be far more successful than his first.

In an exclusive interview to The Indian Express.com, Faisal Khan opens up about failure, his rumoured mental illness and brother Aamir Khan.

Ques: You had given up acting. What prompted you to make a comeback?

Faisal: Yes, I had given up my acting career. And this film was supposed to have another actor. However, when my secretary heard the story, he thought I would be a perfect fit for the lead role. The film's director Sharique Minhaj and producer met me and gave me a narration. The story excited me so much that I felt it would be a perfect platform to comeback into acting.

Ques: What really excited you about Chinar Daastaan-E-Ishq?

Faisal: This film is based on a novel Jheel Jalti Hai' penned by a famous Kashmiri author. This film will showcase the true glory of Urdu culture. After Umrao Jaan', people will get to see Muslim culture through my film. Also, though the film is based on Kashmir - it has nothing to do with terrorism, army and other stereotypes that we see in Bollywood films about Kashmir these days. The movie will show the beautiful paradise that Kashmir really is. We have shot 80 per cent of the movie in Kashmir.

Ques: Tell us about your role?

Faisal: My character's name is Jamaal. It has two shades that of positive and negative. It is not single layered. It is my best work as an actor till date. I am paired opposite a new actress called Inayat Sharma.

Ques: You have one more film called Mental Khan. What is it all about?

Faisal: Mental Khan' is a film produced by M & S films. The film has a lot of mental things involved in it. Hence the name. I think every creative person should be a bit mental.

Ques: There was a time in your life when you were tagged as mental. How did you deal with it?

Faisal: I had to deal with the mental tag for a long time in my life when I faced problems with my family which thankfully are all resolved now. I went through a tough phase in my life during then. I don't have any hassles with being called mental because I can't possibly go to each and every person and tell them that I am not mental. I want my work to talk. My work will prove that I am fine. Or else how could a mental person be acting in movies? I was also proved normal by the Court. Not many people are aware of that, the verdict says it all. It was a bad time when all these issues started doing the rounds. I have put all that behind me and today all of us in my family are together.

Ques: Why is Aamir Khan not promoting your comeback movie?

Faisal: Aamir is too busy with Dangal' and he is tied up with that. Also he is not in Mumbai. That's why he is not promoting it.

Ques: Haven't you ever approached Aamir for help to relaunch your career?

Faisal: My family is full of people like Aamir Khan, Naser Hussain, Tahir Hussain and Mansoor Khan who have never seen failures like I have. If you haven't gone through a particular path, how will you guide others on the same? So, they will evaluate everything from their perspective. They won't be able to relate to failure. Hence I chose to do smaller films without any help.

Ques: But they could have chosen to help you themselves right?

Faisal: When you are choosing to do a film, it is for you to see if your character and story is good. Then you see if the production house has the money to spend to make the film. I rely on these things and not anyone else. You take the horse to the water. You can't make it drink. Same applies for help coming from outside.

Ques: Are you still working with Aamir Khan?

Faisal: Yes. I am still working with Aamir Khan as a script doctor. I sit with Aamir during narrations and give my inputs. I evaluate scripts and decide whether Aamir Khan Productions should take the project or not.

Ques: Are close to the other Khans- Salman and Shah Rukh Khan?

Faisal: My equation with all the other Khans is quite good although I don't know them very well. Recently, I met Salman and he was very nice to me. He is a man with a golden heart. I have bumped into SRK a couple of times. I meet Saif Ali Khan at the gym and we greet each other very well. Sohail knows me very well. We work out at the same gym too.

Ques: Who do you count as your close friend from the industry?

Faisal: Although everyone knows me as Aamir Khan's brother, I am not that close to anyone from the industry. There is no one who can bail me out