'Aamir was so shy I thought he couldn't dance'

A few days before Aamir Khan's 40th birthday (March 14), rediff.com spoke to the very talented actor's mother Zeenat Begum. She was all praise for her son, and said the Bollywood superstar is a born leader:

"Aamir was an exceptional child -- shy and introverted, but very much the leader among his brothers, sisters and cousins.

He wanted to try everything for himself. If he was tying a shoelace and you offered to help, he'd be offended. He would sew buttons on his shirts himself if they broke.

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My aunt, who lived with us, always remarked that Aamir had more girlfriends than boyfriends!

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'Aamir' means one who leads and we saw this quality in him quite early. He had got together the kids in the building and started a group called the 'timepass gang.' Through this, they would arrange events in the building like fairs, games etc. Later, they even started selling tickets and inviting outsiders.

He has always been polite. He had participated in a race when he was three years old. Some women from the building had come to watch. When they saw Aamir in the race, they started cheering for him. Aamir thought they were calling him, so he left the race and ran towards them!

Of course, the others ran past him and when he realised it, he was livid!

Once he asked for his Eid and birthday money at one go. When we asked him why he needed so much money, he replied that he had to give it to someone who needed it urgently -- it was a cousin who was having financial trouble. Aamir has always been generous.

From his first earnings, he bought me gold bangles.

I must say I was surprised to see him in films. He was so shy that I thought he couldn't dance. But he did and I was taken aback!"

As told to Lata Khubchandani