As the controversial film Mela marks 25 years since its disastrous 2000 release, superstar Aamir Khan has broken his silence on the project that not only tanked at the box office but also irrevocably damaged several personal relationships, most notably the one with his younger brother, Faissal Khan. In a candid reflection, Aamir addressed the professional failure and the painful personal estrangement, stating it was his "destiny" and pondering, "You can fight the world, but how can you fight your own family?"
A Personal Project That Went Awry
The genesis of Mela lay in Aamir Khan's desire to give his brother's career a major boost. After Faissal's 1994 debut Madhosh failed to make a mark, Aamir saw an opportunity in his second collaboration with director Dharmesh Darshan. The duo had previously delivered the massive blockbuster Raja Hindustani in 1996, which earned over Rs 76 crore on a modest budget. Riding on that success, they planned Mela, with Aamir insisting on casting Faissal in a pivotal role, described by many as a loose adaptation of Amitabh Bachchan's Jai from Sholay.
However, the production was plagued with problems from the start. The film faced extensive delays, and both Faissal Khan and Dharmesh Darshan later pointed fingers at Aamir Khan's interference for the setbacks. The cast and crew saw multiple changes, with music director Rajesh Roshan being replaced and actor Aditya Pancholi being dropped from the project. "There was some kind of negativity throughout," Faissal recalled in a past interview, mentioning a fight in Ooty where Aamir allegedly suggested stopping the film.
The Aftermath: Broken Bonds and Bitter Allegations
When Mela finally released, it was a critical and commercial disaster. The fallout was severe and long-lasting. The professional relationship between Aamir Khan and Dharmesh Darshan soured permanently. The director's brother, producer Suneel Darshan, accused Aamir of changing the original story and title without permission and miscasting Twinkle Khanna instead of someone like Karisma Kapoor.
Most tragically, the film deepened the rift between the Khan brothers. Last year, Faissal Khan publicly cut all ties with Aamir and his family, levelling serious allegations, including that Aamir had him "locked up" for over a year. Aamir and his family had denied these claims in an official statement, calling them "hurtful" and clarifying that decisions were made collectively based on medical advice.
Reflecting on his efforts, Aamir expressed his helplessness: "I tried to help Faissal a lot... I did a film with him called Mela. I moved heaven and earth to help him, but I realised that this is the one field where nobody can help you." He added that the film's failure was hard on both of them.
An Unexpected Beneficiary: Akshay Kumar's Gain
In a strange twist of fate, the only person who seemingly benefited from Mela's failure was actor Akshay Kumar. In a past appearance on Aap Ki Adalat, Akshay revealed that his then-girlfriend and co-star Twinkle Khanna had agreed to marry him only if Mela flopped. "Everyone believed the film would be a huge success... Sorry, Aamir Khan sahab, your film didn't work—but I got married because of you," he joked.
Twenty-five years on, Mela remains a poignant chapter in Bollywood history—a cautionary tale of how a well-intentioned personal mission can lead to professional ruin and familial heartbreak, with its echoes still felt in the relationships it destroyed.
