When a fresh faced Aamir became an instant teen idol in 1988's Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, it would have been easy to pigeonhole him as another star kid with a ready-made launch pad to stardom. But in truth, his illustrious family's star had been in decline for almost a decade. His father and uncle, Tahir and Nasir Hussain, had produced, directed, written and acted in such blockbusters as Paying Guest (1957), Teesri Manzil (1966), Caravan (1971), Anamika (1973) and Yaadon Ki Baraat (1973). By the time the Eighties rolled round however, the Hussains' best years were behind them.

Till then, the family had left all attempts at leading man roles to Tahir and Nasir's nephew, Tariq Khan who starred in lost and found formula hits Yaadon Ki Baraat and Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin but had no success in scoring non-Hussain produced films. That changed with Aamir. As a child, Aamir appeared briefly in Yaadon Ki Baraat and Madhosh (1974). At 19, he made a largely unnoticed debut in Ketan Mehta's Holi (1984). Four years later, he made a blistering breakthrough opposite Juhi Chawla in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, a desi version of Romeo And Juliet. In the film, a song and dance number had Aamir singing 'papa kehte hain bada naam karega, beta hamara bada kaam karega' - a prediction that bordered on precognition, proving over the years to be entirely justified.

As the resourceful, lovable Raj from Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, Aamir's chocolate boy appeal guaranteed him a top spot at the box office, jostling for space with the other heartthrob of the time, Salman Khan. But it became clear very quickly that Aamir was not going to take the beaten track to fame. His next film was the critically acclaimed but box office turkey, Raakh (1989) - a dark, gritty examination of violence against women and revenge, a film as far removed from a box office formula hit as could be. Even at twentysomething, Aamir showed himself sensitive to films that aspired to evolve beyond entertainment and froth. Later, he would appear films that dealt with themes as diverse as dyslexia (Taare Zameen Par) and disaffected youth (Rang De Basanti).

Over the next few years, he struck out with as many flops as he starred in hits. For every Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin (1991) and Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar (1991) there was an Awwal Number (1990) and an Afsana Pyar Ka (1991). His best partnership was with frequent collaborator Juhi Chawla, most notably in Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke (1993), but he also starred opposite big name Madhuri in Dil (1990) and Eighties glamour girl Farha in Jawani Zindabad (1990). Aamir proved himself a versatile hero, with a flair for comedy that he used to great effect in Andaz Apna Apna (1994), a cult comic caper also starring Salman Khan, Raveena Tandon and Karisma Kapur.

Other landmark films in Aamir's career were Rangeela (1995), Akele Hum Akele Tum (1995) and Sarfarosh (1999), all of which marked his final break with cutesy romantic roles. Then, in 2001, Aamir produced and starred in Lagaan, an unlikely tale of a colonial-era village forced into playing a game of cricket with their British overlords to get out of a tax trap. As the fiery, idealistic young leader Bhuvan, Aamir trailed clouds of glory all the way from the box office to the next year's Academy Awards. Lagaan was the third Indian movie to make the Best Foreign Film cut, after Mother India and Salaam Bombay, and while it didn't win it helped overturn the sterotype of the Bollywood potboiler. Like arthouse cinema, mainstream Bollywood could also make films with heart.

Surely after Lagaan there was no way but down for Aamir to go? Almost immediately, he proved pundits wrong with Dil Chahta Hai (2001). Then with Rang De Basanti (2006). Then with Taare Zameen Par (2007). Then with 3 Idiots (2009). And now, with TV show Satyamev Jayate, a hardhitting look at social dichotomies in India. The debut episode broke the Internet, dominating Twitter trends with unprecedented surfer traffic bring down the Satyamev Jayate website. Like Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan before him, Aamir had conquered television.

All this, and more. Unlike the many wholesome characters he's played on screen, Aamir's private life has been more unorthodox. In a world where more often than not celebrities are preoccupied with keeping up appearances, Aamir is one of the rare stars who chooses not to follow convention. He was already married to childhood sweetheart Reena at the time of his Bollywood blast off in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, news that broke any number of hopeful female hearts around the country. Aamir and Reena's 15 year marriage ended in 2002, after rumours of infidelity on the sets of Lagaan with present wife Kiran. In 2005, Aamir married Kiran. In between, he was also rumoured to have fathered a child with a British journalist. Kiran and Aamir quietly opted for a child via surrogacy. Son Azad is now five months old, and while Bollywood was taken entirely by surprise when the baby's birth was announced, it was quick to commend the fact that Aamir and Kiran chose not to keep the surrogacy under wraps. Now 37 years old, Aamir also has two children with first wife Reena.

A man of convictions, Aamir boycotted award shows for years, after losing the Filmfare Best Actor for Rangeela to SRK, who won for Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge. Convinced that his own performance was critically superior and disillusioned by the populist nature of award shows, Aamir refused to have anything to do with them for most of his acting life - a tough stand for a Bollywood hero to take. He was to return to the fold, but only much later, after becoming a producer himself. As a producer, he is reputed to be controlling and a micromanager obsessed with perfection. Aamir has participated in Medha Patkar's Narmada demonstrations, and most recently in Anna Hazare's anti-corruption crusade.

But perhaps, the thing that has endeared him most to fans and critics alike is not the constant reinvention of himself nor his disregard for Bollywood politenesses - it is the fact that he made time to attend the Varanasi wedding of the son of auto driver Ram Lakhan, a friend he made while travelling incognito around the country some years ago. Not something your average superstar would do.