Aamir Khan's GQ cover photo. Pic credit: GQ

Timed perfectly with the release of his upcoming film, Ghajini, the December 2008 edition of GQ India carried an interview with Aamir Khan, conducted by contributing editor Karan Johar. The intro line on the cover says Aamir: On why divorce was good for him and why maybe he should keep his mouth shut.

Che Kurian, editor of GQ India, said, “Aamir Khan doesn’t appear on many magazine covers. The fact that he has chosen to work with GQ is a testament to the magazine’s 50-year old reputation as a publication featuring and read by intelligent, successful men.”

Meanwhile, the sexy Jiah Khan, who also stars in Ghajini along with Aamir Khan and Asin, has also appeared on the cover of Maxim India’s December 2008 edition.

Knowing Aamir Khan‘s marketing skills, he must have given the association much thought, and a major reason for giving the interview would be publicity for his movie Ghajini. Not that he needs to do much for publicity.

There is nothing in terms of marketing initiatives that have not been covered for Ghajini, be it the teaser trailers, photos of his new look(s), and, of course, internet marketing. We were one of the first to do a story on Aamir’s marketing abilities just after he started his Lagaan blog.

Aamir has been sweetening the media for some time now. In 2007, Aamir apologized to the media and said that he would now be more amenable in the future. For a long time, Aamir Khan has been in a cold war with the media right after Rangeela, when the fall-out between Ram Gopal Varma and Aamir Khan became a source of intense media speculation. After the debacle of Mela, Aamir Khan was written off by the press. It was only after the success of Lagaan that Aamir’s relationship with the press improved.

For Ghajini, Aamir has added a section for the press where mediapersons can upload their photographs and details, which will help Aamir place the journalists when he meets them. Aamir Khan will also add personal notes to each journo, and provide an information kit to those who register on the official website of Ghajini.

With the kind of money ploughed into the movie’s publicity, Aamir Khan should be able to capture a remarkable opening for Ghajini, when it is released on December 25, 2008.

Ghajini is written and directed by AR Murugadass who also directed the Tamil remake of Memento. Asin, who starred in the Tamil movie,  is part of the Hindi version along with actress Jiah Khan.

Ghajini was initially scheduled to be released on Diwali, on October 28, 2008  but was postponed to December 25, 2008, due to Aamir’s leg injury.

Jiah Khan Maxim photos

But compared to her predecessors, Jiah Khan looks uncomfortable, rather than hot. She looks more like a fledgling playing dress-up and trying very hard to be sexy, rather than a full-fledged siren.

Jiah Khan Maxim cover photo

Jiah’s Maxim photos were shot by photographer R. Burman.

Jiah Khan Maxim photos

Jiah Khan has been quoted as saying that the Maxim photo shoot was a lot of hard work, but good fun. She said that R. Burman made her very comfortable and helped her discover the best out of herself. Oh well, whatever.

Jiah Khan photo from the Maxim photo shoot

Jiah Khan’s next movie is the much-awaited Ghajini, which will be released on December 25, 2008. It’s no coincidence that Jiah Khan has appeared on the cover of Maxim during the same month as the release of the film. Aamir Khan, the canny marketer, uses every opportunity he can to promote his film. If the fit is good, that is. In this case too, the Maxim association is a good fit given Jiah Khan’s sexy image.

Jiah Khan's natural photo: she looks a lot more sexy to me here!

The 20-year-old Jiah Khan made her debut in Ram Gopal Verma’s Nishabd, in 2007, opposite Amitabh Bachchan. The movie about a 60-year-man falling in love with an 18-year-old girl shocked audiences and tanked at the box office.
Jiah Khan plays a medical student in Ghajini, quite a departure from her sex kitten role in Nishabd. Her character, Chitra, helps Aamir Khan track down the killers of his wife Kalpana, played by Asin.

Ghajini is the Hindi remake of a Tamil movie by the same name, directed and scripted by AR Murugadoss.

Jiah Khan's photo from the Maxim photo shoot

Jiah Khan will also appear in Sajid Khan’s Housefull that will be released in 2009.

Jiah Khan was born in New York and raised in London. Jiah Khan has cleared her A levels in film studies and literature, is a dancer, pianist, and trained in opera.