"I don’t understand why you want to put all the Khans in one bag and mix them up. Had I been put together with them if my name was Irrfan Ali?" the actor said to a question about the dominance of Khans in Bollywood.
"Everyone has his own place and a surname doesn’t benefit you, otherwise there would have been so many Khans roaming around in the industry," added the 49-year-old.
Irrfan has been highly praised for his last movie "Paan Singh Tomar", before which he dropped his surname.
But name and success have nothing to do with each other, he said, adding: "Khan is just a surname and it is up to you how much importance you give to it."
"Everyone is standing on his strength. If Aamir Khan’s name had been something else, even then he would have been what he is today because your work counts more than the name."
Irrfan says "Paan Singh Tomar" owes its success to the way public promoted it on social networking sites.
"The way people supported this film, and of course the media, as it received critical acclaim, mattered. But the manner in which people promoted it, especially on social networking sites, that benefited this film immensely," said Irrfan.
The actor has finished shooting for a European film "Qissa" and also "The Amazing Spider Man." He will soon start shooting for Tigmanshu Dhulia’s "Sahib, Biwi aur Gangster Returns."
