By Nikhil Taneja

Like all Aamir Khan productions, the plot of Imran Khan-starrer, Delhi Belly, has also been a closely guarded secret. Though rumours pegged it to be a sex comedy, on the lines of American Pie, Imran reveals that the movie is actually a “comic crime caper”.

“I can’t explain what Delhi Belly is about!” Imran smiles. “The film is in Delhi, what Guy Ritchie’s Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) was, in London. It’s about a bunch of guys who get caught in a situation. It’s a similar genre to Lock, Stock… with the same tone, treatment and language, but in a Delhi context.”

The actor, who will be seen in I Hate Luv Storys (IHLS) on July 2, says that he tries to maintain a balance between offbeat films like Delhi Belly and commercial ones. Since success in the latter, means a lot to him.

“I make no bones about that fact. I want to do films in both spaces, but to do a Delhi Belly, which I did for creative satisfaction, I need to be a bankable actor, since people are putting money behind me,” Imran says. “Aamir gave a long spate of flops after Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988). I hope mine is shorter.”

But Imran insists that he didn’t consciously try to “plan” his balancing act. “For example, there was no strategy to push Delhi Belly to next year, so I could have two hits before that. You can’t have a plan. Like Luck (2009) and Kidnap (2008) should have been big hits — they had exciting scripts — but we fell short in making them,” he says. Though IHLS or Danish Aslam’s Break Ke Baad, his other releases this year, fall within the commercial space, Imran insists that, unlike his earlier work, he will not be seen playing a ‘typical hero’.

“My character in IHLS is very real,” he says. “He’s got an irreverent sense of humour, he’s entertaining and imperfect. Break Ke Baad is a romantic coming-of-age dramedy. IHLS only looks like a typical hero-heroine film, because it’s done in a very Dharma Productions style. But the treatment is quite relatable.”