By Meena Iyer

Punit Malhotra’s I Hate Luv Storys is carrying the right vibe. Trade pundits are of the opinion that Dharma Productions rom-com set to hit theatres on July 2, is near perfect.

It’s priced correctly, it’s a love story coming from Karan Johar — the man who knows romance better than most filmmakers, and it has Imran Khan — the actor with the ‘it’ factor going for him.

Imran, who stormed the film scene two Julys ago with Aamir Khan’s sweet mushy flick Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na, is the quintessential chocolate boy who with his fair skin and light eyes makes the girls go weak in the knees. Take what happened at a bookstore in a mall. The girls who strolled in and caught Imran in their midst screamed the mall down. They were so excited, they almost tore the actor’s shirt off in their attempt to get closer to him.

Imran is flattered with this attention he has been from the trade and the janta. The actor who has a fabulous sense of humour, says, “It is always flattering for an actor to feel wanted, but for a few minutes I wondered if all this squealing and shouting was stage-managed by the PR of the film. We’re in the business of selling ourselves, and being labelled sexy and being spoken of as having that ‘it’ quality is the ultimate goal. When I see people reacting to my body, I feel it was worth all the hard work I put in. I remember all those bland meals that I suffered and those heavy weights I lifted to be able to get this body. There is a sense of personal gratification when I see my image in the mirror. But there is also the need here for me to thank Manish Malhotra, Karan and Punit who are responsible for the way I have been projected in IHLS.’’

The actor who confesses that he is very romantic but doesn’t believe in the superfluous flowers, chocolates and SMS routines when it comes to professing his feelings for his loved one, adds, “I must still be doing something correct. Otherwise the same girl wouldn’t be with me for the last eight years.’’ He has a point — when it comes to romance he has what it takes — both on screen and off it.