‘I Like to Feel’: Imran Khan on Movies and More 21 Nov 2010 | 519 Views | admin
SAN LEANDRO, Calif. — Bollywood’s “It” boy, actor Imran Khan, is a Silicon Valley guy at heart. Khan was born in Madison, Wisc., but after his parents separated, he moved to India with his mother as a baby.
Khan came back to the United States at the age of 16 to attend high school.
“I was in the Silicon Valley for many years,” mused Khan in a phone interview with India-West Nov. 14. “My dad was working at Yahoo! And I went to Fremont High School in Sunnyvale.”
Khan’s fans here in California are lining up for the release of his latest film, Danish Aslam’s romantic comedy “Break ke Baad,” in which Khan stars as Abhay, a lovelorn young Delhi man whose childhood sweetheart, Aaliya (Deepika Padukone), decides that they need some time apart. Aaliya moves to Australia to study, and Abhay discovers that he’s going to have to make a major life change if he’s going to get what he wants. The film opens Nov. 24.
He may be the nephew of actor-director-producer Aamir Khan, but this young star is blazing his own trajectory. Khan has earned accolades for his breezy, intelligent onscreen charm in romantic films like “Jaane Tu … Ya Jaane Na” and “I Hate Luv Storys,” and in thrillers such as “Kidnap” and “Luck.”
“The first time I read the script for ‘Break ke Baad,’ I passed on it,” said Khan. “I read Danish’s script and I felt it wasn’t working. I went on to do ‘Luv Storys.’
“But halfway through the shoot of ‘Luv Storys,’ I ran into Danish again. He said he’d made a lot of changes, so I gave him another shot. I loved it right away!”
Khan describes himself as “nuts about movies.” When he isn’t making them, he’s watching them, or talking about them with his friends.
“I watch movies as a moviegoer,” he explained. “I watch like any audience — I laugh, I cry, I get scared. I like to feel.
“When I read the script of ‘Break ke Baad,’ I felt the romance. I felt sad. There were tears in my eyes; I got nervous for the characters,” he told India-West.
“I figured, if a script can make me feel that, then it’s got to be good.”
Khan, now one of India’s hottest actors, felt at first that his true calling was as a filmmaker.
“After I graduated from high school, I went to L.A., for film school, and worked as a camera operator on a reality TV show,” he recalled.
“I never gave serious thought to Hollywood,” Khan said. “I moved back to India because India is my culture; it’s where I’m from. I was looking for employment as an assistant director, or a writer.”
His days at the New York Film Academy, in its L.A. satellite classes on the Universal Studios lot, prepared him for a career as a director or screenwriter for Indian films — or so he thought. But as the cliché goes, fate had other plans.
If you’re looking for a debutant actor’s story of sacrifice and struggle, look elsewhere. “Acting found me by accident,” Khan said.
Abbas Tyrewala had written a script for “Jaane Tu … Ya Jaane Na” and he thought the young Khan — who had acted a bit as a child artist in his uncle Mansoor Khan’s “Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak” and “Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar” — would be a good fit in the role of Jai, a young man convinced that his soul mate is anyone but Aditi (Genelia D’Souza).
“Abbas had me audition for ‘Jaane Tu,’ and,” he said with a laugh, “the rest is history.”
Though Khan has had the chance to stretch as an actor in his early films, the one genre he hasn’t yet tried is comedy. “Comedy is something I really enjoy,” he said. “Steve Martin and John Cleese are two of my idols.”
Khan is engaged to be married to his longtime girlfriend, Avantika Malik, on Jan. 8, 2011. Since he is Muslim and she is Hindu, they decided it would be easier to have a court marriage than a culturally confusing religious one. “I personally didn't want to commit our wedding to one religion or another,” Khan told the Press Trust of India last week. “We felt the best way for us was that we would keep it neutral.”
When Khan is on a break between film shoots, he stays active in politics and social issues. “I was very much involved with a voting campaign; I spearheaded a campaign last year to get youth to vote. I am also passionate about animal shelters,” he explained. “My family has always rescued animals, and my house is full of animals right now! In fact, we are starting an animal shelter in Mumbai,” at a plot that his family owns in Pavel. The shelter will be equipped to handle a wide range of animals, with a full-time veterinarian on staff. He is now funding it himself, but he is searching for a larger organization to partner with.
Khan is also a frequent contributor to the Hindustan Times, where he writes an occasional 500-word column about issues that matter to him. “I get to write about whatever I feel like,” he explained. “It might be lighthearted stuff, or social stuff.” You can find some of his columns linked from his Twitter page at http://twitter.com/ImranKhanonHT.
His upcoming films include “Short Term Shaadi” and “Mere Brother ki Dulhan.” But for now, Khan is putting all of his energy behind “Break ke Baad.”
“I feel very strongly about this film,” Khan told India-West. “It means something emotionally to me. It’s a very personal film, and I would like everyone to go see it and enjoy it!”
"As actors, we all want our audience to like our work; so even if you ask me this question after five years I will say yes I want to work harder and harder to be loved by my audience."
~ Imran Khan
