Imran Can

Countering the criticism that his films do well only when backed by uncle Aamir Khan,Imran Khan puts the blame on lack of good producers in the industry.

A small-budget Bollywood dark comedy made in Hinglish released with an Adult censor certificate early this month. The handicaps were many and the makers were aware that they will be missing out on a chunk of the audience. Two weeks on,Delhi Belly has been declared a hit. Though the film is being hailed as a collective effort of Aamir Khans marketing wizardry,a great script by debutant Akshat Verma and good performances by the entire cast,Imran Khan is using the opportunity to bask in the glory. The Hindi version has done better than the original. And we had decided to have a Hindi dub,merely two months before the release, he recounts.

On a couch at the Bandra office of Aamir Khan Productions (AKP),the actor,who plays a journalist in the movie,sits with his feet up on the table. He rattles off figures to establish the films success. There is a smile playing on Khans lips probably in response to the critics,who were ready to write him off after most of his films failed to impress. Delhi Belly was a huge risk this early in my career. I did it because I knew that there is little chance of another such film being made, points out Khan.

Known for his chocolate-boy portrayals,the 28-year-old is glad to have established his comic timing with this film. While the dialogues came easy since they were mostly conversational,his get-up,with one blackened swollen eye,did have the actor worried. It required two prosthetic piecesone under the eye and one right above. Id keep those on for 14 hours every day and on taking them off,my eye would water profusely,leaving my vision out-of-focus. And by the end of the shoot,I was concerned that its permanently damaged, he recounts.

The success of Delhi Belly has brought him under the spotlight. It has also unwittingly established that the actor is bankable only when the films are backed by his uncle Aamir Khan. There are very few producers,who consistently make good films and Aamir is one of them. I Hate Luv Storys,under Karan Johars banner,did well too. Good producers ensure that a capable team is working together to make a quality product, says the actor,who features in Johars next Short Term Shaadi opposite Kareena Kapoor. I dont understand why am I asked so often about Aamir maamu since our involvement in each others professional lives is limited to the two films Ive done for AKP, he says.

Khan,however,has another reason to rejoice. The promo of his next release under Yash Raj Productions,Mere Brother Ki Dulhan,has been receiving a good response on YouTube. With Pakistani singer-actor Ali Zafar (of Tere Bin Laden fame) and Katrina Kaif in a bold,feisty avatar as a part of the cast,its a typical Bollywood masala film. Its the most filmy film Ive done where everything is pitched three notches higher, he says,And I wasnt aware of this,but this kind of film appeals to a whole new different side of me.

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