Imran Khan believes media narratives of competition with Ranbir Kapoor hindered ‘truthful relationship’ between the two

Scope of any relationship was always limited with Ranbir: Imran

Both being Bandra kids, Imran admitted that he knows Ranbir on a personal level and that they are only months apart in age. However, despite their circles overlapping, he shared that he met Ranbir only occasionally as a young actor. “The thing is, there’s a certain amount of personal interactions that happen and much more of external narrative building that you aren’t really involved in or have a hand in,” he told News 18.

Imran admitted that the media narrative that was built around them – pitting them against each other – impacted their relationship. The actors were often pitted against each other on Karan Johar’s show, which probably increased the distance between them. “You hear something, you read something. Because of the way that played out even within the media narratives, it perhaps hindered the ability of developing any kind of a truthful relationship,” he said. He added, “So, the scope of any relationship was always limited.”

While the two actors never collaborated on any film, they did many events together, most notably the annual film awards where the two were chosen to host after Shah Rukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan. “I guess it’s a weird and not so much considered facet of the business that male actors tend to meet each other less. You work with actresses,” he said.

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‘Haven’t watched Animal’

Imran also commented on Ranbir’s growth as an actor and admitted that while he watched all of Ranbir’s films when he himself was an active leading star, he stopped keeping up after quitting the industry. This includes Ranbir’s most recent blockbuster Animal. “I haven’t watched Animal… It’s hard to talk about his growth in the last few years.”

However, this did not stop Imran from praising Ranbir, as he called him a “tremendously strong actor” and “a thinking cinema person.” “He has a strong instinct and thinks deeply about the craft of acting and the language of cinema. And that reflects in his work,” he said.

Imran Khan made his debut with Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na in 2008, while Ranbir Kapoor debuted a year earlier, in 2007, with Saawariya. While the latter failed at the box office, Imran’s debut film emerged as a major hit. In the following years, Imran starred in projects such as Luck, Kidnap, Delhi Belly, and Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, before bidding goodbye to the industry in 2015 after Katti Batti. He made a comeback this year with a cameo appearance in Happy Patel: Khatarnak Jasoos.

Ranbir, on the other hand, went on to become one of the most sought-after actors in the industry, with films such as Barfi!, Tamasha, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, and several others. His last release, Animal, was a massive box office success. He is currently awaiting the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Love and War and Nitesh Tiwari’s magnum opus Ramayana.