I’m an acquired taste: Imran Khan

It’s a two-hero film with Akshay Kumar as the other leading man. Were you comfortable with that?

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do this film. I met Milan Luthria (director) because Ekta Kapoor was the producer and she is fabulous. Milan gave me the script for Once Upon…Dobaara,which sat in my room for weeks while I was shooting for Matru Ki Bijli Ka Mandola with little intention to read it. During a break in the shoot schedule one day,I picked it up and couldn’t stop reading. I called Milan immediately. I signed the film soon after,without a narration.

But aren’t narrations the norm of the industry?

I find narrations monotonous and start to zone out after a while. I’ve not had one after Jaane Tu… days. It’s a myth that narrations give you a better idea of how the film will turn out. Once a director gave me a fabulous narration,playing out all characters and when I asked for the script,it was a four-page document with almost no details that he had so passionately spoken of.

And are you flexible about changes to a script after you’ve signed on?

I’ve burnt my fingers before and learned my lesson. Not a word in Jaane Tu… differed from what I had read in the script whereas what people saw of Kidnap was completely different from what I had signed on. Now,I do films only if I get a bound script,at least,that way,I can hold someone accountable. What if I decide to change my character while shooting for a film? Will that be acceptable? Why have different rules for writers,directors and actors?

You’ve played the confused young romantic in most of your films. But your last,Matru Ki Bijli Ka Mandola,where you played a mature man,didn’t quite work. What category does your latest character belong to?

We always knew that Matru… was a risk from the beginning. It was a film on communism and the Naxal movement but we didn’t want to play up that angle before the film’s release because we anticipated trouble. But I am happy with the feedback the film and I received. I pulled off something I wasn’t sure of because Vishal Bhardwaj (director) had confidence in me. With Aslam,you will see a character growth where he turns into a man from a young lad. Initially he sees things in black and white and blindly trusts Shoaib Bhai’s (Akshay Kumar’s character) judgment. But gradually he matures and starts to view things differently.

Did you sign up for Once Upon…Dobaara to make up for Matru… at the box office?

One cannot take into consideration the box-office because one can never tell what will work. Anyone trying to sell you a script based on the box office is lying. I sign on a film based on only one factor — will I want to watch it?

When you debuted in the industry,only Ranbir Kapoor and you were contenders among the young stars. Where do you find yourself today?

The industry has changed tremendously in the last five years. The audience exposure to cinema has changed and so have their expectations. While there is audience for Once Upon…Dobaara,people are also watching Ship of Theseus. Today,there is no template for a hero and one sees talented actors such as Ayushmann Khurrana and Arjun Kapoor in the industry too. In all of this,I want to create a niche for myself. I’d call myself an acquired taste. I’m not an easy guy to like in real life as I’m not as warm and chatty as many others. But I like that because it

offers a challenge for people to understand me.

Your career graph is always compared with Ranbir Kapoor’s.

But why compare? We are not mobile phones,we are two very different people and actors.