Is this the end of Imran Khan's career?

But today, with two films, Once Upon Ay Time In Mumbai Dobaara and Gori Tere Pyaar Mein, tumbling like ninepins, Imran is suddenly out of step with the times. Abhinay Deo, Imran's good friend who directed him in Delhi Belly, says that Imran needs to do his homework before he starts shooting.

"We did an extensive three-week prep before Delhi Belly rolled, he was super in the film. You can't entirely blame him for his recent failures. I think he is a lambi race ka ghoda who has moved from chocolate-boy roles to experiment with films likeMatru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola andOUATIMD. He just needs to find one right film and he'll outshine the other heroes," Deo asserts.

Exhibitor Manoj Desai also believes Imran's films are not clicking because he hasn't got the right roles. "He has good screen presence but has yet to deliver a great performance," he reasons.

Trade analyst Amod Mehra says,"Imran is hit by wrong selection of films and he is depending on the filmmakers to see him through."

Mahesh Bhatt hasn't seen any of Imran's films but argues that no actor decides a film's fate. "That responsibility rests squarely on the filmmaker," he maintains.

Ali Abbas Zafar, his Mere Brother Ke Dulhan director, echoes Bhatt's opinion, saying an actor is a blank canvas and the director paints on it. He says Imran's character in his rom-com, a guy who falls in love with his elder brother's wife-to-be, could have easily been perceived as negative had it not been for Imran's vulnerability. "He's a cultured guy with a certain masoomiyat and a clean public image. This made it possible for him to convince everyone that despite this one indiscretion, he was a good son, brother and friend. That's what worked for my film," says Zafar refusing to write him off. Ramesh Sippy, who distributed OUATIMD, however argues that the box-office figures of his films tell their own stories. "An actor who does not deliver 85 per cent collections should not be labelled as a star. Imran does not generate heat on his own," he avers.

Another distributor, Vinay Choksi, agrees that the audience seems to be rejecting Imran's films even though Gori Tere Pyar Mein seemed like a good fit; a love story targeting the youth with Imran playing a foreign-returned architect, a role tailor-made for him. "It's the same withShahid Kapoor. Today, more than a solo-hero-film, Imran should go for a two-hero project," he reasons.

But Abbas Tyrewalla who directed Imran's debut film Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, rationalises that "ups and downs are a part of everyone's career".

Deepak Sharma, COO, PVR Pictures, which co-produced Jaane Tu... agrees that a couple of nonstarters will not make a difference to the young actor. "Many of those who have seen Gori Tere Pyar Mein have liked the film, yet people are not coming in to watch it. You can't blame the actor for that, can you?" Even though PVR is no longer producing films, Sharma says that he is ready to put his money on the actor. "Our Jaane Tu...was a superhit, there's no reason to think we can't give another hit with im."