When I was 20, I started living in with Avantika: Imran Khan

Dressed casually in a tee and pyjamas, Imran Khan looked rejuvenated after a holiday in Europe with wife Avantika Malik and daughter Imara. "I switched off my phone as soon as I reached the Mumbai airport and switched it on again when I landed in the city. It was a complete detox," he grins.

The actor has a release coming up after almost two years but there are no signs of nerves. "The only time I was anxious was before the release of my first film, Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na," he says but admits that he sometimes falls prey to self-inflicted pressure while watching a film when he realises that this is not the best that he can do. "Sometimes it's a line of dialogue and sometimes it's a junior artist in the background staring at the camera, I only spot mistakes which is a torture. So, now I've stopped watching my films." Recently, mamu Aamir Khan saw his upcoming film, Katti Batti, and reportedly liked it. Any suggestions?

"Yeah, he thought there was too much of English and suggested that we dub some of the dialogues in Hindi. I think both Nikhil (director Nikhil Advani) and I am a bit too urban," Imran smiles, recalling that even Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na had too much Hinglish and Aamir would keep warning them that the moment you switch to English, you are alienating a section of your audience. "He's very categorical that your films should be understood by everyone."

Nikhil's film revolves around a couple in a live-in relationship. Imran endorses living in but admits that in a country like India, it might still be taboo. "But as we move towards a global culture, I think it is going to become more acceptable. My family and Avantika's were fine with it. In 2004, when I was 20, I started living in with Avantika who was 21 then. It helped us understand the relationship better so I support it whole-heartedly," he asserts. His co-star, Kangana Ranaut, is at the peak of her stardom...

"Hopefully not yet," he interrupts with a grin. "I hope with our film her stardom really peaks. I believe in surrounding myself with talented people. That way the film is going to be better, and so are you."

Hmmm, so who's he going to surround himself with next? Imran informs that as of now he's only committed to Tigmanshu Dhulia's Milan Talkies, now retitled Bhoole Se Naam Na Lo Pyaar Ka. "We're looking for the right actress and working on the schedule. I haven't begun prep yet, but I have blocked my dates."

Aanand L Rai wants to remake the Tamil film, Kalyana Samayal Saadham, in Hindi with him, but Imran insists that just because it has worked in one language, doesn't mean you can translate it in Hindi, literally. "It's too premature to even consider the film," he shrugs. And what about Abhinay Deo's Force 2 with John Abraham and Sonakshi Sinha? "I'm not doing it," he says shortly.

Nikhil also wants to work with Imran in all his films now, and that includes the next one, Bazaar. "I have yet to listen to the script," says the actor. "For me it's important to like the script and the director since I'll be spending the next six-eight months working with him. I ask myself if I'd watch the film and be entertained by it? If the answer is yes, then maybe it's a yes from me too."