Shirtless photo shoots embarrass me: Imran

Shirtless photo shoots embarrass me: Imran

In an interview with CNN-IBN's Entertainment Editor Rajeev Masand, actor Imran Khan speaks about his new film Luck, being compared to Aamir Khan and his friends in the industry.

Rajeev Masand: It's been a little over a year since your debut film Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, what is the one thing you know now that you didn't know then?

Imran Khan: I know what to take more seriously. At that point I would take everything to heart, weather it is one comment or one article. I would take everything to heart. But it's all water off a duck's back; I now know what to take seriously.

Rajeev Masand: What is the one misconception about yourself that is stuck?

Imran Khan: There are many things like people like to compare me to Aamir a lot, whether about him being a perfectionist or choosy about his films. In the 12 months that I've been in the industry I've had three releases. Ranbir (Ranbir Kapoor) has been longer in the industry than me and has had fewer releases than me. Neil (Neil Nitin Mukesh) has been longer in the industry longer than Ranbir and has had has as many releases as me. So I don't know how the idea of me being choosy came about.

Rajeev Masand: People have said Imran is very much like Aamir, opinionated and controlling, but he is not yet Aamir?

Imran Khan: Yes, well I guess I'm not nearly as successful or famous like him. But it's the people who like to say, 'you are not yet Aamir Khan, so you cannot have so many thoughts and ideas'. But I still have ideas.

Rajeev Masand: You are not afraid of expressing your thoughts?

Imran Khan: The thing about making a film is that it is a collaborative process. Everyone has some kind of a creative input. The director alone does not run the show; every department has its own creative input. There are directors who are megalomaniacs who like to control everything and it may work for them but I cannot work with a person like that.

Rajeev Masand: You have been accused of stepping into the roles of a director and scriptwriter?

Imran Khan: You are right. That has basis, which isn't true. That whole thing came up when people were talking about 7 days in Paris a lot. It is a standard process, a director brings you a script and you give him feedback on it. Every actor does that. It was a process which took place with 7 days in Paris as well, now if you want you can turn that into merely writing a script.

It's a process that has happened on every film that I've been on. I tell the director this what I like and don't like. It is the same way that a director would give me feedback on my take. Like I can't expect a director to accept whatever I'm giving him, he will give his feedback, similarly, I would give my feedback too. And ultimately it drives you to make a better product.

Rajeev Masand: You are friends with your contemporaries like Ranbir Kapoor and Abhay Deol. What do actors talk about?

Imran Khan: Movies. It's a disease; anyone in the movie business cannot talk about anything else except movies. There is a difference between talking about movies and talking about the industry. I think a lot of the old school people talk about the industry but we talk movies. Abstract things about what you would like to see in the movie. I find myself talking about movies a lot, it accounts for 90 per cent of my conversation.

Rajeev Masand: What do find in Ranbir and Abhay?

Imran Khan: It's really the way we look at films. Ranbit and Abhay are two very different guys, they make very different kinds of films. But somewhere all three of us have a similar sensibility, we ultimately like similar movies. Abhay is a little more arty. He keeps telling me, 'dude why are you doing these films?' and I tell him that I'm trying to strike a balance between commercial and creative films.

I have a lot of respect for Abhay, because more than anyone else in the industry today, he's doing exactly what he wants with no compromises to anything or anyone. He's created a brand image of his own which I really like.

Rajeev Masand: What about Ranbir?

Imran Khan: I find Ranbir to be often more influx because his sensibilities are very different, but he makes a lot more concession to the commercial side. So, he and I fight about this from time to time. Ultimately it boils down to us having a very similar outlook, so we can get along on that level. He's one of the very few people in the industry I can talk movies with.

Rajeev Masand: As an actor you sign many autographs everyday, when was the last time you asked for one?

Imran Khan: It was five years ago at a special anniversary screening of a film calle The Clerks. The screening was filmed and it's on DVD and I'm on it. So, in the end I got my ticket autographed by Kevin Smith and Jason Muse and the rest of the cast.

Rajeev Masand: What is the most foolish thing you have done or said in public?

Imran Khan: I think I've been really good about that. There always times when you answer a question honestly and they find ways to turn it into something great. My current one is how I've refused to work with Aishwarya (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan).

Someone asked me who is an actress you would really like to work with and I said Kareena (Kareena Kapoor) because I really admire her work and I'd really like to work with her. I was asked not Aishwarya? So I said yes, sure why not.

To which I was asked why did you say Kareena, I said because I like her. So that is how Imran doesn't want to work with Aishwarya came up. So the only safe thing to do when someone asks me whom I would like to work with is come up with the name of every living actress.

Rajeev Masand: Luck is an action-adventure film and you have done some pretty harebrained stunts like jumping out of an air plane?

Imran Khan: Well, I hang out of a real air plane but jump out of a dummy air plane.

Rajeev Masand: You burnt your eye lashes during a stunt. How did you manage that?

Imran Khan: Yes, eye lashes and the skin under the eyes. The explosion went off early. It's the climax where the train is on fire and I'm running through the flames and they are controlled, but one of the explosions went off higher than it was supposed to. But it wasn't a life-threatening injury.

Rajeev Masand: As an audience do you enjoy watching action films, most of them seem so dumb?

Imran Khan: Yes, but they are a lot of fun. I love action films. You don't have alot of expectations from an action film; you are not expecting a compelling plot or anything. You go to watch some really cool stunts and action.

Rajeev Masand: Recently you have succumbed to the shirtless photo sessions. Are you embarrassed?

Imran Khan: Yes. The shirtless shoot was a test shoot we had done for luck. I was working out really heavy at that time and it was a test photo shoot to come up with some looks for the character. And that is how the picture came out at that time. I tend to be very embarrassed by such things. It doesn't seem civilised.

Rajeev Masand: The consensus is that people want to see you in romantic movies. It is an extension of what people saw you do in Jaane Tu?

Imran Khan: Yes I've been hearing that. The next film I'm doing is that, but so far it's untitled. Karan Johar is producing it, it has me and Sonam (Sonam Kapoor) and it's a nice fuzzy romantic-comedy. It's a really sweet film.

Rajeev Masand: What was the last film you saw that made you embarrassed about being apart of Bollywood?

Imran Khan: Kambakkht Ishq has been getting a lot of flak but I didn't mind it that much. Seriously, whatever it was, I sat and found it coherant from beginning to end. I laughed, the dialogues were risky certainly. I like Akshay, I think he's funny.

Rajeev Masand: Your maternal grandfather was the legendary filmmaker Nasir Hussain, whose films have inspired many current directors. You say you got your dry sense of humour from him. What kind of influence did he have on you?

Imran Khan: Nana (grandpa) was very unlike anyone in his time. He was a bit ahead of things. He read a lot and he used to read to me. The influence, which he had on me, was the love that he had for storytelling. He would tell me stories very evening, which he would make up as he went along. And I was always the hero of his story. It was a real blast. At his heart he was a storyteller and an entertainer. I would probably credit him with the kind of films that we make what we call the Bollywood films, with large star casts and sets.

More than anything I credit him with creating a new kind of hero in Hindi films. Him and Shammi uncle (Shammi Kapoor), I was speaking to him and he was telling me about the first films that they made together Tumsa Nahi Dekha. At that point Nana had written a few successful films and he was given the chance to direct a film. He was thrust with this actor called Shammi Kapoor who had had a few flops before; the two of them disliked each other from the word 'go'.

At that point Shammi uncle was doing films where he was playing the classic Indian hero and Nana had an image of a very suave, westernised hero in mind. He made Shammi uncle shave off his mustache, style his hair and wear suits.

Shammi uncle said, I had made up my mind and told my wife that if this film does not work I'm out of it. They went through with it and that is where began the era of this westernised Hindi film hero which continues till date.

Rajeev Masand: You have lived all over the country and studied at seven different schools and went ot film school in Los Angeles. Where were you happiest?

Imran Khan: I was very happy in Bangalore, I liked it a lot. It's a great town, I still have a lot of friends there and i still like to visit. More than anything else, every city has a music genre attached to it, Bombay has always played a lot of popular music. But Bangalore is a rock town; everyone there listens to rock there, which is my kind of thing.

Rajeev Masand: If there was a fire and you only time to save one of your possessions, what would you choose?

Imran Khan: It's a very tricky position you've put me in because I'm a collector. But I'd save my iPod, I've got a very crazy and eclectic collection of music, it has some really rare music. So yes I'd grab that.

IBNLive.com