Imran Khan: Katrina Doesn’t Appeal to Me Like Avantika Does

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Image courtesy : Jatin Kampani

He’s squatting on the floor, polishing his boots. Domestic help is a yard away but he won’t have it any other way. “I polish my own shoes because others don’t do it right,” he grins brushing the shoe. “You have to do it the correct way to get the right amount of shine and perfect texture; every shoe can’t be polished the same way. By doing it properly you can make the shoe last longer too.” Hmmm.

He sure has learnt the art of longevity. The actor has gone from strength to strength in the last few years. This year particularly has been bountiful. Earlier in the year he tickled our funny bone with Delhi Belly and followed it by romancing his brother ki dulhan. Yes, Mere Brother Ki Dulhan was a huge box office success too and thanks to which he received a call from Yashraj informing him of a hefty bonus. Life is coming up lilies and daffodils for Imran Khan. 
But as far as Imran is concerned, the success this year is already history. “I move on very quickly,” he says stroking his shoes. “When I’m shooting and promoting a film, it’s my only priority but once it’s released, I’m done with it. Obviously, if it works and garners success, I’m thrilled.”

We’re sitting in his tastefully done up living room. Its simplicity speaks volumes about the actor’s personality. Pictures of friends, family and pets add that extra warmth. A painting Salman Khan gifted Avantika hangs on one wall. Paintings by other friends embellish other walls. He’s done with his chore. He puts away his shoes, wipes his hands and plonks himself on a settee opposite me.

Things may be going swimmingly for the actor today. But he hasn’t forgotten the troughs he encountered early on in his career. Nor has he forgotten the way the industry treated him. “I got to see a negative side to the industry within my first year in the industry,” he reminisces. “Within those 12 months, I saw the worst because I was at my lowest. Kidnap andLuck faired badly. And my phone stopped ringing. The offers stopped coming. The media called me a one hit wonder. They said I couldn’t do anything  without Aamir Khan.”

That’s when Karan Johar offered him I Hate Luv Storys. He smiles, “I felt like someone had thrown me a life jacket, giving me a chance to swim back to the shore. I caught hold of the offer with both hands and told myself I have to look better than ever, perform better than ever and dance better too. I threw myself into that film knowing I had to make it work. I worked hard and it paid off. It’s a significant film in my career and I have great emotional attachment to it. Fortunately, the last two years have seen a steady pick up.”

Failures, they say are the stumbling blocks to success. And Imran feels his failures taught him valuable lessons early on. “I realised how irrelevant some things are,” he narrates. “We tend to take things for granted. We get so caught up in talking about the race, the numbers… that we start working for the wrong reasons. The minute you think, ‘His film has done so much business and I need to beat that’ you’re not thinking right and are bound to fail. I’ve learnt to tell myself that I should only do a film if I like it and I should work damn hard at it. Hopefully, I’ll be able to make a good film. The moment you start watching someone else in a race, you are not watching your own path, the chances of tripping multiply. I have to run as fast as I can and maybe I’ll win. But it’s not easy to do so. Yes, every day the papers, the radio and the people around you remind you of others’ achievements. Sometimes it starts to get to you but you have to get yourself back. It’s what I’ve learnt from my parents and from watching Aamir that we shouldn’t work for the wrong reasons.”

That’s why he praises Katrina Kaif, his co-star of MBKD (Mere Brother Ki Dulhan) effusively. He’s amazed by the effort that Katrina puts into his work. “From the script, costume, songs, choreography, to the marketing and promotions, she takes a keen interest in every aspect of filmmaking. That involvement ultimately shows in the kind of success she’s had in her career. I was pleased to work with someone who’s that involved in her work. I’ve worked with people who put half as much effort in their work and half their brain too and the difference shows between a Katrina Kaif and them.”

Imran who is currently working with Kareena Kapoor for Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu is equally vocal in his praise of her too. He literally bulldozed Kareena into signing his movie. Says he, “Shagun Batra (director) and I fought for her to be part of this film. When the film was being set up, Kareena was busy with Bodyguard, Agent Vinod and she had just signed Reema Kagti’s film. So it looked like we wouldn’t be able to get her on board. But we insisted on having her, even if that meant waiting for a few months.”
Almost everyone in entertainment believes Imran owes Aamir a lot when it comes to success in his career. Jaane Tu… was produced by Aamir and so was Delhi Belly. Imran doesn’t quite agree. “My career would have been largely the same. I signed Jaane Tu... when it was a Jhamu Sugandh production. Aamir Khan Productions acquired it later. I auditioned forDelhi Belly more than a dozen times, I don’t think being Aamir Khan’s nephew helped one bit.”

That may be true. But his admiration for his uncle is something that can’t be questioned. He has patterned his life on his uncle. Whether it’s the value system, their thought process, it’s similar. He smiles, “Everyone knows Aamir Khan is a perfectionist but the fact is everyone in my family is the same. Mansoor (Imran’s maternal uncle) is an enigma himself. He’s given up a career in filmmaking and is happy farming, growing organic vegetables and making cheese in Coonoor. My mom (Nuzhat), Mansoor, and Aamir are all cut from the same cloth. They’re strongly individualistic and do not believe in following the herd. They have firm beliefs and their conviction allows them to work on what they believe in regardless of whether someone supports them or not. Whatever happens they follow the right path. Aamir is 45 and through his entire life he’s never broken a ‘No Entry’ sign while driving. He will drive three kilometers around the turn to go the correct way.” He adds, “Being Aamir Khan, you can imagine the kind of political clout he can have. But in spite of that he has never curried favour. He hasn’t paid out a single rupee as a bribe ever.”

What’s good for the elders in the family is good for Imran too. He follows in their footsteps. He believes in his uncle’s ideals. And tries to apply them to his career as much as he can. Says he, “I have never worked for money. I’ve never ever received what could be called a full pay cheque. I don’t charge the kind of money because I don’t want to burden my film’s budget. I tell the producers to pay me a share from the profits if my film does well. And it happened with MBKD and IHLS.” Any interview with Imran Khan cannot be complete without the mention of his wife Avantika. As we talk, he mentions that they’re opposites. “Avantika is a firecracker. All her reactions are instant. While I take everything in, process and assess and dissect. I think about it and process it some more. I don’t react or respond instantly.” He says he’s always been like this since childhood. His mother Nuzhat has brought him up differently. “When I was three years old, Mom treated me like an adult. She never molly-coddled me. She spoke to me straight and explained the pros and cons of things and I learnt to reason and to be practical.” And today, the two ladies in his life are Imran’s biggest critics. “Mom and Avantika have harsh opinions sometimes. They’re the first ones to point out my flaws. There is no shortage of people who will say good things about me but it’s their voice I listen to.”

There have been no link ups in the actor’s life. Tell him that and he winks, “I’m good at keeping things under wraps.” So is he a smart operator? “Are you saying that other guys are dumb?” he counter questions. “How smart is it possible to be? Do you think it’s possible to have affairs and not have anyone find out? It’s impossible because people love to gossip.” He adds, “If you live your life clean, you don’t give anyone any scope to speculate. You make yourself invincible.”

Yes, there are temptations, no doubt. More so in the glamour profession. But you work around them. “It’s a great perk of my job that I work with the most beautiful women in the country and I spend more hours a day with them than I do with my wife. But attraction is more than just beauty. There has to be something more that attracts you to the person. I’ve never found anyone who gives me the same feeling that Avantika does. I’m shooting with Deepika Padukone, Sonam Kapoor, Katrina and they are all tremendously beautiful but they don’t appeal to me the way Avantika does.” So is he seduction proof? “Who’s to say that?” he smiles impishly.

After talking about his wife, the natural progression is towards fatherhood.  But Imran is categorical that it will have to wait. “I’ll have children only when I have the time for them. I know I’ll be a good father. I like kids. But to be a good father, I believe you have to be hands on and not see them for a couple of hours a day. It’s a full time job and I want to devote myself to it completely. I’ll get into fatherhood when I am secure and when I can afford to do less work. I’d like to do one film a year. When I reach that point where I can dictate dates and take some time off, I will start my family. I don’t want to dump kids in Avantika’s lap and carry on with my life.” Much is spoken about Imran’s stand against the age limit for alcohol consumption and the PIL he’s filed in the case. “I don’t support drinking alcohol,” he clarifies. “My stand is about civil liberties, about giving people the freedom to choose what they want. Curtailing rights by increasing the legal age limit will not stop people from drinking. Instead, people will depend on black markets or end up buying stuff that is brewed in some bathtub somewhere. If they get caught, they will bribe and get away. So indirectly, you’re also increasing black market trade and corruption inadvertently. It’s not a moral stand; it’s a legal stand against something that is democratic. People let morality cloud their judgment on what is wrong and right.” Right said Khan!