Why Imran Khan decided to act

Imran Khan, Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan's nephew, is set to enter Bollywood with his uncle's home production "Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na", but he doesn't want to call it his launch vehicle.

"Please, don't look at it as my launch vehicle... Abbas (Tyrewala) didn't want to make a hero-heroine-oriented film. He took a lot of care to ensure that my co-stars are not relegated to side roles, you know," Imran, who was in Dubai ahead of the release of his film, told IANS.

Apart from Imran, the film also stars Genelia D'Souza, Manjari Fadnis, Ratna Pathak, Arbaaz Khan, Sohail Khan, Paresh Rawal, Naseeruddin Shah and Anuradha Patel. The romance saga, releasing on Friday, also marks the directorial debut of Bollywood scriptwriter Abbas Tyrewala.

Imran says he never thought he will become an actor.

"I never thought of becoming an actor. I had gone to New York Film Academy in Los Angeles and trained as a director. I had always wanted to become a director. Only because Abbas wanted me to act in the film that I decided to act," he said.

Talking about the film, made with a campus backdrop, Imran said that it was a film made by young people for young people.

"We made this film keeping in mind that young people should connect with it. The older crowd will get nostalgic... their first crushes, their first break-ups...."

As for his experience in his maiden acting venture, he said: "It is always inspiring to work with people who put in a lot of effort."

He added that his uncle Aamir's role in the film was purely limited to being the producer and nothing more. "He was too busy directing 'Taare Zameen Par' when this film was made."

Regarding the music of 'Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na', Imran said that A.R. Rahman has given a very young treatment to the score.

"Music is exceptional and I feel it is some of Rahman's best work," he said.

Asked about his expectations from the film, he said: "I don't have expectations, just hopes. We have made a film from our heart, a purely light-hearted film, which we hope people will come and watch. I hope the film touches the viewers' hearts. Please don't watch the film from an intellectual's perception."

Indo-Asian News Service