Aamir Khan's nephew Imran makes his debut sans Bollywood fanfare.
Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na, the romantic comedy that brings with it the launch of Aamir Khan's nephew Imran on the big-screen, was a series of firsts for the young actor.
In an interview with e+, Imran Khan admits that he has never attended college in India and had to rely on the script and his friends, who had studied in Indian colleges, to get into the skin of his character – the peaceloving and unassuming student named Jai Singh Rathore.
"I did not attend a college in India and I have never studied acting either. The course I did in New York was for sharpening my directorial skills only," Imran says.
Imran, who has grown up on a staple of Hollywood and Bollywood films, also believes that his launch vehicle needn't arrive with the proverbial big bang that usually comes with Bollywood territory.
"My debut movie is not larger-than-life. My character is grounded and has no extraordinary powers of a quintessential Bollywood hero," he explains. But if the synopsis of the movie is anything to go by, his character seems almost meek and too-good-to-be-true.
Quiz him about it and he says, "It would be exciting to play a character with grey shades but unfortunately, Jai (his character) would lose his consistency if we were to change his inherent goodness," he adds.
Heavily impressed by the character played by Shahid Kapoor in the hit Jab We Met, Imran hopes that viewers will identify with his character Jai, the way they did with the character portrayed by Shahid Kapoor.
"Nothing over the top or overly emotional is my idea of a dream debut," he adds.
So devoid of the trappings that normally entail a Bollywood release, what makes Jaane Tu Ya ... Jaane Na a cut above the rest? Well, for starters the reins of it is held by producer Aamir Khan. So did Imran, on account of him being related to the superstar, receive mentoring from his uncle?
"Aamir does not believe in giving tips or advice. He lets you make your own mistakes," says Imran.
Seconding his opinion is Aamir
Khan, who is currently high on a sense of reflected pride, after watching Jaane Tu Ya ... Jaane Na. In a telephone interview to e+, Khan Sr was at his eloquent best.
"I have seen the reels and I think director Abbas Tyrewala and Imran have done a wonderful job. Regarding mentoring Imran, I let him learn from his own mistakes,"
he said.
Incidentally, Aamir feels that Imran is a tough nut to crack and would not have taken kindly to his meddling. Sounding more than happy at the end-product, Aamir Khan has even given his stamp of approval.
"When you feel that the script that was given to you has been successfully translated on screen, then the battle is half-won," says Khan. Do we need to say more?
Fact File
- Title: Jaane Tu ... Ya Jaane Na
- Cast: Imran Khan, Genelia D'Souza, Pratiek Babbar
- Director: Abbas Tyrewala (the writer behind hits including Munnabhai MBBS, Main Hoon Na and Namastey London)
- Music: A.R. Rahman
- Banner: Aamir Khan Productions
