In the World of Imran Khan - Part 1 : Bollywood News

A year ago, Imran Khan was no where seen in Bollywood. Then he got cast in Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na, and every girl in India wanted him. Hes an actor who tapped into the fantasies of a generation of girls who were still wearing braces and driving with learners license. A man who helped bring sweater vests, slim-fit suits, and skinny ties back in vogue. A man who reminded us of the great James Dean and proves a wardrobe of well-cut basics is as potent today as it was a half century ago. July 2, Monday, at 4pm, we arrive in Indias most prized possession - a rickshaw. Imran Khans gate keeper opens the door. We enter his vintage looking bungalow situated on the hill slope at Bandras Pali Hill. He is seen giving an interview to some lady journalist. The dude is looking crisp. Like out-of-the-box crisp. Like he could go ahead, right this minute, and tee it up in front of a half-dozen television cameras: Diesel denims, a white hand painted slim fit t-shirt and his brown flip-flops make him look more comfortable than ever, as with a lot of things in his life: music, acting, clothing line and his dream business. Its one of those Mumbai days that feel like an ostentatious gift. A breeze blows clouds across a dark grey sky. It had just rained heavily for a few good minutes. Its so quiet you can even hear loose sediment trickling down his window pane. But when he gets talking, you feel that he is more than just another buffed and pretty face. In this part one of the two part series, UKs Harrow Observer columnist and Bollywood Hungamas London correspondent Devansh Patel meets a man who is considered the lord of teenyboppers, a man who has redefined the art of acting and an actor who has nothing left to prove: Imran Khan

James Dean and Marlon Brando

As youre interviewing me, and this may sound spooky, but just above your shoulder is a James Dean picture framed. Now what I liked about him was that he was an awkward guy. He literally brought in a different style of acting, right from his first film East of Eden. Back in the 50s, acting was very stylized, the dialogues were artificial and then there is one guy who does something weird. Its like seeing a maverick doing something completely out of the ordinary. Thats a great feeling. He had a style of his own. If you watch Marlon Brando in The Street Car Named Desire, youll get the same feel. James Dean was raw. All the others were ripe. To see an actor doing that radical was surprising. To me, Dean and Brando were guys whom I watched a lot. They were men who never really combed their hair and still look charismatic. So you tend to imbibe things when you watch actors like them.

Fans

Somehow the presence of meeting your fans or audiences in public face to face gives your film that little push. So if I go to London or New York and a local photographer takes my picture, he feels better. You are traveling the world and then doing phone interviews dont help. I like to meet journalists and fans in person. The audience feels that I am taking trouble to come to meet them. They feel a little more of a connect that I am reaching out to them. If I have a hand shake with a fan, I am winning that persons heart permanently. If I am rude to my fan, I will lose him permanently and Im sure about that.