Promotion for Kidnap is in full force with its release just days a way. One of its stars, the rising young actor Imran Khan, has been making the promotional rounds and we thought we would bring you some highlights of two of his recent interviews.
When speaking with Anupama Chopra on Picture This, she asked why he chose to do an action film like Kidnap that was so far from his debut film the romantic Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na? He replied, “It’s a really boring answer. I liked the script. I realized it was very different and I liked the idea of doing something like that, liked the challenge of it. I liked the fact that so early on in my career I’m getting the option, I’m getting the challenge of do something like this.”
Going on to reveal more about the character of Kabir, he said, “He’s a very angsty guy. Lots of darkness, lots of anger, lots of hatred and he is a very tenacious guy. Come what may, he gets hurt, he falls down, he gets beaten, whatever it is he just keeps going, keeps going, keeps going. It interesting, the guy is almost like a machine.”
When she said, “This guy seems as if he is a nastier form of the Hindi hero. Is that a correct assessment?” Imran replied: “Yeah, you know you are right actually. That was part of what I found so difficult in this film. The fact that I needed to do certain thing in a very classically Hindi film leading man kind of way, Ghadvi’s grown up watching the 70s film with Mr. Bachchan, and I think that has colored his idea of how a Hindi leading man should be. He’s very classically a man’s man. There is no room for a little bit this way or that way. He’s hard he knows what he wants. The typical alpha male. That’s how Gadhvi likes to portray his heroes. And that was just so out there for me, I’m so not that guy. So I had to try and find that and set my jaw. Literally I’m trying to play Clint Eastwood. It was weird for me, it was tough.”
He revealed that it was a satisfying but very difficult role to play, that it was tortuous on the set, “I couldn’t get a grasp on this character. I couldn’t get a hold of him. I couldn’t find common ground with him. I couldn’t relate to him. So everyday I was just struggling on trying to hold on to it. Just to stay afloat. I was fighting to stay afloat. I think for the first ten/twelve days I was faking my way through it. I don’t think I really had got a hold of him. After we got into a couple of weeks of shooting I really did get a hold of him and then I had to fight everyday just to hold on to him. I’ve got it, I’ve got it, don’t drop the ball.”
Moving on to another interview with Taran Adarsh, he said that he was very nervous about the film and his performance, “My role in Kidnap is in sharp contrast to what I’ve portrayed in Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na. How would the audience react this time? Will they accept me in an aggressive role? That gives me goose bumps.”
Imran also talked about the fact that after Luck, which he is filming for now and his next project, Delhi Belly, he does not have any projects waiting in the wings: “I haven’t had many offers after Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na. Surprised, aren’t you? But it’s a fact. In fact, I don’t have any film after Delhi Belly. I am free from January 2009 onwards.” He has had some offers but he did not like any of the scripts and so until he finds one he does like, he will not sign any new projects.
Getting back to Kidnap and how he feels it has turned out he said, “I watched my portions while dubbing. And I think I’ve done pretty well. But Aamir mamu watched the film recently and sent me a text message that night. It read ‘You’ve done very well’. That’s one compliment I would always cherish. Incidentally, he felt that I was quite okay in Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na.”
Check out Imran’s Kabir when Kidnap, also starring Minissha Lamba and Sanjay Dutt, opens Wednesday, October 1st!
