Jaane Tu….Ya Jaane Na.
Who knew Imran Khan would find a literal way of applying the title of his debut film in 2008 to his real-life trajectory?
But he did. After his last release in 2015 with Kangana Ranaut in Katti Batti, the “very demure, very mindful” Khan—as Gen Z would now say—took a break and retreated to a quieter life away from the arc lights.
Some were curious, some were nosey, but mostly the murmurs lingered, “Where did the dude go?”
The answer for the longest time? Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na.
And then came 2023, when the actor made conscious efforts to tell stories and share BTS moments of his films from an era when they were just that—“moments”—thus opening the floodgates for his fans to have access to him. And it sure did. With that came an unprecedented burst of love and attention that Imran was not ready for.
He has a short cameo coming up in Vir Das's Happy Patel: Khatarnak Jasoos, before he makes his “Hero” level comeback with Danish Aslam's Adhoore Hum Adhoore Tum alongside Bhumi Pednekar.
The actor still seems amused by the all-consuming love that fans are showering on him.
In an exclusive conversation with NDTV, Imran Khan shares his honest take on how nothing was planned—the going or the coming. Processing it all, and that random text message to Vir Das that led him to rethink Happy Patel and create a befitting role for his Delhi Belly buddy with not-so “Delhi Belly vibes” (as the Internet has been humming ever since the trailer dropped).
“My Part In The Cameo Came From A Place Of FOMO”
Imran Khan and Vir Das had worked together in the 2011 adult comedy Delhi Belly. A friendship that stayed, leading to a random text from the actor to the comedian for his film Happy Patel: Khatarnak Jasoos.
So nonchalant is the duo that they even shared a screenshot of their messages that led to Imran's casting in the film.
Imran: "Hey, hearing good stuff about the film you are making. Any place I can cameo?"
Vir Das: "Let me find something cool. I'll make sure it's insane and fun."
It sounded like a plan, and here we are.
Imran Khan recollects, “My part is a cameo that came from a place of FOMO (Fear of missing out). True story—Vir was developing the project. And as he was moving through the stages of development, various friends of mine were getting attached. It started, of course, with my uncle (Aamir Khan) getting attached as a producer. And I would hear little snippets here and there. And then Mithila, who I got to know because we acted together in Katti Batti—we've remained friends over the years. And she was telling me a lot of fun stuff about the way the project was going.”
He continues, “Then and there, I texted Vir. So this particular film is one that I joined just because all my friends were there and doing something that looked like fun.”
A Conscious “No-Show”
There's a very restrained demeanour that Imran holds when he interacts. He thinks, he pauses, and he truly answers to the best of how he perceives what the last 10 years have been like, on and off work.
So, when the question arises of why he still has fans—it's been 10 years, cinema has gone from largely being plastered on gigantic hoardings to a mini-Instagram announcements—that's how much time has passed. But he answers matter-of-factly.
Imran Khan in Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu
Imran Khan says, “I've spent several years very consciously disconnecting from that life and from that version of self. And it was a willful and conscious stepping away. I went to some lengths to sever the ties that normally people work hard to maintain. I maintained no kind of social media presence. I didn't show up at events to be seen. I didn't do interviews, whatever the things that one is supposed to do to remain—I avoided those. I tried to live as low-profile a life as I could. Avoid public events and public spaces where paparazzi might be. So, I did so much to disconnect from that version of self that I guess I assumed everyone else would also disconnect. I also find myself frequently surprised by the attention and scrutiny that comes, considering how little one is trying to attract it.”
So is the deluge of simmering excitement among fans—with the short glimpse of him in the Happy Patel trailer—too much, too soon for him to process?
A “Not-So-Secret” Secret
Interestingly, Imran Khan reveals that the whole him being a part of Happy Patel thing was supposed to be a secret.
He shares, “We had also completely thought that this would be a secret. The trailer came much later. I went in and shot—this must have been almost two years ago, if I'm not wrong; when we shot this, it was early 2024. And we kept such a tight lid on it because I texted Vir directly. He and I went back and forth. So, there was nowhere for it to go. There were no intermediaries.”
He recalls how shocked everyone was, “And literally the day I showed up to shoot, the news went out of me being the star of the film. Some enterprising individual photoshopped a poster with me on the cover. And this thing went out. We had totally thought that we should shoot quietly and tell no one about it. And on the day that the film releases, people will watch it and suddenly in the middle of the film, they'll go, ‘Hey, wait, it's that guy.'”
Not Vibing With “Delhi Belly Vibes”
Ever since the trailer drop of Happy Patel—and with it coming a full circle featuring Imran Khan and Vir Das—the one ricocheting chant has been that it gives “Delhi Belly vibes.”
Imran Khan and Vir Das in Delhi Belly
The actor laughs as he says, “It is very far removed from any manner of comedic film that we have made in India. Stylistically and genre-wise, it is not in the same space as Delhi Belly. Delhi Belly was a crime caper that is also comedic. Happy Patel is a comedic film that then has suspense, crime and so on—angle and action. Slight difference. And so in Happy Patel, the drive and the focus is more consciously on the humour because it's Vir.”
Out Of Sight, But Not Out Of Mind
Time evolves, as does every profession. Today's showbiz in tinseltown is peppered with paparazzi spottings, big endorsement deals, the constant banter about “highest-paid” actors, and more PR-manufactured responses.
Imran Khan needs none of it, he says.
Simply put, he elaborates, “I am a guy who has not made a movie in more than 10 years. There are many actors out there who are working, who are current, have delivered successful and quality films within the last several years. Within all of that, attention to be pointed at me without having done any of that work—it's odd, but it also then puts the question: if you're in a different place, if you're a more current actor with a more up-to-date résumé, do you need PR? Do you need a battalion of people around you advising you on scripts or on which brand of trousers to endorse?”
Not really.
Onto The Real “Comeback”
Imran worked with Danish Aslam in the 2010 rom-com Break Ke Baad with Deepika Padukone. A friendship that lasted and soared led to planning for Adhoore Hum Adhoore Tum, a film that holds personal resonance for Imran. Interestingly he calls the upcoming film with Bhumi Pednekar a spiritual successor to Break Ke Baad, not a sequel.
He says, “The film was put together with a very conscious ethos. So Danish and I are parents to two daughters of an almost identical age. We are now at a place in life where we have had some life experiences. So, marriage, divorce, parenthood, career up, down—all of these are occurrences in the lives of people at a certain stage. When I was making Break Ke Baad or I Hate Luv Storys, I was in my 20s. And I was telling the story of someone about that age. I'm at a different place in life now. I was like, look, I'm a parent. I'm divorced. I have had my career jigged about. These are interesting life experiences that people going into their 30s and 40s now face.”
Speaking of how Bhumi Pednekar was what both of them zeroed in on, “We were actively pursuing Bhumi and trying to get her on board because we liked her for the part before we had a completely bound script. Which is not a great look, but we still went with it. And somewhere, I think she was also a little surprised, a little taken aback by the eagerness with which Danish and I were showing up with scraps of paper, not a full script. Somehow or the other, she took pity on us and said, okay, fine.”
And fine it is—and has been—with Imran Khan back in the orbit of fans who grew up on his slew of silly, warm yet comforting rom-coms like I Hate Luv Storys, Break Ke Baad, and Mere Brother Ki Dulhan.
As for what keeps fans flooding him with this unconditional love?
Jaane tu… Ya Jaane Na.