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In love with Bollywood
Imran Khan... Building bonds. Photo: S. Arneja.
SOHAIL KHAN may be proud to be an Indian but his buddy in the mission, Imran Ali Khan is proud to be in Bollywood. The British actor of Pakistani origin says, "I have been watching Hindi films from a young age and have been fascinated by Bollywood since."
When he was 13, he says, he watched "Ram Aur Shyam" and fell in love with Dilip Kumar and Hindi films. "It's this love that made me accept a miniscule role in `Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham'."
Negating his promotion as a Pakistani actor, Imran says he is a British citizen and hasn't visited Pakistan even once. "Only my grandparents used to live in Pakistan. I used to do modelling in London and had a troupe where I used to perform with Pakistani artists like Reema and Arshad. That's it."
His first full-fledged film, "I - Proud to be Indian," released last Friday, is based on racism in England and Imran shares some personal experiences. "When I was in Woolston School, Southampton, my white seniors used to bully me. They used to throw eggs on me or throw my jacket in the toilet and flush it. I was forced to take a break from the school. In that period I learnt boxing and built my body and when I rejoined, I challenged them to have a one to one fight as I had discovered that they were strong only as a group. When I had beaten some of them, they stopped troubling me but the issue was highlighted by the press. Though the media supported my stand, the school authorities asked me to leave. I joined another school but never faced the problem again." However, Imran adds that the use of the word Pakis for South Asians still hurts him.
As for the Indo-Pakistan unity on foreign turf, Imran says, "There are no differences. That's why in the film it's not an issue that my sister is playing the love interest of Sohail."
Imran feels he is lucky that the film is being released at a time when the relations between two countries are on a high. "Otherwise who knows, you might have thrown me out," laughs Imran.
ANUJ KUMAR
Photo: S. Arneja.
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