imran SHAKUN BATRA on
khan
SHAKUN BATRA is a young filmmaker who directed Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu 104
I BRUNCH COLLECTOR’S EDITION I SUMMER 2013
PHOTO: AVINASH GOWARIKER; COURTESY: DHARMA PRODUCTIONS
W
e met during the making of Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na. From movies to politics, music and acting, we sat and chatted about everything. We knew that sometime in the future, we’ll work together and we wanted to do something different. With Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu, we got that chance. It was an opportunity to do a love story that wasn’t usual. Imran and I are both part of the younger Bollywood. We needed to do something that resonated with our generation. Very hardworking and extremely disciplined, Imran can put anyone to shame with his sense of propriety. But being proper does not mean boring. He has a great sense of humour which is also very intelligent. As an actor, he is methodical but extremely natural. The good part is that Imran’s work is not limited to enacting a good scene. He is part of the entire process. He always performs with the entire film in mind. Though very urban in terms of his mindset and temperament, Imran is taking great risks. Characters such as Matru in the film Matru Ki Bijli Ka Mandola don’t come to him naturally. But look at his performance. It was almost flawless. Even Delhi Belly wasn’t really the slick flick that one would associate Imran with. But he got all the nuances of a young, street-smart, ‘jholajeans clad’ journalist right. A very stylish man, Imran is perhaps the only person in the industry who can pull off a tuxedo to perfection!
SHORT TAKES + In 2011, Imran Khan filed a PIL against a proposed law to raise the legal drinking age to 25.
+ After his parents’ divorce, his mother married popular character actor, Raj Zutshi (though they divorced in 2006).
+ His wife Avantika has been seen in very small parts in Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na, I Hate Luv Storys and Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu.