My personal life always comes first: Imran Khan

Imran Khan isn’t your regular star who is always in the news, neither is he on social media. And that’s how he likes it. He confesses that he prefers staying away from all that’s being written or said about him.

He says, “It’s easy for me to prioritise. My personal life always comes first. If something is taking away time with my family, it bloody well be worth it! I have to look at a script and say this is worth having a bath, putting on pants and getting out of my house. I also have a beautiful house. So it needs a high level of motivation to make me leave it.”

Unlike a lot of celebrities who are very particular about their privacy, Imran has no qualms being an open book. “Since day one I was with Avantika and I’m still with her. It has been 13 years. What makes it work is not candlelight dinners or roses. What makes it work is unglamorous — you’ve got to work day by day to build a relationship,” he says, adding, “There are people who hide their relationships and say ‘meri koi girlfriend nahi hai’. I’m simple and straightforward. This is what I have. Sab dekh lo, itna hi hai.”

Now with daughter Imara in their lives, life has definitely changed. Besides keeping a close eye on her every second, they also need to be careful about what they watch on TV.

“Watching TV is a luxury. Right now I’m watching Daredevil. And we just started watching Mr Robot that’s keeping the wife and me entertained. By the time Imara is asleep we get time to watch one episode. Time is a premium when you have kids and you can’t watch kachra. So we do some research on shows worth watching.”

Tattoos are not what come to mind when you think of Imran’s boy-next-door image. But Imran swears by his love for tattoos and recently he got one and dedicated it to Imara.

“I got my first tattoo at 17, a Samurai Batman on my arm. I got that in Goa.  Now I plan to go back and get colours and background put in. I have tattooed Imara’s footprint on my chest. When I was two-three years old I had got my hand impression (in paint) and mom still has it in her study. I copied the idea. We dipped Imara’s foot in paint to get the impression and got that tattooed.”

Social media holds no interest for him, even though he has tried. “I’m not on social media. I was recently convinced to join Instagram but I’m irregular there too. I never know what people say about me. Why should I seek someone’s opinion? I don’t follow anyone. I just don’t care.”