Happy to take the blame for my choices: Imran Khan

Imran Khan, who made his debut in Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na before going on to be a part of films Kidnap and Delhi Belly, has been missing in action for the past few years. Now, he’s all set to make his comeback — but not as an actor! Imran has made his directorial debut with the short film Mission Mars: Keep Walking India, and he reveals that that’s the path he intends to pursue. “As a director, everything is my choice, for better or for worse. It’s my own vision that I choose to pursue. As an actor, you’re always a part of someone else’s vision, and you’re held responsible for that vision. Why should I shoulder the responsibility for someone else’s mistakes? I am happy to take the blame for my choices. If I make a film and people don’t like it, I am happy to stand by it. But I can’t stand by someone else’s failures,” Imran says.

He was last seen in the 2014 film Katti Batti, which turned out to be a disaster. What was he thinking then, we ask, and he says, “It’s not just Katti Batti, there were several such films before it. I was doing them either because I thought it was a smart career move, or because I didn’t want to upset a major producer, or because there was a big pay cheque involved. None of those films had a fantastic a script. Now, I only want to make quality films,” he adds. 

Talking about how his directorial debut came to be, he says, “I was having dinner with Puneet Malhotra when he told me that there was a short film he was developing. He asked if I would be interested in it, and I jumped at the offer. That’s how it all began.”