Actor Imran Khan, recently made a cameo appearance in the film Happy Patel co-directed by Vir Das and backed by his uncle Aamir Khan. He made a big screen appearance after a decade. Recently, talking to PTI, the actor spoke about his missed opportunities in the film industry. He revealed that before his debut Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na, he had auditioned for Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra`s Delhi 6. However, he was rejected as he was a newcomer.
Imran Khan on getting rejected for Delhi 6
The actor shared that back in 2006-2007, he had auditioned for Delhi 6, before his debut in Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Naa. “At various points, there have been various films that have just not come together. With Mehra, it was Delhi 6. At that point, I had not made any films, I tested for the (lead role) film. But at the time, they didn`t want to put the money on a new person, on an untested, unproven person,” Imran recalled.
Delhi 6, which featured Abhishek Bachchan in the lead, revolved around an American boy of Indian origin, who comes to India for his maiden visit to escort his ailing grandmother but gets embroiled in communal tensions. The 2009 film received mixed reviews from critics and was a box office failure.
Imran recalled that when he first heard the story of Delhi 6, he was quite excited and resonated with certain aspects of the lead character.
“I was born in the States, and I grew up kind of a child of two worlds. So, I related to those things. So, my instinct beforehand, and even after was, `That would have been a cool film to have been a part of`, I would like to have been in that film,” he said.
“The film has aged quite well. Even back then, I was very excited to have been a part of it; I did want the part very much. I was quite devastated that I did not get the part. But I guess looking at the scale of the film and the budget, they wanted a known person,” he added.
Imran was dropped from Bhavesh Joshi
After making debut in the industry, Vikramaditya Motwane had approached him with the superhero film Bhavesh Joshi. He said that he was on board for the film for a year but was replaced after his 2013 film Gori Tere Pyaar Mein flopped in the theatres. “In the aftermath of Gori Tere Pyaar Mein, I got dropped from the film. So, that was also out of my hands, out of my control. The film turned out well. It`s one of those films that is unique and original, somebody has tried to push the boundaries of what we normally get to do and I appreciate that,” he said.
Imran recalled that Shetty had approached him for his 2013 movie, Chennai Express, shortly after the release of “Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na”, but after the initial narration, the director felt he wasn`t the right fit for the role. The movie starred Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone.
“I don`t think I was right for it, which is the conversation that we had, and I said, `Listen, I don`t see us syncing`. Shah Rukh Khan was a better choice, I don`t think I could top Shah Rukh,” Imran said.
