'I found my debut film myself'

He's cool…literally. Unlike politically correct Bollywood stars, he speaks his mind. After his debut in Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na, Imran Khan has become the new icon of Gen Y. The 24-year-old plays the 'bad man' in his second film Kidnap. Sreya Basu catches up with the new Khan on the block during his breezy visit to Kolkata

So, you are all set to be seen as 'the angry bad young man' in Kidnap?

Yeah…see, I am not going to say the 'I am so lucky to have such diverse roles' sort of thing. Bollywood is maturing…now we have refreshing storylines as well as experiment-loving producers who are ready to risk new subjects with newcomers.

But can you deny that being Aamir Khan's nephew has made things easier for you?

Let me make a confession. I found my debut project myself. Abbas Tyrewala, the director of Jaane Tu… saw me in a party and we gelled well. He narrated me the script of his new film that Jhamu Sughand was supposed to produce. I said I am interested in doing the film and was selected at the screen test. But for some reason, Sughand declined to produce the film. Aamir Khan was looking for a good film to invest his money. He liked the script and produced the film. But of course, I will always remain grateful to him for my break.

It's Drona Vs Kidnap this week!

Did you always want to be a part of Bollywood?

Yes, I wanted to make my career in Bollywood, but not as an actor. I wanted to be a filmmaker. I am trained in scriptwriting and film direction from the New York Film Academy. Actually, when I came back to Mumbai, I was meeting people who would be interested to give me a scope to work here. In fact, my family even said Aamir is wasting his money in the film because Imran can't act.

Tell us something about your character in your second film Kidnap.

You said that yourself in the beginning of the interview…that I play the 'angry bad young man' with an edgy look. Actually, my character in the film is not as grey as it looks…after all I am the hero, yaar! But on the contrary, I had to stretch myself a lot to get into this character unlike Jaane Tu… that was a comfort zone.