I am 25. A lot of people my age would agree that what Shah Rukh Khan was to the romcoms in the 90s, Imran Khan is to cheesy romcoms now. All of the characters in his romcoms were cute, chivalrous, and just cut from a different cloth that we weren’t used to seeing on-screen. The way he portrayed his characters sensitively was quite different from the man-children of Bollywood movies and that’s what made him stand out.
When we saw Imran Khan in his debut film – Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na – he stole our hearts. To date, no other debut actor has had this huge an impact on the youth with their film. His last film, Katti Batti, was released in 2015 where he starred in a rom-com opposite Kangana Ranaut and that was the last Bollywood saw of him. When he was working in the industry, his performance wasn’t well received by the critics. As time passed, people started appreciating his craft and wished for him to make a comeback once again and revive his genre of romcoms.
It might be a coincidence but my filmy heart refuses to believe that. Instead it thinks that maybe, just maybe, Imran Khan listened to our wishes. It all started when a fan commented on Zeenat Aman’s CRED ad and said “Zeenat ji ne bhi comeback karlia, patani mera @imrankhan kab karega.” Imran Khan replied to that comment.
This was just the start. On one occasion, he also uploaded this story.
Things turned when Imran Khan posted on his Instagram after a hiatus of five years. The actor posted a cryptic post.
Since then, the actor posted a lot of throwback stories of BTS pictures and facts of his movies.
There’s this post about his experience while he was working on Luck (2009).
Another one is about Break Ke Baad (2010).
And the most latest post on Delhi Belly (2011).
A few days back, the actor had also posted about how he was focused on the voices of the critics. In a series of five stories, he said, “If you’re wondering why I’m looking at the past so much… it’s because I’m reshaping my relationship with my films. Unfortunately, at the time, I was only able to look at things from a negative mindset.”
Imran Khan added, “I paid so much heed to the voices that hurt… and I never valued the voices that loved. What a fool. I won’t make that mistake again. Thank you all for helping me change my perspective.”
These posts where he is simply reflecting on his career, his choices, and how they shaped him is what makes Imran Khan the way he is. All of his throwback posts and stories are making us think that maybe, just maybe, Imran Khan is planning on making a comeback to films soon. They are giving his fans (including me) a glimmer of hope.
Whether Imran Khan took a sabbatical or actually left the industry, the answer to this question lies with him only. But these posts have ignited a buzz about his comeback. Now whether the actor chooses a romcom role or something completely different, we don’t know. What we miss is his effervescent charm on screen.
Imran Khan has shaped how I see romcoms and dear God, please bring him back on screen.