Imran Khan On Fatherhood & Films

He loves the camera but hates the flashbulbs. Raghuvendra Singh unravels the passionate actor but reluctant star - Imran Khan.

- Raghuvendra Singh

Imran Khan believes there’s a measured difference between the personality he projects on camera and the one he possesses in real life. While the contrast isn’t as dramatic as Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, the old school charm in Imran’s thoughts and disposition sets him apart. He confides that he’s not competing with his contemporaries. And that’s one of the main reasons why he could afford to take a hiatus from the spotlight and recede into the domestic challenges of being a father and husband. He’s just cut from a very different cloth. And he’s totally cool being the odd one out. It’s not like he doesn’t care. It’s just not part of his DNA to panic about stardom and success. Excerpts from a candid chat...

How are your mornings different now that you are a father? 

Generally, I wake up at the same time as Imara between 8 am and 8.30 am. If I’m shooting then I leave the house before she wakes up. On days when I am not shooting, I wake up with Imara, change her diaper and help feed her. Avantika (wife) and I do it together. Imara is a year old. I was ecstatic when she said ‘Papa’ for the first time.

Who’s your inspiration considering you’re such a hands-on father?

I love my family and hold it in high regard. But I've never thought of being a father like my own. My parents were divorced (Nuzhat Khan and Anil Pal) when I was about one-and-a-half-year-old, which Imara is now. My father was not there while I was growing up. I only got to know him much later when I was around seven-eight.

Did you miss not having your father around as a child?