June is Parenting Month, and actor Imran Khan opens up about fatherhood and his relationship with 12-year-old daughter Imara. He also shares how he approached introducing girlfriend, actor Likha Washington (42), to Imara.

Speaking about the importance of honesty in such situations, Imran says, “Lekha and I knew each other before we started dating and so Imara knew her too. It’s just the context of the relationship that changed and I wanted her to know when it happened. It’s part of being transparent. Trying to conceal anything from a child is unhealthy. That’s not how you build a healthy relationship.”

The 43-year-old adds, “Kids do what you do and not what you say. So I want to live my life in a way where I’m setting a healthy example for her. It’s important to speak to kids like they are rational, thinking beings and not treat them as lesser.”

Reflecting on their evolving dynamic, Imran also shares a light-hearted take on how his daughter now sees him. “We’ve reached a phase where I’m uncool in front of her friends; I still shout out ‘I love you’, but I’m not cool enough to hang out with her friends,” he laughs.

The Royals was greenlit for a second season, soon after the first dropped. But now mid-day has learnt that the leading lady, Bhumi Satish Pednekkar has left the show. The Netflix drama, which marked Zeenat Aman’s OTT debut, is expected to take a different turn from where the first season ended.

A source close to the production says, “When you do a romance, it is the story that leads. When the show came out, what resonated [with the audience] was the family — Ishaan [Khatter], Sakshi [Tanwar], Zeenat, and the world of The Royals — which feels different. We left season one at an unresolved romance. There was no decision to carry it forward. There was no fight with Bhumi. The makers are simply letting the story lead forward organically in the second season.”

Pednekkar has moved on from the series and is now prioritising darker, layered material. Sources say the actor is in talks for a courtroom drama backed by the makers of Haq (2025).

“Bhumi is also set to feature opposite Imran Khan in what insiders describe as his long-awaited comeback film for Netflix. The project, currently under wraps, has been in development for some time. She is also expected to begin working on Daldal 2, a project that aligns more closely with the intense space she has increasingly gravitated towards in recent years,” adds the source.

Pednekkar, who faced criticism after the first instalment, admitted in her Sit With Hitlist interview on mid-day that the backlash deeply affected her. “The noise became so loud that I couldn’t hear my own creative voice anymore. When you are told every day that you ‘don’t look like yourself,’ it starts to seep in. I felt numb.”

Sources close to the production maintain that the season two is being designed as a natural continuation of the world established in the first season, even if the central love story no longer remains the priority.

The internet has been abuzz with rumours of a biopic on businessman Ashneer Grover, with actor Imran Khan set to portray him, co-starring Shraddha Kapoor. Actor Aamir Khan was speculated to back the film being directed by Shraddha’s beau, writer Rahul Mody. However, it appears that there’s no truth to the speculation.

We reached out to Imran about the buzz, and he firmly denied his association with the project. “I have not even heard of this project. This is not true,” he tells us, adding, “As a viewer I am not really excited by biopics; they tend to glorify characters while avoiding morally complex shades. Fictional stories allow us to explore more interesting areas.”

Ashneer, 43, co-founder of Indian fintech company BharatPe, rose to fame as an investor on the reality show Shark Tank India. Meanwhile, Imran, 43, is set to make his full-fledged acting comeback with the Netflix original film Adhoore Hum Adhoore Tum after over a decade.

He was Hindi cinema’s quintessential chocolate boy ever since his debut in Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na (2008) — until he disappeared from the screen in 2015. Eleven years on, his resurgence has been organic, driven by fans who kept asking, “Where is Imran Khan?” On the cusp of his full-fledged comeback with Adhoore Hum Adhoore Tum, the actor opens up in a candid chat on The Right Angle with Sonal Kalra.

I am aware of what is out there, but I haven’t been watching a lot of recent films. Frankly, the recent pivot towards massively heightened, violent cinema… it’s a genre I call ‘an angry, hairy man covered in blood’. Basically, every poster shows that man holding an oversized, almost comically large weapon. It disturbs me at some deep level. That’s why I felt I had to make Adhoore Hum Adhoore Tum. It comes as a counter to an entirely under-represented palette of emotions... empathy, gentleness, kindness, dignity. I feel these emotions are missing from our films today.

With Happy Patel Khatarnak Jasoos, actor-director Vir Das has done everything that goes against mainstream Bollywood culture. At a time when Hindi cinema is dominated by heightened spy actioners led by angry alpha men, Das arrives with a spy comedy — one where the protagonist is the punchline.

It’s not just the film’s screenplay that is counter-culture; its making also goes against the grain of the Hindi film industry, Das tells mid-day. Producers have lately raised concerns over soaring entourage costs. So, the rules on the Happy Patel set — no mobile phones, no entourage, and one common hair and make-up crew for all — come as a surprise. For Das, the maths was simple. To finish the film on a tight budget and within a short schedule, he needed to do the opposite of what the industry considers normal.

“It is a tiny film, shot in 31 days. So, it was crucial to do this. We had six action sequences and 14 original pieces of music. We also had cameos from Aamir [Khan] and Imran [Khan]. We had to keep our costs down,” Das explains, adding that he is thrilled to have set a new culture on a movie set. “The no-cell phone policy benefited us. We sped up shooting by one and a half times.”

Vir Das believes the expert crew helped complete the film in 31 days. Colourist Sidharth Meer also worked on ‘Homebound’ (2025). Costume designer Parakriti Rajpurohit designed outfits for ‘Sacred Games’ (2018,19). Parth Pandya has previously composed music for ‘Jigra’ (2024). Himman Dhamija, of ‘Mangal Pandey: The Rising’ (2005) fame, served as the DoP on ‘Happy Patel’.

Actor Imran Khan is all set to make his comeback in films this year after a 10-year break, with Adhoore Hum Adhoore Tum, co-starring Bhumi Satish Pednekkar and Gurfateh Pirzada. As he returns to the spotlight, the actor makes it clear that this phase of his career will look very different from the past. 

Preparing for his comeback, he says, does not involve a battalion of PR professionals and managers. “I have had PR managers, whose pay percentage depended on keeping me steadily employed. Because of that, they may push me to do things I don’t want to do,” he says, adding, “It takes hours every day sitting with the PR team, planning strategies. I’d rather work at my own pace. Now the public is also aware of it, and looks at everything with speculation about whether it is a PR stunt.”

Speaking about his comeback, Imran shares, “The film is a character story approached from where I’m in my life. I’m a divorced man in my 40s and a parent. A story with such shades is what makes it interesting to me.”

The actor also recently found himself at the centre of a controversy after he said that director Vishal Bhardwaj cast him in the 2013 film Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola for dishonest reasons. Ask him about it, and he says, “I won’t say something that I don’t stand by. To let the fear of backlash restrict you from speaking your truth or anything of interest is no good.

Imran Khan is all set to make a comeback in films after 10 years, and later this month, he will also mark the 15th anniversary of his Deepika Padukone co-starrer Break Ke Baad (2010). The timing feels perfect, the actor says, because he is reuniting with the same director, Danish Aslam, for his comeback film.

The 42-year-old explains, “The movie is pretty much like what the team of Break Ke Baad would be doing 15 years later in life. So, I feel it’s a natural progression. Danish and I now have a collective life experience; he’s been married, and I’ve gone through a divorce. It’s just the film we should make 15 years later.”

Reflecting on the making of the film, Imran adds, “This is very much a personal project that came from the creative urge to tell a story and work with dear friends. The shoot is complete, and it’s now in post-production. We are looking at a digital release once the streaming platform finalizes the date.”

On how actor Bhumi Satish Pednekkar joined the project, he says, “It was a co-creative decision. We all agreed on her and what she would bring to the film. She brought a great vibe to the set, and the same is true for (actor) Gurfateh Pirzada. In fact, this is the happiest set I’ve ever been on.”

Imran also shares how he had initially rejected Break Ke Baad, but a chance meeting at a party changed everything. He recalls, “I was shooting for I Hate Luv Storys in 2010 when Danish came in to narrate Break Ke Baad. He hates narrations, and I don’t do well listening to them, so I said ‘no thanks’ and left. Later, I met him at a party, and we hit it off. Halfway through our conversation, I realized he was the same guy whose script I had turned down. That’s when he sent me a draft to read, and it clicked with me. We were shooting the film a couple of months later.”

Bhumi Pednekar, known for her strong and unconventional roles, has rarely ventured into traditional romance on screen. Speaking about her selective approachto the genre, she says, “I will only be a part of the genre when the story has more to say than just boy-meets-girl and they fall in love. Having said that, it’s a very beautiful emotion. I am not trying to undermine that. I just think love is one of the greatest things that can happen to any individual. But it is also complicated and complex. So, I like being a part of stories that show multiple shades.”

Ask Bhumi whether she calls love ‘complicated and complex’ based on her personal experiences, and she says, “I think everybody goes through complex love situations. It is not just about what I have gone through, but what I have heard from my friends, people within my family and my parents. I think growing up, you completely dehumanize your parents, but as you grow up, you realize how sensitive and complex their relationship was and how they made it work. At times, couples don’t make it work. Today, there is such pressure about relationships not working out. But at times it can also be celebrated because maybe that is the best thing that happened for individuals that were in it.”

Talking about the actor whom she would want to romance on the big screen, she says, “Shah Rukh Khan. He is indeed the King of Romance.”

Reportedly, Bhumi will be seen with Imran Khan in the latter’s comeback film, which is apparently a quirky romantic drama.

Without revealing anything, she says, “I think a romcom is a perfect comeback genre for Imran, because when he was actively working, he was known for that genre. I had a crush on him. For me, Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na was a transformational film,” says Bhumi, who was recently seen opposite Ishaan Khatter in the web show The Royals.

There has been a lot of buzz around actor Imran Khan’s comeback in recent times. Things seem to be finally progressing in the right direction for the 42-year-old, who has not acted in any project since Katti Batti (2015).

A source close to the film, which will stream on Netflix, tells us that the shoot is going to begin in April: “The OTT platform wants to make the first announcement. Bhumi Pednekar has been finalized as the female lead opposite Imran. The pre-production work is on in full swing, and the cameras will roll in a month.”

We had reported in September 2024 that the film’s script has been written by Danish Aslam, while it will be produced by him, Imran and another mutual friend. Danish had also helmed Imaran’s 2010 film, Break Ke Baad. “They took the project to an OTT platform, who, based on the pitch level, gave it a thumbs up since there was no full screenplay. No agreement has been signed yet, that’s only done when the screenplay is approved,” another source had told us then. Everything fell into place and the concerned parties have signed on the dotted line now.

Mumbai’s iconic Bandra Fort holds many special memories for Imran Khan, who filmed several scenes of his debut film Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na (2008) at the location. The actor took a stroll down memory lane as he joined us for an exclusive shoot at the famous landmark, which was revamped and reopened. Walking along the fort area, with its garden that now has exotic trees, an amphitheatre area and more, the Bandra boy couldn’t help getting nostalgic and recalling memories associated with place.

Imran recalled, “My memories go way back before Jaane Tu. When I was 15-16, I used to hang around here with my friends, and at that time this area was desolate. There was just a juice centre here where we would have sandwiches and vada pav, but there were barely any crowds. There would be some questionable folks hiding in the bushes, and we were told not to visit this area. So, there was a sense of adventure each time we came here. When Abbas (Tyrewala) wanted to shoot the film here, it hit home for a lot of us, as even Genelia (Deshmukh) is a Bandra girl. It was our backyard, which is why it felt so organic for our characters to hang around here.”

Imran also recalled that the Bandra Fort was converted into a mela for a song sequence in Milan Luthria’s Once Upon A Time In Mumbai Dobaara.

Speaking about how he has seen the area he has lived in all his life change, the actor says, “It’s a double-edged sword. On the one hand, the place is cleaned up, and there are promenades and street lighting, which make it look great. Now it looks like a park-complex, however, that feeling of mystery and romance doesn’t exist. There was a charm to the old relic. But during my teenage years, Carter Road was a backroad that no one used. You could sit there any time of the day as it was always deserted. I miss that feeling of quiet, today Bandra is the central hub of the city.”

Imran says his one regret is that he can’t take his daughter Imara to the places he enjoyed as a child. He says at one point he had to have a talk with Imara and explain the situation to her. “She would wonder why people are following our car, so I gradually explained to her that I acted in some movies, so people recognize me. When you have these conversations with a child, you realize how bizarre the situation is. Once you become an actor, part of the contract is that you can no longer wander into public spaces like anyone else. That is an experience I regret not being able to give to my child. If she wants to go to a public park, we have to plan it in a certain way because sometimes people don’t have a sense of consideration around a little child, their excitement of seeing a famous person overrides everything.”

Fame, family, fortune — actor Imran Khan had everything going for him until one day, when he started experiencing anxiety. It began with things like waking up in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. “I didn’t consider seeking help then,” he confesses. But around 2016, it developed into a pattern, and he decided to seek professional advice.

“It’s been eight years since I started going for analysis sessions,” says the 41-year-old, as we speak on World Mental Health Day today.

The actor, who was last seen in Katti Batti (2015) before he took a sabbatical and battled depression, recalls that conversations about mental health were a taboo a decade ago.

“People, in general, didn’t have an attitude of acceptance. Today’s generation has embraced the idea of mental health care. Their sympathy is mind-blowing. If someone says, ‘I was not feeling great, I went through analysis’, others will encourage them to talk more about it, rather than being judgemental,” he says.

Khan, however, considers himself lucky that the people around him never attached any stigma to the issue. “My mother is a practising psychoanalyst, so I had a very clear perspective about mental health. More than being diagnosed with depression, I voluntarily sought analysis,” he shares.

So, does he feel happier now? “Happiness is a strange word, because you cannot always be happy. Rather, the question is. Do you feel like getting out of the bed in the morning and doing stuff? If not, you are in a state of actual collapse. In that way, I am in a place that is healthier. Since my early 20s, I had not been in a healthy space, emotionally or psychologically,” the actor ends.

Sixteen years ago, Imran Khan shot his debut film Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na, at St Xavier’s College. And last week, during their college festival, when the actor walked down the same corridors and campus, it was pure nostalgia for him. Imran said, “To have all of those collective memories is very emotional for me. Thank you for having me back.”

During a session, he spoke about his movie choices at the beginning of his career, his surprising return to the spotlight and also shared some life lessons with the students.

Imran, who was last seen in Katti Batti (2015), made a conscious decision to stay away from the limelight for almost a decade. Around the end of 2023 as he began posting on social media, he was cheered by his fans, who since then have been waiting for his comeback.

Imran shares, “It did take me by surprise because I have spent so many years consciously trying to be invisible by not posting on social media, not showing up at events, parties or getting spotted by paparazzi. I spent so many years removing myself from that space. Also, what we are told is that if you are out of sight, you are out of mind. So, to see people take so much interest in me, though I have been doing nothing noteworthy for many years, felt tremendously humbling.”

Sharing a few life lessons with the college students, he said, “In your 20s, the phase most of you guys are entering right now, what we tend to do is we follow the rule book prescribed to us by our parents, leaders, educators or by anyone around us in society. They are generally giving you a manual for life. In your 20s, you tend to follow that manual very closely. As you enter your 30s, you will start to discover that there is a lot of stuff that happens in life that is not covered in the handbook. So, you suspect that the handbook or the instruction manual is written by someone who didn’t fully know what they were talking about. And then, when things don’t work, you start feeling frustrated about life. So, write your own rules and create your own path.”

Imran explains, “In your 40s, like in the phase I am now, you kind of toss the rule book away, and you say I don’t want to follow it. You say that you are an adult, so forget the rule book and the manual and do whatever way you want to and however you want to. You don’t have to follow any pattern. I am currently in a place of utter fearlessness in life. I believe I am me, and I will deal with it. So don’t be bound by it, only follow traffic rules, the other rules are flexible (laughs).”

“We looked at Jaane Tu… as a small-budget film. We didn’t have any big stars in it, and we thought it would find only a small audience. However, for it to be a commercially successful film within the mainstream was very surprising. When it released and started doing numbers, it took us time to wrap our head around it.”

After a successful debut with Jaane Tu…, Imran was seen in a string of romantic films like Break Ke Baad, Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu, and Gori Tere Pyar Mein. “I felt through my 20s I was relating more to relationship stories which were romantic. They were about a young person finding their way in life. Also, I was consciously trying to work with first-time filmmakers because our vibe matched, we spoke a similar language... Back then, I didn’t entirely feel I could relate to the action-drama cinema,” he said.

His apartment is almost empty. We spot a leather chair that needs repairing. There are his daughter, Imara’s toys at one corner. He pulls out two floor cushions, and we start off. Imran Khan has just returned from South Mumbai from his “analysis”, he says.

We curiously ask what’s that, and he simplifies it: therapy. “I have four sessions a week,” he says. How does one go from being the chocolate boy in films such as Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na (2008), Mere Brother Ki Dulhan (2011)... to seeking therapy? We get chatting over coffee:

Truth be told, it is a little surprising. When I was actively working, I had PRs, managers, and then in addition to that, you also had to come on social media. When I sought to get away from all that, I dropped all. My intention was to not be present in the public domain. After spending 10 years trying to be invisible, for people to have that curiosity is somewhat counter intuitive. Almost all brands have approached me in the last year for endorsements. I turned down everyone. I don’t want people to say ‘he’s back for the money’.

It was kind of a growing realization that the more of what I was engaging in... all of the things which one is told that if you do, you will have a successful career, your value will grow, you will be happy. I realized that actually they were not tied in for me.

It’s quite the opposite. I’ve never had any interest or value for it. It is such a ridiculous ephemeral thing. I’ll tell you the first taste of fame that I got. I shot for my first film without it releasing. Then I shot for my second film Kidnap also without it having a release. Then I started shooting Luck. So by the time Jaane Tu.. released, I was halfway into the filming of Luck. So at that point, I was dubbing for Kidnap. The studio was pure vegetarian. At some point I had ordered non vegetarian food and they would not let me eat inside the studio. They gave me a plastic chair, put it outside where the cars are parked and I ate there. I had got accustomed to it. I spent a couple of weeks doing that, until the trailer of Jaane Tu... released and suddenly it was on television. I walk in and everyone in the studio is saying ‘Sir that’s you’ I’m like it’s the same guy who’s been coming here for three weeks. I go in, I do my dub, and then, lunch break. I step out and there is a row of these guys standing there with a tray of mutton biryani, plates, spoons, forks. They say ‘sir, why don’t you sit in the air conditioned lounge’. Sir? Now when these guys have spent three weeks making you sit on a plastic chair outside and then the next day they say sir, sir, sir, how much value do you give to this sudden outpouring of love and affection where they are falling over themselves? Do I take it seriously?

It is surprising. When I was working actively, I had PRs, managers and in addition to that, you also had to be active on social media. When I sought to get away from all that, I dropped it all (marketing machinery). I didn’t want to be present in the public domain. After spending 10 years trying to be invisible, for people to have that curiosity is counter intuitive. Many brands have approached me in the last one year for endorsements, but I turned them down. I don’t want people to say, ‘He’s back for the money’.

I have consciously tried to shield this part because of the complications of me divorcing (former wife Avantika Malik) and ending my marriage... Lekha has been a really positive and healthy influence in my life. She is caring and loving. Having grappled with depression, I don’t know if I would have been able to make it without her.

The thing about depression and anxiety is that there are shades that exist, yet you don’t recognize them. It’s only as you start to become a little conscious, you can’t sleep at night and you wake up at 4.30 am thinking, ‘Oh, is that anxiety?’ I didn’t really consider that what I was going through could be depression. It didn’t strike me in a way that it was significant enough for me to pay attention. I guess around late 2016, I started to really get it. I still go for therapy four times a week.

Recent reports doing the rounds suggested that Imran Khan is all set to make his comeback with the comedy Happy Patel, which is being produced by his mamu Aamir Khan and directed by Vir Das. Incidentally, Aamir had backed Imran’s debut film Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na in 2008.

However, when we reached out to Imran, he denied the news of his comeback film. He told us, “It’s not true. Vir Das is directing and starring in Happy Patel. I’m not in the film. They have just used a photograph of me as part of an in-film joke.”

The Delhi Belly actor is surprised with the constant speculations around his comeback. “I have never stopped being amazed at how these stories get blown out of context,” he said.

Khan hinted at making a comeback to films through his social media posts last year. In 2023, while talking about it at an event in Mumbai, he said, "I don't have a clear answer, but I am reading scripts and having creative conversations with filmmakers. So, hopefully, next year I will be doing a film."

At the event, the Jaane Tu Ya... Jaane Naa actor, also spoke about how he developed a fondness for movies. He said, "My appreciation for cinema came as an audience member. I loved watching films and being inspired by heroes. I enjoyed that feeling of watching a movie and losing myself in that world, and going on a roller-coaster of emotions. It swept me away. As a child, I enjoyed watching spectacle films. I remember watching Indiana Jones when I was eight and it blew my mind. I bought a brown leather jacket just like Indiana Jones. These are my earliest memories of trying to emulate a hero."

Putting an end to rumours, actor Imran Khan confirmed that he is divorced from mixologist Avantika Malik. Also opening up about his relationship with actor-artist Lekha Washington, he admitted that they grew closer during the pandemic.

“I’m divorced and have been separated since February 2019. Lekha and I grew close a year-and-a-half after I had been separated from Avantika and almost a year after she had separated from her partner, not husband, as it has been widely reported,” he clarified.

Reacting to the scrutiny Washington faced after Khan’s first marriage ended, the Delhi Belly (2011) actor said that such narratives are stemmed in misogyny. “There’s this narrative of Lekha being a homewrecker. [It] infuriates me because not only is it misogynistic but it also takes away my agency as an individual,” he said.

Khan and Malik tied the knot in 2011 and became parents to their daughter, Imara, in 2014. While rumours of their separation began in 2019, it was only reported last year that the couple had decided to part ways.

Actor Imran Khan shared he took a break from acting around 2016 because of his daughter Imara, who became his priority back then.

“I had recently become a father and thought, ‘This is valuable. This is something I take seriously.’ I wanted to be the best version of myself for Imara. I decided it was no longer my job to be an actor. Now, I had to fix myself; be at my healthiest and strongest for my daughter,” said The Delhi Belly (2011) actor in a recent interview with Vogue.

Khan elaborated that when his last film, Katti Batti (2015), flopped, he started reviewing what worked at the box office in the last two-three years. “Would I have said yes had they (hit movies) been offered to me? The answer was always no. That clarified something for me,” he said.

Khan and his ex-wife, mixologist Avantika Malik got married in 2011 and welcomed their daughter in 2014. They got divorced in 2019.

Ever since Imran Khan has become active on social media, his fans are going crazy hoping that he makes a comeback as an actor. Something similar was witnessed as Imran graced IFP Festival Season 13 in Mumbai. The audience kept cheering for him and asked the Delhi Belly actor about his plans to returning to acting. 

Addressing the fan frenzy, Imran said, "I don't have a clear answer, but I am reading scripts and having creative conversation with filmmakers. So, hopefully next year."

At the event, Imran also spoke about how he developed fondness for movies. He said, "My appreciation for cinema came as an audience. I loved watching films and being inspired by heroes. I enjoyed that feeling of watching a movie and losing yourself in that world and going on a roller coaster of emotions. It swept me away as a child. As a kid, I enjoyed watching spectacle films. I remember watching Indiana Jones when I was 8 and it blew my mind. I bought myself a brown leather jacket just like Indiana Jones. These are my earliest memories of trying to emulate a hero."

He continued, "For me defining film experience was Lock Stock and Two Smocking Barrels. As I was watching it... I didn't know you could do something like this. It was not classical cinema. The editing... the music was edgy. For a 15-year-old watching this was quite interesting. This switched my head and I was like this is what I want to do. Lo and behold, 10 years go by and I read the script of Delhi Belly."

The actor who's known to play characters having soft boy esthetic traits says that he could connect with those kind of roles better. He shared, "Jaane Tu Ya Janae Na was true to what I am. In the 80s there (was a wave of) action films like Arnold Schwarzenegger movies but I never saw myself in those parts. I saw myself in Back To The Future kind of films. I felt these characters were under-represented in Indian cinema."