Rinky Kumar (DNA; September 17, 2018)

Imran Khan, who was last seen on the big screen in Katti Batti (2015), has now turned director. The suave actor has written and helmed Mission Mars: Keep Walking India, which is launched by Johnnie Walker — The Journey and produced by Dharma 2.0.

The short film, which releases digitally on September 20, revolves around The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), (also known as Mangalyaan), which was launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation. Since September 24, 2014, India’s rover successfully began orbiting Mars, marking the country’s first venture into interplanetary space. Imran, who is ‘a self-confessed space geek’, talks about his transition from an actor to a director, being influenced by Steven Spielberg, and his future plans. Excerpts...

What prompted you to become a director?
Everyone had been asking me for the past 10 years when would I direct a film, so I thought it was finally time (laughs).

What attracted you towards this unconventional subject?
I’ve always been fascinated by space exploration. Ever since I was a kid, it has fired my imagination. In 2013, I was following the Mangalyaan mission closely. Late last year, filmmaker Punit Malhotra asked me if I would be interested in making a short about it. I jumped at the idea. My friend Abhishek Saha and I co-wrote the screenplay over a span of four-and-a-half months. This was followed by two months of pre-production. It has been exciting because I’m telling the story of something that I find inspirational. This is a huge achievement by Indian scientists which needs to be celebrated.

What kind of research went into it?
Unfortunately, we didn’t get direct access to the agencies involved. So, I watched interviews, documentaries and scanned articles. I also read Reaching For The Stars: India’s Journey To The Mars by Pallava Bagla from where I got a lot of structure for the film.

How challenging was it to capture everything within a short film?
That was the tricky aspect, which took us time to crack. Thankfully, there was a cinematic structure in the actual event. It took 300 days for the spacecraft to travel to Mars. In the mission’s final leg, it had to slow down and enter the orbit around the red planet. That manoeuver had to happen when the craft was behind Mars, so there was a 25-minute period where the scientists could neither see nor communicate with it. We’ve set the film in the control room during those 25 minutes when we can show viewers flashbacks.

Do you plan to return to acting or you want to continue with direction?
I’m not particularly excited by acting. I’m more thrilled to be in the driver’s seat where I can decide what is happening on set.

Are you looking at the big screen or digital platform?
I’ve not considered anything yet. But I do realise that the classic theatrical business of people buying tickets and going to the cinema halls to watch a film is on its last leg. The way ahead is video-on-demand where viewers can decide what they want to watch, and how and where they want to do it. You are not bound by the constraints of censorship, or advertisements. You put the control of the viewing experience entirely in the hands of viewers.

Which filmmakers do you admire?
While growing up, I found the works of Steven Spielberg, Michael Mann and Robert Zemeckis extremely influential. Films like Raiders Of The Lost Ark and Back To The Future blew my mind. Today, Christopher Nolan is one such director whose movies are mainstream where the craft is evident. We, on the other hand, make a lot of popular movies, but the craft is missing.

What have you been busy with in the last three years when you stayed away from the arclights?
I’ve been writing and enjoying being a father to my daughter. I have been living my life. It’s been delightful (smiles).

How do you look back at your transition from an actor to a director?
It’s been tremendous. I started my career over 10 years ago. But at that point, we were still shooting a movie on celluloid. The notion of digital content was still a distant dream. Now, we have moved from a classic old-school analogue to international content. We are reaching out to viewers across the globe and the kind of stories we are telling are so different. In 2006, when we started developing Delhi Belly, it was so far out there, beyond anything anyone could have dreamt of in India. That kind of content is in demand today.

What were the new things that you discovered about yourself as a writer and a director while working on this project?
I discovered that I’ve a great desire to be in the movie business. As an actor, you tend to think from a narrow perspective. You have your head in a fish pool and your choices and decisions are on the basis of what your PR agency or a few gossip magazines tell you. The moment I stopped paying attention to it, I enjoyed this massive amount of freedom where I could do what I wanted to. I don’t have to worry about anyone inquiring where my career is going. It’s going wherever I damn well choose.

What are your future plans? 
I want to direct more but what will be the next thing is something that I don’t know myself. We get caught in this loop, I want to do it when things are ready. This is how we work in my family. My uncle, filmmaker Mansoor Khan, took four years to make each of his films. Today, filmmakers tend to chase a release date. They look at which hero’s movie opened big last week, cast him, zero in on a release date and figure out the script on the way. That’s not the way to work. 

Imran Khan dishes about love and life
Upala KBR (DNA; August 2, 2016)


Beyonce or Rihanna?
Equally uninterested in both.

Flirty or intense romance?
After 14 years of being with this one woman (his wife Avantika), how can you ask me this question? Intense, of course. I started dating her when I was a teenager, since I was 19 and when we didn’t have cell phones. I don’t even know about any other woman.

What’s your pet peeve?
I get irritated with people who are on the phone all the time — you can hear the tick-tick or tapping of the keys when they are chatting or eating with you.

A quality that draws you to a woman?
If she can make me laugh. By that, I don’t mean sense of humour. Women are not encouraged to be funny. With men, it’s a big thing and to be humourous is thought of as a desirable thing. So women often won’t crack jokes. I find that to be rare and it requires a degree of wit, awareness and intelligence to be witty. I find humour in a woman very attractive.

A quality in a woman that puts you off?
Wilful ignorance. We are at a place right now. It’s weird when you tell people something, they will say ‘Don’t pakao, I don’t need to know the reason,’ as everything for them is on a superficial level. But I am like, why not? Particularly, if it pertains to you or your life. So when someone tells me, ‘Why do you worry about these things, Imran? How does it matter?” I am like — don’t use it then!

Live-in relationships are…
I think it’s a very valuable way of getting to know someone. Avantika and I lived together in the USA since we were 21. We moved back to India at 22 and continued to live together here, so we spent many years together before getting married.

One mantra you live by…
People worry and stress about things they can’t control, I can’t. As much as you worry, you can’t impact or affect anything.

One professional mistake that you will never make…
I am guilty of making this mistake in the past, which is that you do a film for a dishonest reason. It can be anything — emotions, money or the greed for stardom. Your reasons are not honest for that film and that’s wrong. You should do it for the reason that excites you, but I have chosen to do films for these reasons and invariably it has come back to bite me in the ass.

A quality you wish you had...
I wish I was more outgoing. I’m not good with small talk. I can’t do it. I suspect that a lot of people who meet me for the first time think of me as rude or standoffish. I wish I had this ability to relate and connect to people. Some people are so warm, but I can open up only after meeting someone many times. People’s ability to effortlessly charm and make friends with others is something that I am envious about.

Three things you wish you had…
I have got more from life than I could ever wish for. I’m extremely aware of how fortunate I am because of the blessed life I have, so then to say, ‘Kaash ye hota...’ is being ungrateful.

Three people you rely on/trust completely and why…
Avantika is No 1 in that list, my mother Nuzhat and the third person is open, depending on the scenario like a friend. My mom and wife are there first.

A moment you want to relive...
I would much like to relive the first day that Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na released. It was a 10 am show at Cinemax (now PVR) and we had gone there to check out the audience’s reaction. I snuck in and was standing at the staircase where I could hear the film, but not see it. Towards the end of the movie, when Sushant’s character starts hitting me and I fall down, the audience oohed and aahed as if they were part of it. When I hit him and he fell, they collectively gasped. It was the first great experience I had of an audience reacting to my work. It was unbiased and neutral as they had bought their tickets and was liking my work.

That feeling is absolutely undescribable — I felt like I had floated up above the ground. I felt like a drug was injected directly into my heart and some magic potion was running into my bloodstreams. It’s the greatest drug ever — the drug of the audience loving your work is unparalled. Koi daru ya cocaine — none of that can ever compare to this feeling! Of an audience honestly reacting to your work and cheering you. It’s a high that every actor chases.

A day in your life…
Wake up with my baby, play with her for a couple of hours, from 11 am to lunchtime meeting, script sessions and work appointments, I go and pick up my daughter from school, 4 pm onwards is work again. I have slots in the day when things happen. I go to gym in the evening, after that ideally I like to be free as I like to spend time with Imara for the last couple of hours before she goes to sleep but some people are late hosts so they expect you to meet them later. I am early-to-bed early and early-to-rise person so as far as possible, I try to get my meetings done earlier in the day.

Imran Khan on why he has no intention of acting in a biopic or following trends
Upala KBR (DNA; July 18, 2016)


And here’s why. He says, “Every four months there’s a trend — it’s a sports film, a biopic, an issue-based drama, a realistic film. I have never thought about doing a film because it’s about something — I read a script that is offered to me and if it’s interesting, I do it. When biopics do well, many rush to do it as it seems like a sure shot winner. What the f**k? If you like the script, you do it. How does it matter what genre it is? ‘Ab mujhe biopic hi karna hai, kyun ki yeh hit hai?’ Nothing of the sort for me.”

Not inspired enough by anyone, whose life he’d like to bring alive on screen? Says the actor, “Not really. It never occurred to me. I tend to read more fiction as I find that interesting, but I have never actively thought I would like to play some person. It seems like a waste of time – you sit and think of a sportsperson, king or inventor and say I want to play that. What’s going to happen?

What would be a dream role be for him, then? “I like human drama. That’s what is exciting to me. Relationships between people, their interpersonal issues and struggles, but you can make that in any genre - be it action, romance or a historical or a present-day film. The defining points of a film are whether they are humorous, serious, thrilling,” he adds.

So what’s his beef with biopics, then? “Biopics sound good on paper because people get excited about it being a true-life story.”

Imran Khan, who turned 33 on January 13, talks about his last release, a vacation in Goa and a talk in Harvard
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 15, 2016)

For Imran Khan, who turned 33 on January 13, it was a quiet birthday with wife Avantika and daughter Imara at their Bandra residence. "I dropped my daughter off to school and picked her up, followed by regular ghar ka khana. A few friends came by in the evening," says the actor, adding that celebrations will kick off in Goa this weekend with family and friends. "It's one of Imara's favourite destinations. I remember how much she loved it when I took her to the beach once."

The actor will leave for the US after returning from Goa to be part of a panel discussion on the LGBT community at the Harvard University. He will leave 10 days early so he can spend time with his dad and friends. Meanwhile, Imran is reading scripts. "I have shared ideas on them with the directors and we'll go ahead if something clicks. The story has to be interesting," he points out.

Imran is quick to add that he'd never agreed to be a part of Aanand L Rai's Hindi remake of RS Prasanna's Tamil hit, Kalyana Samayal Saadham, which now features Kartik Aaryan and Shruti Haasan. "I was offered the part in early 2014. I had seen the original and liked it but since it was being made in Hindi, the setting had to be changed. I asked them to come back with a Hindi script. That never happened. They simply announced that I was doing the film with Shruti (Haasan). I opted out of it in mid-2015," he explains.

Ask him about his last screen outing, Katti Batti, which didn't do too well and Imran says that it got him more respect and credibility as an actor than any other film he's done. "People went to watch it thinking it was a Kangana Ranaut film, but came out praising my performance. For me, it was a win-win situation. I have no control over the box office, I really liked the film," he says.

Hits and flops are a part of any actor’s career but Imran Khan feels people have been too harsh on him for his failed outings while overlooking his successes. The 32-year-old actor made a successful Bollywood entry with 2007 film “Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na” but after that it has been a mixed run for him at the box-office. While “I Hate Luv Storys”, “Delhi Belly” and “Mere Brother Ki Dulhan” did well, films like “Luck”, “Kidnap”, “Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu”, “Break Ke Baad” and “Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola”. Before Imran took a two-year sabbatical to take care of his pregnant wife, his two ventures “Gori Tere Pyar Mein” and “Once Upon Ay Time In Mumbai Dobaara!” tanked.

The actor said he finds it weird that the hits he has delivered with first time directors are conveniently forgotten but the blame of the flops comes to him. “I have never felt I quite got my due. I have often felt that in my career I have done good films, hit movies but the credit somehow goes to the director and people say ‘he made him act’ or to the promotions. But when a film flops the responsibility is mine and somehow all the flops that I had, have been with big directors so I feel ‘You are such established directors and all the blame is on me!' When I have given hits with first time directors then the credit goes to the producers. This has been a trend throughout my career. There is a strange perception about me,” Imran told PTI.

THE INDIAN EXPRESS

Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; September 11, 2015)


Have you opted out of Tigmanshu’s film?
I have no idea what’s happening. I have not been involved in that for the past three months. We don’t have a schedule. We’ve met, we shook hands and agreed on doing the film. He is developing it. We don’t have a contract in place, money hasn’t changed hands.

Have you spoken to Tigmanshu or Ekta about it?
People have been asking me if I’ve left the film. I told them that I haven’t left the film.

Apparently, you wanted Priyanka Chopra in the film, but Tigmanshu was rooting for Bhumi…
(Makes a face) That hasn’t happened. I haven’t interfered in the film’s casting. I don’t know who’s been saying all this.

So what’s the status presently?
Tigmanshu had a shortlist of actresses he wanted. He had wanted to wait till Gori Tere Pyaar Mein released, because we had a good feeling about that film. It would have given us a bit more time and our budget would go up. We would get a good actress and all that.

Imran Khan opens up on relationships, his detox break and why he hasn't signed any new films
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 10, 2015)

Imran on his mama and the inevitable questions about them acting together in the near future
Sneha Mahadevan (DNA; June 22, 2015)


In no Khan camp
You are asking an ant about what he does when the elephants are fighting. I just stay away from all this. Aamir will be the last person to think of a camp, to think of me being part of his camp. He has always been extremely independent and he has always expected that of me as well. I realise its probably hard for people to wrap their heads around it, but Aamir has never discussed work with me. He has never read a script. He doesn’t even watch my films. Aamir has seen two of my films — Jaane Tu... and Delhi Belly – both of which he produced. He liked me in both. But apart from that, he hasn’t watched my films. We have a level of separation at our work level which people cannot even begin to understand. Half the time, he isn’t aware of what film I am doing, who I am working with because we both are very busy. Where are we going to sit and talk about films? It is just family catching-up as an uncle and nephew.”

Two Khan do?
Aamir and I have been offered a lot of films together. But never anything good. None that have interested either him or me. Most of the time, it’s what I call stunt casting – real-life mein mama-bhanja hai aur film mein abhi ek saath nazar aayenge’, so let’s cash in on that. Which is something we tend to do a lot in the industry. This also happens with couples and siblings in the industry. You are casting them because they are related, not because these actors suit these parts.

Directing Aamir
I feel like I would rather direct someone who is not as big a star as Aamir is. Because, I feel that when an actor reaches that kind of stardom that Shah Rukh, Salman and Aamir have, it becomes very intimidating and difficult for a first-time director to then direct them. I mean, ultimately, if I am making my first film and I am directing Aamir Khan in it, it can’t be overlooked that he has had 25 years of success behind him. And he would be like, “Don’t worry, mujhe malum hai”. There is never scope for an argument then, because... what can I say? He has given more hits than most people have combined. So if his point of view differs from mine, it becomes very difficult for you to argue then. I would want to work with someone who is not as big a star.

All for a role?
I don’t know if I can physically go all the way for a role. I wouldn’t know what I would need to do to put on so much weight (like Aamir has for Dangal). But he has a different body type. It’s the opposite of mine. For him, it’s easy to put on weight and difficult to knock it off. I can become skinny; that’s something I can easily do. I don’t think my body can develop that level of fat. I don’t know, to what level I can go to look a certain way. I could go bald for a role. I used to shave my head until I signed Jaane Tu. I have never had long hair. This length of hair I have right now is also too long. I used to have a trimmer and every eight-ten days, I used to trim my hair. I find long hair irritating. I am not able to deal with it. I have to maintain my hair length for continuity. But the second I know I have wrapped my work on a film and that I have two-three months off, I get a very short haircut. If required, I would strip on screen too. I don’t have these kind of restrictions and concerns. I am shameless.

Imran Khan on the absence of releases, changing equations and why he's not afraid of anyone stealing his film
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 22, 2015)

You haven't had a release in almost two years. Doesn't that bother you?
In 2013, I had three releases, films I'd been working on all year, and I was exhausted. There was a decline in quality too. Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na and Delhi Belly had been made with a lot of care and I wanted to function within those parameters again. I've never been insecure so not having a release doesn't bother me. I can't do two films simultaneously or jump from one project to the next.

Is that why you pushed Katti Batti ahead by three months?
Around the time I committed to Nikhil (Advani), we learnt that Avantika was pregnant. We'd have started filming close to her due date. I wanted to be with my wife in the last months of her term and the baby in the first three months so I asked Nikhil to push the shoot from June to September.

And you also parted ways with Vikramaditya Motwane who replaced you with Sidharth Malhotra in his fantasy flick, Bhavesh Joshi, but has since shelved it, saying this is not the right time to talk about corruption.
Vick and I parted ways early last year. He and I were seeing the film differently. Since I couldn't ask him to compromise on his vision, I bowed out, even though the subject had potential. And despite the achche din, I don't think the city can put corruption behind it in the next five years.

There's talk about Kangana Ranaut wanting scripting credit, directing Katti Bati and sitting on the editing...
Editing sounds implausible, and asking for script credit would be unfair to the writer Anshul Singhal as the creative inputs are what any thinking actor would give. As for directing, the opening scene has us lying in bed and it wasn't possible for the crew, even the cinematographer, to be in the room. So we shot it ourselves with an iPad. (Smiles) I operated the camera too and left the direction to Nikhil.

Why don't we hear such stories about you?
My phone is usually off or on silent. I don't call up journalists and publicists to write stuff or shut up. I'm only interested in making movies. And I discuss the creative process with my director and co-stars.

Aren't you afraid that Kangana, after the success of Tanu Weds Manu Returns, will overshadow you?
I've never been afraid about someone stealing a film from me. Katti Batti is a love story, a handmade film, I've never felt this degree of pride and confidence before.

Were you angry when after three successive flops you were written off?
No, this is business and numbers matter. If this works, people will be lining up outside my house too saying, "Bro, where've you been? Phone kyun nahin kiya?"

When do you start Aanand L Rai's next with Shruti?
I really liked the Tamil original, Kalyana Samayal Saadam. I'm waiting to read the script before I say 'yes' or 'no' to the remake. I'm only committed to Tigmanshu Dhulia's Milan Talkies towards the year end. I'd agreed to do it in 2011 but since I was doing Once Upon A Time in Mumbai Dobaara (OUATIMD), Milan Talkies got delayed. Then, I had a public fallout with Ekta and lost the film. But early this year, we sorted things out. She still wanted to make it and since I've felt guilty that Tigmashu's film got sidelined in our fallout, I returned to it.

Do you regret the fallout?
No, it was necessary. Things were simmering under the surface. We talked things out. Now we respect each other more.

Was OUATIMD a mistake?
No, but we all made mistakes during its making which worked against the film.

There was also a falling out with Karan Johar after Gori Tere Pyaar Mein flopped?
Not true, people needed someone to hang the failure on. I felt bad for Karan and Puneet (Malhotra) who'd offered me I Hate Luv Storys when I was getting only second and third leads. Puneet and I just shot an ad together. Karan was one of the first to wish Avantika on her pregnancy and sent a huge hamper when Imara was born. A film together will stop the rumours.

Avantika's comments about Ranbir Kapoor's performance in Raajneeti, overheard by Rahul Rawail, ruined your friendship with Ranbir?
(Straightfaced) Is Rahul Rawail still around? He had a grudge against Avantika because she'd rejected his Buddha Mil Gaya when working for a studio after it had been greenlit. After the story came out, I called Ranbir, told him this hadn't happened. He had enough regard for me to take my word for it and not that of a third person who wanted to get his name in the papers or curry favour with someone.

Weren't you and he supposed to produce a film together?
In the industry, I'm not on the same page with many but Ranbir got what I was talking about and he agreed with what I was saying. So, we spoke of producing a film in a hypothetical space. Next thing we know, our phones are ringing off the hook. I do want to produce and direct but I don't think I have the skills and experience yet.

Has Imara changed your life?
I've found peace. I always was a calm person but having a child teaches you your priorities. Today, I know in a second what's of value. We're now on a one month break in London. Avantika's mom and my mom are here too. It's a typical Sooraj Barjatya kind of a vacation.

Imran Khan on his baby girl Imara, fatherhood and how it has changed him completely
Sneha Mahadevan (DNA; May 4, 2015)


Let’s talk about Imara.
She is 10 months old. She has started talking and the words she can now say are: hi, bye, mama, and papa. She has started walking, not very well, but just like a few steps. She can stand fine. I think she looks like me. She has very fine hair and light eyes.

Is she a mischievous kid?
She is very sweet, but yes, she has got that little mischievous streak from her mother. She is very friendly with people she knows. She is very curious about things and wants to know everything.

Does she understand Hindi?
We try to speak to her more in Hindi, but she understands English as well. More of her responses are in Hindi. If we ask her ‘Billi kya karti hai?’ she will go ‘Meow’, ‘Doggie kya karta hai?’ she will go ‘Woof, woof’. We are trying to teach her Hindi phrases. She will anyway learn English in school, so I would like for her Hindi base to be stronger.

Must be tough staying away for long periods of time from Imara?
Yes, it’s very difficult to stay away from her for long periods. Until you actually have a child, you don’t get it. I have never been this interested in another human being. You know, in the early stage of romance, you are constantly thinking how beautiful that girl is, but it fades. But in this case, it’s getting stronger. I am sitting on set and pull out my phone and I am looking at her photo with a silly expression on my face. Recently, for a schedule in Gujarat, I was gone for 15 days. That is the longest I have been away from her. I would FaceTime with her. She would see me on screen and then she would grab it, trying to reach out to me.

Did you for once think getting married and having babies would put your career on the backseat?
I am very happy with my life. I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s real life first and foremost. I have always thought of myself as a person first. Actor was by chance. My personal life has always been of a higher priority and that is not the case with everyone. For me, I have always known what I give preference to. Having said that, I am happy to be back at work also. I had started to feel a little stagnated and rusty because I was sitting at home for a year. But I had always planned to take a break.

Let’s talk about your other babies — your pets.
I have dogs and cats, but I think that cats are more interesting in terms of their personalities than dogs. I have seven cats — Biskoot, Billy, Bonny, Jingle, Bighead, Sigmund and Tiki. My dogs are Seema, a white labrador, Emma and a black one, Kajri. When Imara was born, my cats took sometime to adjust. They don’t like change, so for the first six or seven months, they didn’t go near Imara. Biskoot still runs away. Only Sigmund, my cat, is very sweet with her. So when she takes a nap, he curls up on top of her and sleeps. Imara loves him. Her face lights up when she sees him. My mom and I are crazy animal people. The reason I like cats is because I feel like they have got their shit together. Dogs have no dignity. Cats will groom themselves and they’ve got poise. But cats, you have to develop a relationship with them and that is more demanding. It’s a different relationship with dogs.

How did it feel to get back on the set after a break?
I felt recharged, re-energised. I jumped into with the level of enthusiasm that I didn’t have before. The last couple of years especially 2012 and 2013, I was overworking. I was working every single day. There was no downtime at all and I was feeling burnt out, quite honestly. It saps your energy, and it puts you in a place where okay is good enough. In a way the break did me tremendous good. I have always been a believer in recharging batteries. In the early stages of my career, I was better at working and taking time off. Suddenly, I don’t know what happened, but now, I want to go back to doing the same.

But won’t you be taking breaks more often now that you have Imara to run back home to?
I am done with Katti Batti. We have like four-five days of patchwork left but by the end of May I should be done with the film. Then I am not shooting anything until in November.

How did your patch-up with Ekta Kapoor come about?
It wasn’t intentional but I was hearing from people (common friends who knew Ekta and me) that this matter needed to be settled. So, we met in January and we aired it all out. I told her, look these are my issues, this is what I heard, this is what I felt and she did the same. To be fair to her, a lot of the issues that came up were because of intermediaries who were adding their own version to what was being heard and said. I’ve never had any fights in my career. It was whipped out into a fight and it got to a point where we had to fight. Now those layers of intermediaries are gone and when she and I spoke, turns out that she and I were both told a lot of things that were incorrect.

So she offered Milan Talkies (now titled Bhoole Se Naam Na Lo Pyaar Ka) to you again?
Yeah. I know they talked to other actors for that part. I don’t know if they didn’t like someone or whether the actors weren’t interested in the script, I never got into it. I had read the script in 2011. I signed Milan Talkies long before Once Upon A Time In Mumbai Dobaara. But then it fell through. I don’t think they have finalised on a female lead. It’s a beautiful love story set in the town where the romance between the boy and girl kind of develops in the cinema hall (Milan Talkies). They go to watch movies at the cinema hall and the couple have a lot of romantic moments in the projection room. That cinema hall is the anchor of the story.