Imran Khan reveals why he decided to make comeback after a decade with Vir Das’ Happy Patel: ‘Was struck with FOMO’

Imran Khan in Happy Patel

Imran Khan returned to the big screen after a decade with a cameo role in Happy Patel, and the actor says his comeback stemmed from his desire to reconnect and do films for sheer enjoyment. Over the past two years, Imran looked at numerous scripts but could not find any that sparked interest until he heard about Happy Patel, the directorial debut of his Delhi Belly co-star and friend Vir Das. The actor, who was last seen on the big screen in the 2015 film Katti Batti, told PTI in an interview: “In late 2023, when I started waking up from hibernation and connecting with the world, people said, ‘Hey, this guy is alive’ and started reaching out to me. (But) My approach at this point is very different from my approach at that time.”

“Not everyone wants the same thing in their career. Everyone has different paths they are looking for. I’m not trying to make myself a huge star, or be the biggest star, or be in the top three. Unless I love the movie and really want to do it, I won’t do it… I will only do a movie if I feel FOMO (fear of missing out),” he said. Admitting that he is financially secure, Imran, known for romantic comedies like Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Naa, I Hate Luv Storys and Break Ke Baad, said that at this point in his life, he prefers working with friends and like-minded individuals. “The reason I made movies was to play with my friends. We get a bunch of friendly people together, paint our faces, put on costumes and play (act). That’s how I look at filmmaking. I don’t want to discount how seriously someone takes it, but creating art has to come from a place of love and joy,” he said.

Imran added that when he heard that Das and his other friend, actor Mithila Palkar, were working together on a “crazy spoof spy comedy”, he couldn’t shake the feeling of missing out. “I hadn’t heard a narrative or a script, it was just a rumor I heard from my friends. The FOMO hit me hard. ‘Guys, you’re all doing this fun thing. Can I come and have fun with you?’ I said. “I texted Vir and said, ‘I would love to be in your movie, can you include me somewhere?’ I texted. “So he wrote me a role that wasn’t in the original script and said, ‘Let’s have some fun.'”

Imran said Das is one of the best stand-up comedians in India and loves to attend comedy shows around the world. Mutlu Patel, released on Friday, is an interesting spy comedy. This is the reunion of Imran and Das after Delhi Belly (2011) with Palkar after Katti Batti (2015). In the film, Imran plays the role of Milind Morea, an international supermodel. He and Das had planned to keep the news of his cameo a “secret”, hoping to “surprise” audiences when they saw him in the theatre. However, the news leaked immediately.

The 43-year-old actor admitted that he was surprised to see himself in the trailer of the movie and that he never expected that he would receive this much attention and interest. He added that he did not actively try to stay current during his hiatus. “This (attention) is so much more than anyone could ever imagine. When you consider all the conventional wisdom that says you have to go to great lengths to stay in people’s consciousness and stay relevant, you have to reach out and grab them and grab their attention,” he said.

“I say it again, because until this moment I have never made a great film where all of a sudden everyone appreciates, ‘Oh, what a great film, what great acting’, it’s none of those things. People responded much more (than expected),” Imran added. He shares that he chose to take a step back from acting after many of his films, including Katti Batti and Gori Tere Pyaar Mein, failed at the box office. “At first you get the feeling, ‘Oh no, my film failed.’ I had made films with love and friends. I enjoyed the process,” he recounted.

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