📌 Key Points
- Imran Khan returns after 11 years with a romantic comedy.
- He dismisses the growing obsession with box office numbers.
- Khan acknowledges the trend of audiences favoring large-scale films in theaters.
- His comeback film, ‘Adhoore Hum Adhoore Tum,’ will be a Netflix original.
Imran Khan is back after 11 years, discussing his choice to return to romantic comedies. He addresses the current trend of audiences preferring large-scale movies in theaters and emphasizes the importance of separating creative movie-making from commercial aspects.
Imran Khan’s Comeback and Genre Choice
Imran Khan’s resurgence to the mainstream- after 11 years- has been with a genre his fans associate with him: the classic romantic comedy. In a candid chat on The Right Angle with Sonal Kalra, Chief Managing Editor, Entertainment and Lifestyle, Hindustan Times, he got talking about choosing a similar genre film for his comeback: instead of the hyper-masculine content that seems to be clicking the most.
Addressing the widely discussed notion that theatrical success today is driven largely by spectacle and intensity, Imran said, “I think it’s important to separate the creative process of movie making from commercial. We’re becoming more enamored with box office, everyone is sitting down with little spreadsheets, calculators, tracking box office as though it’s a sport. It means nothing to me,” he said, pushing back against the growing obsession with numbers.
Box Office Obsession vs. Creative Process
The post-COVID era has altered viewing habits, with audiences reserving their time and money for mostly larger-than-life big screen experiences. Imran acknowledged, “You’re right, there has been a global trend in audiences moving away from cinemas, and one really only showing up for large scale spectacle. I don’t see anything wrong with that, it’s audiences’ taste.”
Audience Preference for Spectacle
As for his comeback Adhoore Hum Adhoore Tum, co starring Bhumi Satish Pednekkar, Imran added, “The film that we’re making is a Netflix original. We had never considered that this is the kind of narrative that would appeal to a mass audience, it’s a gentle, relationship story,” he said, highlighting a conscious departure from the pressure to cater to theatrical mass appeal.
Khan’s return with a Netflix original signifies a conscious decision to prioritize storytelling over mass appeal. He respects audience choices, acknowledging the shift towards big-screen spectacles while staying true to his preferred genre.
