When Imran Khan’s Story Pitch Was Blatantly Stolen By Television Channel

The actor revealed that after returning to India in 2005, following the completion of his studies, he aspired to become a director and writer, with acting not initially on his mind. He created a folder of his stories and went in “cold” (without telling anyone about his industry connections) to pitch to a television channel. Imran told Humans of Bombay that while the channel appreciated his ideas, he never heard from them again.

It wasn't until one of his actress friends mentioned being cast in a role with the story bearing a striking resemblance to the outline of the script that he submitted. The actor said: "I went to meet her, and when she gave me the script, it bore a striking resemblance to the outline of my story. So, they took my pitch and expanded it to make an episode. I tried to call those guys and get in touch with them but could never catch a hold of them to ask them, ‘What did you guys do?’” This experience not only changed something in Imran but also led him to meet Abbas Tyrewala, with whom he later collaborated on his debut movie, ‘Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na’.

Imran decided to screen test for a film, thinking that if he succeeded as an actor, he would have name recognition and could leverage his acting credentials to make the movies he wanted. The film has its own journey, Imran shared that the film had a three-year journey in the making and was initially produced by Jhamu Sughand, who was working on Anurag Kashyap’s ‘Gulaal’ and ‘Johnny Gaddaar’. However, when Jhamu Sughand’s production company encountered difficulties, Imran took the film and asked his uncle, Aamir Khan, to help them find a producer.

Aamir took a pause and said, “You know, I’m a producer.” Imran then told him that he is more of a serious film producer, having made films like ‘Lagaan’ or ‘Taare Zameen Par’. However, Aamir said that he would like to hear the narration after six months, and if he likes it, he will produce it.