Much has been said about “sometimes friends, sometimes enemies” Imran Khan and Ranbir Kapoor. The two reigning Youngistan stars have often been pitted against each other, but Imran says they’ve found a way to always keep their equation balanced. “There are moments when you read something and you start to wonder…” Imran admits. “But then, to Ranbir’s credit, he’s always picked up the phone and called me (to clarify). And I have also done the same. If you go through layers, like Chinese whispers, something will get distorted. If you deal with someone man-to-man, face-to-face, you get some kind of clarity. If there is some problem, you need to deal with it. Fortunately, we take each other’s word.”
While their hectic schedules don’t allow them to meet up on a regular basis, Imran says, “We meet and hang out when we can, because both of us are quite busy.” The pressure to perform well at the box office also adds a tremendous amount of strain, Imran adds: “Yes, the pressure is tremendous, but it’s not just on us (younger actors). Be it Aamir, Hrithik, anyone…it is there for any star. Everyone sits and watches whether this particular actor’s film will work or not. It’s scary when you think that this
responsibility is falling onto you.”