Imran shows Delhi Belly to 19-year-olds

Actor Imran Khan wants to ensure his upcoming release Delhi Belly hits all the right notes, and shows Delhi Belly to wife Avantika’s younger brother and his friends, seeking critical opinion.

Actor Imran Khan wants to ensure his upcoming release Delhi Belly hits all the right notes. “I showed the film to (wife) Avantika’s brother (Vedant Malik) and his friends,” he explains, adding that he got together a bunch of 19-year-olds to “talk about what they liked and what they didn’t.”

He recalls a sequence that this focus group raised objection to. Imran says, “After the screening, they said, ‘We don’t understand why this girl is so angry with him? Poor guy.’” Vedant and his friends were referring to the character Tashi, which is played by Imran. “They probably meant that the girl isn’t justified in dumping her boyfriend,” Imran says, adding, “Then we told them about a scene in which the guy is also doing all sorts of things to break-up from her. Then they agreed that the split was justified. That’s when we decided to add the scene which had originally been edited out,” he adds.

Imran reveals that uncle Aamir has been following the same process for more than 10 years now. “From Lagaan (2001), Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na (2008), Taare Zameen Par (2007), Peepli Live (2010) or Dhobi Ghat (2011), test screenings are a must for him,” says the young star, whose Delhi Belly will be his first release after his wedding in January this year.

“Avantika has watched every cut of the film. And she and my mother (Nuzhat Khan) are my toughest critics. They only say,

theek hai

or

nahi nahi

, you should have worked harder. But after watching Delhi Belly, Avantika had good things to say, which is very rare,” he says.