Imran Khan is an American-born Indian actor how primarily works in Bollywood. This American born actor portrayed the role of a child Aamir Khan, his uncle, in popular Hindi movies such as Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988) and Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander (1992), before he made his acting debut as a lead in the superhit movie Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na (2008). Just like his uncle Aamir Khan, Imran chooses his roles meticulously. He has delivered hits like ‘I Hate Luv Storys’, ‘Delhi Belly’, and ‘Ek Main Aur Ek Tu’.

Besides being an actor, Imran has also donned the hat of a social activist. He has often spoken out about various issues plaguing the Indian society and is a supporter of the PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) campaign. He became a columnist for the popular newspaper daily ‘The Hindustan Times’ in 2009, and has been making regular contributions.
Early Life
Imran Khan was born as ‘Imran Pal’ on January 13, 1983, in Madison, Wisconsin, USA. His Hindu father (of Bengali and English descent), Anil Pal, who was a software engineer and even worked with tech giant Yahoo in the Silicon Valley. His Muslim mother, Nuzhat Khan, was a psychologist who had a family with strong background in Bollywood.

Imran's maternal side of the family includes Bollywood stalwards like director-producer Nasir Hussain (grandfather), director-producer Mansoor Khan (Uncle – Nuzhat’s brother), and superstar actor Aamir Khan (Uncle – Nuzhat’s cousin).

Imran’s parents got divorced even before he was three, and later he moved to Mumbai with his mother; taking up the name ‘Imran Khan’. He did his schooling from Bombay Scottish school in Mumbai, and later from the boarding school ‘Blue Mountain’ in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu.

As the aspiring director Imran Khan grew up, he shifted to Sunnyvale, California with his father and studied at Fremont High School. He got a degree in filmmaking from the New York Film Academy (Los Angeles branch), and even took formal training at the Kishore Namit Kapoor Acting Institute, Mumbai.
Personal Life
Imran had a 10-year long relationship with his sweetheart Avantika Malik, and later got married to her in 2011. They have a daughter together named Imara.
Movie Career
While Imran got exposure to the camera as a child artist for hit films like ‘Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak’ (1988) and ‘Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander’ (1992), his lead acting debut came with the 2008 romantic comedy ‘Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na’, directed by Abbas Tyrewala, and produced by Imran’s uncles, Aamir Khan and Mansoor Khan. His vulnerable and restrained performance opposite the bubbly and effervescent Genelia D'souza stood out. The movie became a commercial success, and managed a worldwide gross collection of about INR 830 million. He won the Best Male Debut Filmfare award for his ‘chocolate boy’ performance in this movie, sharing the same with another talented actor Farhan Akhtar.

With his next two films, ‘Kidnap’ (2008) and ‘Luck’ (2009), turning out to be duds, Imran could not deliver on the promise shown with his first film, and started getting labelled as a ‘one film wonder’. However, he turned to Karan Johar for his next romantic comedy flick ‘I Hate Luv Storys’ (2010), opposite the stylish Sonam Kapoor, in which he portrayed the role of a casanova. The movie turned out to be a box office success with worldwide earnings of around INR 725.2 million.

The actor next tried his hand at black comedy with the 2011 release, Delhi Belly, which turned out to be a successful experiment (box office earnings of approximately INR 550 million). He switched back to romantic roles for his next two successful films, Mere Brother Ki Dulhan (2011), opposite Katrina Kaif, and Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu (2012), opposite Kareena Kapoor.

Imran next starred in the political satire film ‘Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola’ (2013) opposite Anushka Sharma, which failed to impress the audience despite the presence of veteran actors like Pankaj Kapur and Shabana Azmi. He also did lend his voice for the song ‘Chaar Dina Ki’ in the movie. Later, he also tried to prove his versatility with the role of a gangster in the movie ‘Once Upon a Time in Mumbai Dobaara!’ (2013) alongside star actor Akshay Kumar and actress Sonakshi Sinha. However, the film got panned by critics and didn’t fare well at the box office.

Since then, Imran has tried his ‘success formula’ of romantic roles with movies like ‘Gori Tere Pyaar Mein’ (2013), opposite Kareena Kapoor Khan and ‘Katti Batti’ (2015), opposite Kangana Ranaut. Both the movies proved to be commercial failures.
Other Ventures
Imraan Khan's writing has been a frequent feature in one of the columns of the daily newspaper ‘The Hindustan Times’, since 2009.