Imran Khan, Tinseltown’s teen heartthrob, is no slouch when it comes to performing perilous stunts on screen. In his recently released movie, Luck, Imran is plunged into the depths of an ocean with a melee of sharks for company and even takes a tumble from an airplane to land atop a speeding train that’s on fire — yes, no stuntmen here.

“Today’s audience know about stuntmen and computer graphics. So if we cut to a wide shot, they instantly know it’s a stunt double. That detaches them from the excitement on screen,” says the youngster.

In Luck, Imran’s life is bet on by gamblers across the world, while he negotiates his way through a series of uber-risky stunts. “I want to make people freeze in their seats and collectively say ‘wow’,” says the hero, with the chocolate-box looks.

Says film critic Komal Nahata: “Imran is definitely one of the two best newcomers in Bollywood today, the other one being Ranbir Kapoor. He became a star overnight with his first release Jaane Tu ... Ya Jaane Na. Of course it helps that there are legions of girls swooning over him.”

Imran’s debut film Jaane Tu … Ya Jaane Na had a dream run at the box office

Currently, Imran is juggling a host of ventures. He has lost weight for his next English feature film Delhi Belly (expected to release this year) that’s being produced by his superstar uncle Aamir Khan in association with UTV Motion Pictures.

Imran is also slated to star in Seven Days in Paris, directed by Sanjay Gadhvi and Karan Johar’s next, where he is paired with Sonam Kapoor.

The young actor is also casting his net wider to pursue a variety of interests. He has a weekly column in one of the country’s leading dailies.

The screen idol has also recently made his stage debut with Eve Ensler’s play Vagina Monologues, directed by Mahabanoo Mody Kotwal.

According to theatre personality Dolly Thakore, who was part of the controversial play’s cast, Imran has a go at everything. “Before the show, we rehearsed at his home. He didn’t have any starry airs. Yet he knew his mind and didn’t experience nervous jitters before his act,” she says.

Bollywood’s teen heartthrob bulked up for Kidnap by weight training six days a week

It’s obvious that the actor is determined to stay ahead of the curve. And he insists that looking the part is more important than looking good: “My body’s tendency is to lose weight, because I have a very high metabolism. So, slimming down for Delhi Belly was just disheartening,” he says. “It’s a struggle for me to put on every single kilo, and to see them all melt away was very depressing. But you gotta do what you gotta do,” he says earnestly.

A niche English-language movie, Delhi Belly looks at the lighter side of life in India. The story revolves around a gaggle of youngsters from Delhi and has a few slightly risqué moments. “The style of humour in the film is exactly like mine, which is very deadpan and straight-faced. Also, being in English, I was much more at ease making the lines my own,” says Imran.

“We bonded from the word go, primarily because Imran, despite being a huge star, is strangely real and down to earth. We are complete Mac junkies and techno geeks,” says stand-up comedian Vir Das, who is in the film along with Imran and newbie Kunal Roy Kapoor.

The young actor negotiated his way through a series of risky action shots without a stuntman in Luck

Clearly, Imran always makes a huge effort to get into the skin of his characters. He’d take a role even if it involves a huge physical effort and losing or gaining lots of weight. While the director of Delhi Belly ruled that he should flaunt a more lanky shape in Delhi Belly, Luck and Kidnap required him to bulk up.

So, he sported a more brawny physique (an uphill task for him), for those action thrillers. “I shape my body based on what the role calls for. During Kidnap and Luck I needed to be bigger, so I was weight training six days a week — very heavy weights, very few repetitions,” he explains. And his favourite workout haunt? “Aamir’s built a gym in his garage, I like to go there. No AC, no music, no distractions,” he states.

Imran’s adventurous by nature and he loves alternative sports. He used to rollerblade and skateboard as a kid until a nasty accident left him with a damaged knee. Currently, he makes do with windsurfing and snowboarding and is a certified Scuba diver as well.

Co-actors say he’s professional to the core: “Luck is a true blue action flick and Imran was sharing screen space with thespians like Danny Denzongpa and Sanjay Dutt. He took pains to come into the sets bang on call-time, trying to grasp the nuances of high intensity fight scenes from action director Allan Amin,” says co-actor Ravi Kishen.

Imran and his Luck co-actor Shruti Hassan at the launch of a game-based website for the movie

One thing’s for sure. His decision to take up a particular movie is never a flippant one. Even for his upcoming movie, I Hate Love Stories (tentative title), produced by Karan Johar, Imran is certain as to why he wants to star opposite Sonam Kapoor: “She brings her own style into her performance, which is a quality I value greatly,” says the 26-year-old actor.

Imran found his place in the sun with Jaane Tu ... Ya Jaane Na (2008), his debut film, produced by Aamir Khan Productions, which had a spectacular run at the box office. Within a span of a year, he’s had three releases (Jaane Tu..., Kidnap and Luck), one more than Ranbir Kapoor, another promising newcomer in the film firmament.

Yet, Imran is intensely comfortable sharing work space with Ranbir. The duo compered the last Filmfare Awards together and brought the house down with their antics. “The Filmfare gig was a blast. Ranbir and I put in days of work, working out the script, the lines, everything.”

Even though he’s willing to slog for all his roles, the youngster admits that it’s crucial to work with the right mix of producers and directors if an actor wants to have a dream run in Bollywood. Says Imran: “How passionate is he (the director) about making this film? Is he raring to go? Is he desperate to tell this story?”

Of course, like a regular youngster Imran likes to put his feet up once in a while, managing to catch almost all new releases, though he claims to be a sucker for thrillers.

Superstar uncle Aamir Khan gave Imran’s career a kickstart with his production Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na

Another enduring passion is eating out though there’s clearly a thumb rule for choosing dining joints: “I tend to go to places that play rock music and serve cheap drinks. Primarily because I always liked those places, and secondly, the people who go there would never admit they watch Hindi movies, so they pretend not to recognise me,” he says.

Though Gajalee in Vile Parle is a favourite haunt, the actor gets nostalgic about the lasagna in Don Giovanni, an Italian facility which existed in Juhu once. “Tragically, it’s shut down, and there’s now a gaping void in my life that can never be filled,” he jokes with a straight face. Apart from this, a regular day (when he’s not shooting) has the star working out, alternating weight training with Pilates.

The actor also acknowledges the role of his family in shaping his interest in acting: He watched Mansoor Khan (director of the blockbuster hit Qayamat se Qayamat Tak) spend months working on his script. He and Aamir would listen to rough versions of songs to see which ones would work.

But the young actor maintains that despite having filmmakers who created Bollywood history at home, he had to paddle his own canoe: “Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak and Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar were Mansoor’s and Aamir’s successes. I only got to see adulation after Jaane Tu released, and I had earned it,” he adds firmly.

Despite tasting success pretty early in his career, the actor is also quick to point to the uncertainty of it all: “There’s no guarantee that you will end up with a good film, or even a hit. The one thing to remember is this; no one knows anything. You just have to try your best, and see what happens.”