He’s done up grandfather Nasir Hussain’s famous Pali Hill bungalow and moved into it last October. While everything –– from the floor tiles to the cocktail glasses –– has been hand-picked by him, he takes most pride in his special kitchen. “I can make everything but the chilli con carne is my speciality!” But when t2 met him over lunch, Imran Khan was actually polishing off some sumptuous kofta curry; not made by him. When his mouth was not full, he answered our questions. Munch on…

You are in the sequel of a film whose first part did not feature you. Did you take up Once Upon ay Time in Mumbai Dobaara! as a standalone film?

Yes, I have looked at it as a standalone film. Because my character was not even born during the events shown in Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai. So, for me, there was no scope to take cues from the first film. I can recognise and appreciate that Milan (Luthria, director) and Rajat (Arora, writer) have consciously held on to elements from Part One. A little doff of the hat here, a little inside joke there.... That’s their responsibility to bring in those connections.

What did you think of the first film?

I thoroughly enjoyed it, yaar! There is a very funny story I must share with you. I was getting engaged to Avantika in Karjat and there at ND Studios, the first film was being shot at the same time! Since I had to stay at Karjat in that period, I remember bumping into Milan quite a few times.

But did you see yourself in that film or even the sequel for that matter?

No, I didn’t. In fact, when I was offered the film, I initially met Ekta (Kapoor, producer) and Milan as a courtesy. Big producer... big director... offering me a big film... but I really didn’t think I was going to do it.

What prompted the change of mind?

It’s a damn entertaining script. I met them, I took the script, I didn’t read it, I carried it with me to Rajkot where I was shooting for Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola. And on an off day I opened it and started to flip through it. And I didn’t put it down. I finished reading it and immediately called Milan. The very next day he was in Rajkot and we locked everything in the hotel room over there.

Did Milan and Rajat tailor-make the character Aslam for you?

Not really. I found the story very compelling. And I was like, here I am in Rajkot shooting for Matru in a role that I thought I would never fit into. So why not give this a shot as well? If I can do Matru, I can do this! That was my thought process.

Is Aslam based on any real-life gangster?

Nah! Part One had more references to real people and real events. Part Two is entirely fictional. Aslam is your classic gangster with a heart of gold. Technically he’s a criminal but by no means is he a bad guy. We have treated him as a spiritual successor to Sultan Mirza (Ajay Devgn’s character in Part One).

Coming just a few weeks after D-Day, don’t you think there’s an overkill of gangster films?

There’s not the slightest bit of similarity between our film and D-Day. That was treated as a very sleek international thriller. This is a very classic space with a very classic treatment. People who are looking at it as a gangster film are going to be pleasantly surprised to find out it’s actually a love story. It’s the world of gangsters yes, but it’s a straightforward love triangle.

You have mostly done solo hero films, here you are sharing space with a senior superstar like Akshay Kumar. Any lessons learnt?

I have become a huge fan of Akshay, man! He is impossible to dislike. He is charming, he is professional to a fault. And considering the stature of his stardom, he doesn’t carry that with him. You’ve met enough industry people to know that most people carry this chip on their shoulder... of not having got their due. Akshay is happy and grateful and he loves doing his work and enjoys it.

What about Sonakshi?

Once again a consummate professional. Within a year of her debut I had read how she throws attitude on the sets. There was this whole wave of negative stories about her. But the girl is on location before her vanity van is switched on... before the director, before the DoP, before…. And the girl knows how to act! She may get a lot of flak for her choice of films but there’s no doubt that she knows how to act.

And you are still shuttling between your at-home urban rom-com space and these experimental choices? You were shooting Punit Malhotra’s Gori Tere Pyaar Mein at the same time as Once Upon...

Yes, and sometimes I found a little bit of one character slipping into the other. Sometimes I did a take with a little too much swagger and Punit was like, ‘aye Aslam bhai calm down’!

Rewinding to Matru, were you happy with the way it was received by critics and audiences?

I was happy with the way I was received. I was certainly disappointed with the way the film was received. I wish we could have got what we set out to achieve. But having said that, and I am going to be shamelessly selfish here, no one thought I could pull the role off. I didn’t. And I think I did okay. I managed it. I can take that success. I am happy. It gave me a lot more confidence as an actor. It gave me new tools and new skills that I didn’t have before.

Have you been keeping track of the numbers Ranbir Kapoor’s films are doing given that you have always been pitted against him?

I barely keep track of how my films do. After the release the weekend figures the producer keeps telling you, but lifetime collections I never know. Post-Sunday I’m like, chal jo hona tha ho gaya. Whether it’s a Rs 60 crore or Rs 65 crore or Rs 100 crore or Rs 102 crore, it really doesn’t matter. I am very happy with how things are. I’ve got more than what I could have ever asked for in my life. Far more. I am a guy who never thought of being an actor. And here I am.