Yes, Bhansali had offered a role to Imran Abbas in 'Heeramandi'

After years of being trolled for maintaining he is, in fact, a Bollywood magnet, heartthrob and actor Imran Abbas’s long-awaited moment of glory has arrived. Upon hearing Bollywood mogul Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s confirmation that he had considered Imran for a role in the talk-of-the-town Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, the latter took to Facebook to shout out the news to the world. 

“I appreciate Sanjay Leela Bhansali for providing this clarification,” penned the grateful Amanat star in a straight-from-the-heart post. “I would like to encourage my dear "netizens" and YouTubers to inquire with the other directors I mentioned in my interviews to confirm the offers made by them.” 

In a recent interview with Lilly Singh, Bhansali had spoken about potentially casting Pakistani stars in Heeramandi, and listed Imran among them. Imran had spoken in earlier interviews about how he had rejected major Bollywood roles throughout his showbiz career, although he had on at least one occasion crossed the border to star opposite Indian actor Bipasha Basu in the Bollywood film Creature 3D. 

Now, in his Facebook post, Imran made special mention of the film fans who had assumed he was a “liar” and a “show-off” and noted that he was saddened that people had blatantly refused to take him at his word. 

“The most disheartening aspect is not the lack of belief in me and the perception of me as a liar or a show-off,” wrote Imran. “It is evident that some individuals are confined within their own limited worldview, unaware of many real-life experiences that others have encountered. For them, it’s a fantasy since they are still living in a small nutshell.”

Fated to forever being disbelieved, Imran’s Bollywood claims were recently the subject of a ruthless analysis by notorious Indian film critic Kamaal R Khan, known popularly as KRK. Sparing no feelings, KRK addressed Imran on his YouTube channel and stated, “You have left Govinda behind in terms of bragging, because Govinda, too, once said he was offered a Hollywood film, which he refused to do.” 

Secure in the knowledge that he could lob no greater insult than to liken Imran to Bollywood star Govinda, KRK had added, “To date, Govinda was considered the biggest bragger in Bollywood, but Imran Abbas has left him behind." It was a slight that Imran had not forgotten, making a cryptic allusion to KRK’s “bragger” accusations in his own appreciation post. 

“What is even more distressing is when our own people degrade their celebrities instead of being by our side,” wrote Imran. “Rather, [they] even quote disrespectful comments from certain YouTubers or so-called "journalists", bloggers who are being condemned even within the Bollywood industry for being inauthentic and non-credible.”

Hardcore Imran fans empathised with his heretofore predicament and urged him to turn a blind eye to the naysayers. In the comments section of Imran's post, one follower wrote, “It’s tough when people judge without knowing the whole story. Don’t let it get to you, you are awesome.” 

While the majority of the comments on Imran’s page echoed similar sentiments, there was no pleasing disgruntled movie buffs across other social media pages, who voiced the opinion that perhaps Imran should have been clearer about precisely what roles he had been being offered. 

“He should have clearly said that he was offered the second lead in PK,” wrote one unimpressed fan. “People [were] confused between Aamir Khan's role and Sushant Singh's role.”

Naysayers aside, Imran can rest in the knowledge that he now has solid validation for his assertions that he has attracted the attention of Bollywood big guns. 

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