Imran Khan on the cover of GQ India, March issue

Imran Khan is not only on the cover of March’s issue of GQ, he’s also the Editor-in-Chief. And it seems like he had a ball doing it; he’s candid in the interview and funny in the behind the scenes shoot. Read on, for both the excerpts from the interview as well as the behind the scenes video!

However, what’s with the “Never cheat on a woman you aren’t ready to break up with” headline? #fail How about never cheat on a woman ever?

GQ India gets candid with one of Bollywood’s brightest stars as he leaves his goody-two-shoes persona at the door, and takes on the role of GQ editor for the March 2012 issue, with unreserved authority!

Imran tells a story a minute while guest editing the latest issue of GQ India, in his artfully manicured beard and English hunting cap.

While it’s not too hard to be charmed by Imran in person, his public image is mildly grating: a good-looking, soft-spoken, somewhat-boring guy, who got hitched to his longtime girlfriend soon after hitting the big time, and who’s managed to survive half a decade in one of the most gossipy businesses in the world, without a whiff of serious controversy. To this Imran says “That’s because I haven’t done anything really exciting.”

Imran has an odd stance in an era, where even established stars actively court controversy: hawking the minutiae of their private lives, creating stories they think will keep them in the news. Imran believes that, “There are many Indian actors that are very popular in the media, but when their films release, nobody goes to watch them. I don’t want to be out there more than necessary. People will tire of me if they’re reading about my fitness regimen every day, or my latest fashion purchase, or what’s playing on my iPod.”

Introspecting on the question, “Why won’t these Bollywood guys just ease up on the damn marketing and promotions?”, on behalf of the actors, he comments, “It’s not me, it’s you. We used to be so tight. It used to be so simple: I’d make movies; you’d come and watch them, and watch them, and watch them until the film was a Golden Jubilee hit. Now, you’re all, “Dude, I’m playing Uncharted 3, can’t leave the house” or “Just download it next week man, who needs to go to the theatre?”

Getting on a more serious note in his editorial shoes, Imran talks about how film stars wouldn’t oversell themselves if audiences weren’t quite so distracted. He believes that “The problem is, you’re swamped with options when it comes to tackling boredom. Us movie folk are fighting at least a dozen new forms of entertainment that never used to exist, all vying for your attention. The movie business is booming; it’s bigger than it’s ever been, but that’s because we’re playing it smart. The market’s changed, and we’ve had to change with the times.”

So he suggests getting the relationship back on track. Let’s try and remember how the romance started, and what it’s all about: entertaining people and having fun.