Imran Khan, who has gained a new fanbase, courtesy his social media game, opened up about a time when director Karan Johar wanted to “sex-up” his image. Imran Khan worked in Karan Johar’s production I Hate Luv Storys where he was paired opposite Sonam Kapoor. Directed by Punit Malhotra, Imran Khan played a playboy in the rom-com.

When Imran Khan was showed an old photo-shoot, the actor recalled how Karan Johar put an effort to make him look effortlessly sexy on screen. “Karan kind of decided to sex-up my image. I generally do not gain much weight but I was minding my diet and exercising and all of that for the film particularly. Karan said we are going to cash in on this. We did a lot of… kind of topless shoots,” the actor told Moments of Silence podcast.

Imran Khan left the industry at his prime to focus on his mental health. Last year, in an interview with Vogue, the actor revealed why he decided to take a break from acting. 

“I hit a low in 2016 where I felt broken inside. Luckily, I was working in an industry that had rewarded me financially, so by the time I was 30, I didn’t have to worry about money. At that point, it wasn’t my career because I wasn’t excited by it enough to want to work hard for it. I had recently become a father and thought, ‘This is valuable. This is something I take seriously.’ I wanted to be the best version of myself for Imara. I decided it was no longer my job to be an actor. Now, I had to fix myself; be at my healthiest and strongest for my daughter,” he told Vogue.

There’s a strong buzz that Imran Khan would make his comeback soon. However, there’s no official confirmation about it.