Imran wanted to back out of `Matru ki Bijlee Ka Mandola`

Mumbai: Bollywood actor Imran Khan, who will be seen in a brand new Haryanvi avatar in his next film `Matru ki Bijlee Ka Mandola`, said initially the character was very tough for him and he thought he had made a big mistake taking it up. "During the first script reading of the film, I was unable to say the Haryanvi dialogues. It was not easy, I felt I made a big mistake and I should back out," he said at the trailer launch of the film here Tuesday evening. Directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, the comedy-drama also stars Anushka Sharma, Pankaj Kapoor and Shabana Azmi. "When I told him (Vishal Bhardwaj) I won`t be able to do it, he said he was sure I could. He had faith in me, even when I didn`t," the actor added. The actor will be playing such a rustic role for the first time and said that he devoted almost two to three months in preparing for the it. "The role is different. It required a lot of preparation for almost two and a half months. I have always felt that the more we rehearse, the better we perform," he said. Imran has often worked with new directors like Shakun Batra and Abhinay Deo, but the actor was happy to work with an experienced director this time. "He (Bhardawaj) was very calm on the set and guided all the performers. Even if something was not working out, he would find a way to make it work. He knows the right way to do things," he said. Talking about Imran`s look in the film, Bhardwaj said that he wanted to give him a completely different look. "I wanted to see Matru in Imran. I had liked him in `Delhi Belly` but I wanted to do more. He was very patient with me and we finally achieved the look," he said referring to the actor`s over grown beard and rustic look in the film. All of Bhardwaj`s films have strong female characters and the director seems to have maintained the same with his heroine Anushka Sharma as well. "My female characters are always very strong. It comes naturally. I see women as stronger than men in real life as well," he said. Talking about being paired with Imran for the first time, Anushka said that she never thought they would look like the way they do. "This is the first time we are working together. I never thought we would look like this. But Imran has looked the hottest in the film," Anushka said. IANS