Rehan Khan is the new boy in town!

Any newcomer may sound dejected and low after his very first film fails to create any ripples at the box office. But not Rehan Khan, all of 24 years of age, who after a decent debut in his home production Jaana - Let's Fall In Love has been noticed by none other than the Bhatts. After being signed for their biggest project till date, Awaarapan, he now looks forward to a bright future ahead.

Congratulations. You seem to have only gained when most newcomers would have nowhere to go after a no-show of Jaana - Let's Fall In Love
[Laughs] Hey, please don't call it a no-show yaar! I am happy to have got good reviews for my performances by most who matter and though it's a pity that the film didn't do as expected, I have been noticed in the film industry which makes me look forward to having a good innings in Bollywood. Yes, Awaarapan is a great break and obviously the Bhatts have to be thanked for showing confidence in my abilities.

So how is the film shaping up?
I start shooting from 3rd February and the film should be wrapped up soon. We are aiming for a June release. A thriller, it has been prominently shot in Hong Kong and I play a character which is based there. It is a hardcore action thriller and is set on such a scale that has never been set before by Vishesh Films. The film's budget stands at around 18 crores and I am sure that Mohit Suri would come up with a phenomenal product.

Is everyone in the production house confident about recovering such an amount since most of their films, whether it is Gangster or Woh Lamhe have been budgeted in a medium range?
Of course yes! See, you have to look at the way the entire market has shaped up, especially in the last year or so. Look at the tremendous response Dhoom2 has generated. Now that was something never heard of before. It is definitely the time of 'spend big money, gain even more'! I still can't believe that Dhoom2 made as much as 4 crores in just 3 days from a single multiplex chain in Mumbai. Now all of this makes me supremely confident about Awaarapan.

Knowing marketing and product placement skills of the Bhatt's, it is not really difficult to believe that, isn't it?
Yup, that's right. A person like Mahesh Bhatt is so conscious about the cost and knows what's the kind of budget suitable for a film's subject. Also a Bhatt combination with great music always works and that is sure to get the film an opening, post which the subject's merits should take it through. Sone pe suhaaga is the fact that Pritam scores yet again after Gangster and Woh Lamhe.

You seem excited....
And why not? It is a young crew that I am a part of. A crew that is so high on energy and wants to deliver to the fullest. Look at Mohit, he is just 27. Even the assistant directors on sets are in 25-27 range. I myself play an interesting character in the film, a positive one at that!

Sounds great. So tell me how did the film actually happen?
After Jaana - Let's fall in love, I was confident that I would be able to break into the big league soon. It was just a matter of time but confidence came from the fact that I was appreciated by majority of critics. This is when I heard about Awaarapan being made. I went and met Mahesh Bhatt saab and told him I wanted to work in the film. He was patient and told me there and then that he actually did have some work for me but I would be required to test for it if I intended to bag the part.

Test? So was it like going to school again?
Far from that! I was actually game for the test and said why not? So first the assistant director tested me and further to that Mohit did a screen test. This went for around 20-25 days and in the meantime I was also required to loose weight. There was a new look required for my character as the script required a simpler and sweeter look.

And finally managed to make it...
That's true. And it was so sweet of Bhatt saab to tell me that he would mentor me for the role. He was clear about the fact that in the film no one plays a hero and everyone is a character out there. He just told me to take his words and follow him. He made a very good point that working with Vishesh Films was like being in a school where a person worked from Class I to X, then graduated, did a masters course and then could finally claim that he or she was right there in the scheme of things. I am certainly going to remember what he said!

Interesting! And what happens beyond the Bhatts?
There is another script that we are working on for our home production. My dad is making another film with me, the shooting of which may start in April/May timeframe. It is a message oriented film which looks at an ideal Indian youth. To be shot prominently in London, we are looking at someone senior in the film with me, possibly Big B.

Big B?
Why are you sounding so shocked? We have yet to approach him but then if the role is good, I don't think he would have many issues. He is a benchmark we are setting for this film and though we are small, I am sure he would be kind enough to give us a hearing!

So what are the other details about the film?
We are planning to launch a new girl for this film which has been tentatively titled Born on Independence Day!

That's quite a title...
Yes, it is. And this time around we are going full fledged without worrying too much about the budget front. We are pegging it as a 10-15 crore film and are in talks with a couple of corporate houses to get us rolling.

That's a quite a leap from a small film like Jaana to your new venture!
Dekho yaar, aaj ki date mein big small kuch nahi hota! It's all about how well you create a product, market it well and place it accordingly in the market. And we are sure that this time around, we will have the results in our favor!