If Iqbal Khan intrigues you with his reserve, Eijaz Khan floors you with his flamboyance. As Angad in ‘Kaisa Yeh Pyaar Hai’ and Kavvya in ‘Kavyanjali’, the Balaji boys have proved that Khanhood is not just a big screen phenomenon
Title tattle
Iqbal dismisses any credit saying, “I’m not a very good-looking guy. God’s just been kind.” Eijaz, whom mentor Ektaa Kapoor named among the faces of 2007, says self-effacingly, “I feel blessed. The first person I saw at Balaji was Ektaa. She signed me on immediately. Since then it’s been a rollercoaster ride.”
Wowing women
Iqbal, who’s engaged to Sneha, is reluctant to acknowledge the female frenzy around him. “I’m shy. But once when Sneha and I were together, a 14-year-old NRI girl came up and said very innocently, ‘I find you very sexy!’” Ejaz reiterates in jest, “I pack up at 3 am. I don’t come across many women in my life (laughs). But my fans discuss my smile, the colour of my eyes, the mark on my neck-it’s pure unadulterated love.”
Love hunt
The besotted Iqbal is looking forward to his marriage next year. Ask him where his sex-appeal lies and Iqbal says, “Sneha says that it lies in being somewhere between a boy and a man. She finds my voice different from the others.”
Eijaz has a winding must-have list regarding his dream woman. “She has to be intelligent, individualistic and a good human being. I’d like it if she’s pretty and had long hair,” states this qualified engineer.
Khan on Khan
The self-assured Iqbal says that he accepted ‘Kavyanjali’ knowing that Eijaz was the lead. “We’ve no insecurity about each other. I may not be Naseeruddin Shah, but I feel decently competent.” Eijaz concurs, “I always hope that my co-actors are better than me. I’m happy to learn from them.”
Dreams tomorrow
The deeply religious Iqbal doesn’t make plans. “Wherever Allah takes me, I’ll go. But I want to play a negative character. Also, I haven’t shaved for a year,” he laughs pointing to his stubble.
Eijaz, a Balaji fanatic, declares, “It sounds like sycophancy but Balaji has made me live my dreams. This place is lucky. Ektaa’s passion is like that of a child in a candy shop. I’m not going to leave Balaji, unless they throw me out.”
Unaffected by material success, Iqbal’s philosophises, “To be a star you don’t have to go around wearing shades!” Eijaz asserts, “Mashallah! I love my work. I have a long way to go. I haven’t even scratched the surface.”
One more Khan
“I’m a born Khan. God is with me and so are my mother’s prayers. If I want something I will go out to get it. I want to move towards cinema too. I’d want my woman to be simple and caring and have long hair. Women say my sex-appeal lies in my eyes.”-Cezanne Khan
k_farhana@dnaindia.net
