The charismatic Pathan finally opens up on his life, love and dreams
A very special three part Rendezvous with Imran Khan, kicks off this Sunday Catch the living legend of Pakistan, Imran Khan, on 'A Rendezvous with Simi Garewal'
Sunday, April 9th at 9.30 pm on Star World

Mumbai, April 4, 2006: Legends do not come any bigger than this. Arguably Pakistan's greatest ever cricketer, today he is a charismatic politician fighting against injustice and autocracy. While his personal life has seen quite a bit of upheaval in the recent past, he has characteristically maintained a dignified silence till now.
In a special three part Rendezvous, the legendary Imran Khan opens up like never before, and provides the answers to all the speculation. The first part of this exclusive Rendezvous kicks off this Sunday, April 9th at 9.30 pm only on Star World.

In this first episode, the focus is on Imran, the cricketer and Imran, the son. Here are a few excerpts from the conversation...

Excerpts from the interview:
Simi: Cricketers entertain, but you always want to do serious things. Does it affect the way people look at you?
Imran: Actually it depends on your credibility. Fame helps you with name recognition. But ultimately it is the credibility, which counts.

Simi: You were ambitious, even as a young boy… is it true?
Imran: Oh yeah, I was always a dreamer. Age of nine onwards, I had no doubts that I would play for Pakistan. It was just the question of when. I thought I'd be the youngest cricketer ever. And then when I started playing at the age of 18, I had this ambition of taking 10 wickets in a match!

Simi: You discovered new talents, didn't you?
Imran: Well, I discovered because I had these scouts who used to tell me which player is doing well. That's how Inzamam-ul-Haq was discovered. I knew he was a great talent when I saw him play for just 5 minutes.

Simi: What has changed in cricket since your innings?
Imran: The positive change is the quality of fielding, which has gone way up. The negative side is the quality of fast bowling has gone down a bit. We need more wicket-taking bowlers. Someone like Shoaib Akhtar concentrates more on the bowling speed rather than the wicket taking part.

Simi: In whom do you see the potential today? Here I am talking about the Indian cricketers.
Imran: Irfan Pathan. He very much reminds me of young Wasim Akram. You can have all the talent but if you do not have the character to translate that talent into performance then it's wasted. Irfan has it. He is a lion hearted cricketer.

Simi: You dated some of the most glamorous woman of those times… movie stars, models, Emma Sergeant, the painter. They were obviously attracted to you. But were you attracted by them because of their glamour?
Imran: What attracts other people, you will never know. There can be some glamorous people who are unattractive. Because they become quite self-centered, self-obsessed, actually boring. It's actually the personality, which is the key.

Always written about and never heard, here is your chance to find out how Imran Khan sees himself. Rendezvous with Simi Garewal on Sunday, April 9th at 9.30 pm.

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