Imran Khan recalls turning down gold iPhone during film promotions; netizens speculate ‘richer’ co-star to be Akshay Kumar

Imran Khan is known for speaking his mind and keeping things refreshingly honest. A recent clip of the actor has gone viral, where he recalls an incident from his promotional days that highlights his priorities in the film industry. In the video, Imran shares how he refused an offer that came with a gold iPhone, while a far wealthier co-actor happily accepted it. The internet has since been buzzing with guesses about the mystery star.

Imran Khan on choosing rest over perks

Speaking in an interview with Samdish Bhatia, Imran narrated the incident from a hectic promotional schedule. He said, “This story, I have told many times because it was a life learning for me. I was in Dubai for a promotional event for a movie. We spend a whole day doing interviews, by evening I was tired and then you have to sleep that day to get up at 6 in the morning the next day and catch a flight to London for another promotional round.”




Explaining what followed, the actor added, “So, it was 6 in the evening when we were done with Dubai promotions and I was done. I wanted a hot shower and go to sleep. The organisers came to me and asked me to cut ribbon of a store and that they will give me a gold iPhone in return of that.”

Imran made it clear that the offer didn’t tempt him at all. “I didn’t need a gold iPhone. I told them, ‘You keep the iPhone, I want a hot shower, a drink and I want a good night sleep.’ I said, ‘Main ja raha hoon’ (I am going),” he recalled.

A much richer actor said yes to the offer

While Imran chose rest over luxury, his co-star had a very different reaction. Talking about the contrast, he shared, “Another actor, who is richer than me, much much richer than me, he went to the store launch for that gold iPhone.” The comment instantly caught attention online, with fans trying to connect the dots and identify the actor Imran was referring to.

Internet links the story to ‘Once Upon Ay Time In Mumbai Dobaara’

Soon after the clip went viral, social media users resurfaced an old report by Gulf News stating that Akshay Kumar, Imran Khan, and Sonakshi Sinha were in Dubai promoting their 2013 film ‘Once Upon Ay Time In Mumbai Dobaara’. This led many netizens to speculate that the “much richer” actor mentioned by Imran could be Akshay Kumar, though Imran himself did not name anyone. Akshay Kumar is widely regarded as one of the wealthiest actors in Hindi cinema, with reports suggesting his net worth stood at Rs 2,700 crore in 2024, as per Forbes.

Akshay Kumar on being labelled money-minded

Interestingly, Akshay has addressed such perceptions in the past. In an earlier appearance on ‘Aap Ki Adalat’, the actor defended himself, saying, “Agar paisa kamaya hai toh loot ke nahi kamaya. Maine kaam karke kamaya hai. 8 saal se I have been the highest taxpayer. Toh, it cannot be that I am money-minded or anything. Money is an important aspect in life, you have to be practical.” (If I have earned money, I haven’t earned it by looting anyone. I have earned it through honest work. For the past eight years, I have been the highest taxpayer. So, it cannot be said that I am money-minded or anything. Money is an important aspect of life; you have to be practical.)

While the debate continues online, Imran Khan’s story has once again sparked conversations about choices, priorities, and differing attitudes towards fame and money in Bollywood.Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”