From Jab We Met and Love Aaj Kal to Rockstar, Highway and Tamasha, filmmaker Imtiaz Ali has built a body of work that continues to resonate with audiences across generations. Known for stories that blend emotional depth with unforgettable music and deeply human characters, he has carved a distinct space in Indian cinema. During his recent visit to Hyderabad to watch audiences react to his latest film, Main Vaapas Aaunga, Imtiaz spoke to CE about the city’s love for cinema, the art of storytelling, the role of music, learning from failure and more.
Hyderabad, it turns out, always leaves him with one immediate thought. Talking about what comes to mind every time he returns to the city, he laughed, “I feel hungry every time I come back to Hyderabad because the food is good. I feel while I am here, I should also get a sada paan on the way out.”
His visit, however, was about more than food. Sharing how audiences in Hyderabad welcomed Main Vaapas Aaunga, he said, “Hyderabad has responded very beautifully to the film. Traditionally, we feel that Hyderabad is in the south and they don’t watch Hindi films that much. But obviously, it’s a very cosmopolitan place. People have even created artwork and posters for the film. People in Hyderabad and Andhra Pradesh are the craziest about cinema.”
That admiration extends to the Telugu film industry as well. Reflecting on Hyderabad film culture, he shared, “It’s an amazing culture, and we feel very encouraged by it. Here is a state — now two states — united by one regional language, yet look at the scale of the Telugu film industry. The number of films it produces, the audiences it draws, and the success it enjoys are remarkable. Today, Telugu cinema is known across the world, with films earning global recognition, including at the Oscars. That is something we feel very proud of.”
Although many of his films have become synonymous with love stories, Imtiaz admitted that the word itself rarely guides his personal choices. His perspective on love is quite different from what many might expect. “I am not really bothered about what love means. I do not consider this word when making life decisions. I feel there are compulsions. I need to do this because there is a calling. I need to do it because it feels like the best thing to do. I even understand that I need to serve people. But I am not thinking about what love is in my daily life at all,” he responded.
Character building, however, isn’t something he approaches with a fixed checklist or set of traits too. “I don’t have any parameters at all. I don’t develop characters separately. I just develop the story and the characters all together,” the filmmaker explained.
Recalling the most emotionally difficult scene to shoot in Main Vaapas Aaunga, he revealed, “The tragic scene of the grandmother slitting the throats of the young girls was terrible to shoot, and we had a tough time filming it. After that, all of us were very uncomfortable for a long time, and we couldn’t speak.”
Not every well-written scene survives the editing table. Looking back at moments that did not make the final cut in Main Vaapas Aaunga, he shared, “There were a few scenes that were making the duration long, and I had to drop them. One of them was a very nice banter between Keenu (played by Vedang Raina) and his sister Phoola (played by Aliyah Khan), while she was teasing him about Jiya (played by Sharvari), and he was being nasty to her.”
Surprisingly, what unsettles him most is not a blank page but a finished film. Reflecting on what stays with him after watching his own films, he admitted, “Because I have never encountered a finished film. I watched Main Vaapas Aaunga recently for the first time, and even then I felt some things were still incomplete. They are very small things, not quotable moments, but details like a line from Nirvair Grewal's last conversation in the car that could have been cut, or Keenu's pause before entering the storeroom with Jiya. I do not want to look for what could have been better, but those things naturally come to my mind.” Imtiaz further added, “When I watch other people's films, I just watch them. However, while watching my own films, I keep thinking about what comes to my mind and what could have been better. I watched The Odyssey a couple of days back and was just blown away. Of course, I am a literature student and have studied The Odyssey, so I was not thinking about what could have been better because everything was good.”
Among the many moments in the film, one sequence excited him more than most. Remembering the shoot he had been eagerly waiting for, he described, “We were all looking forward to shooting the train scenes, and I was particularly excited because we had been planning them for a long time. We went to a station, where the trains and engines were parked. My Director of Photography, Sylvester Fonseca and I chose the right engine, played out the scene, deciding who would come where, and I really enjoyed that.”
Music has always played a defining role in Imtiaz’s cinema, often carrying emotions that words cannot. Explaining how music naturally finds its place in his films, he stated, “It’s an instinctive decision that usually happens while writing the screenplay, when I feel music should come in and something needs to be expressed through it. Usually, music opens up the third dimension in films because things that cannot be said through regular dialogue can be conveyed through lyrics or simply through the atmosphere the music creates.”
Even after years in cinema, some stories take their own time. Looking back at the idea that stayed with him the longest before becoming a film, he shared, “Up till now, I think Highway. Highway was on my mind for at least 12-13 years before it finally got made.”
Opening up about the creative process of how he writes and directs his films, Imtiaz Ali noted, “There is no process. I just write the script as things come to mind and put everything down as it comes. While directing, of course, I make sure I've spoken to everyone concerned on the set. At the same time, I'm always thinking about the next step. If I'm shooting a scene, I'm already thinking about the editing, and that defines how the shots should be. I try not to follow a process as such because production already brings enough process into making a film.”
While choosing actors for the film, he believes, begins with finding the right fit. Describing what matters most while casting, he highlighted, “Suitability comes first, and they need to be committed to the core of acting rather than the peripheral of acting.”
Reflecting on how his idea of success has changed over the years, Imtiaz expressed, “I don't know whether there was a definition to success. When I came to Mumbai (earlier known as Bombay), my definition of success was simply having a rented apartment and a house where I could bring my wife. After that, there was no definition. I don't think I've been very successful in life. But seeing so many people here reminds me that their love and admiration are truly a blessing.”
Days away from work are not something he enjoys either. Describing how he spends time when he is not working, he laughed and said, “I hate off days. My daughter was saying the day before yesterday that one day you should not work at all, and she herself works a lot, so she understands. But I said that would kill me because, to entertain myself, I have to at least think about some story, write something, or do something about it.”
Years of filmmaking have also changed what he believes is truly essential on a film set. Reflecting on the lesson he wishes he had learnt before directing his first film, he expressed, “There is nothing you need to know for filmmaking when you are on a set except the story. You just need to know the story and every detail of it very well because you have to explain it to people. Initially, I thought I did not know about cameras, lensing or sound designing, but that is okay because everything can be learnt. What you truly need to know is the story.”
He is also quick to dismiss one common myth about directors. He mentioned, “The misconception is that we are always shooting, but we are not. If I make one movie in two years, it shoots for only 50 to 70 days, and that is all we shoot.” (laughs)
Failure, he believes, only becomes meaningful if it teaches you something. Reflecting on the lessons that setbacks have left him with, he shared, “Failure teaches you to listen well, although it is possible to fail and still not learn that lesson. However, if failure helps you listen better, you are becoming a better filmmaker. It teaches only one thing, which is to rely on what you can create, whether it is a better story, performance, set or atmosphere, instead of depending on what you feel other people will bring. It also reminds you that good work comes from creating the right situation. You cannot assume that a good actor will automatically perform a scene well or that a skilled cinematographer will deliver their best. Instead, you must collaborate with them in a way that enables them to do their best work.”
Speaking about what inspires him, Imtiaz said, “People, their emotions, feelings, simplicity, and innocence inspire me.”
That passion is also what keeps him moving forward. Sharing the driving force behind his work, he noted, “I am lucky to be doing the work that inspires me, and I would have died if I didn’t do it.”
Before wrapping up, the filmmaker summed up his cast of Main Vaapas Aaunga in one word each. ‘Diljit Dosanjh, freshness. Sharvari, spark. Vedang Raina, true.’ When it came to describing himself, he smiled before offering a single word that perhaps captures both the filmmaker and the man behind the camera: ‘Enigma’.