Insists he charges less than Bosco Martis
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 22, 2018)

Sajid Ali’s directorial debut, Laila Majnu, which is written by his filmmaker brother Imtiaz, also marks the latter’s foray into choreography. “Since a lot of my choreographer friends are threatening me by turning directors, I deemed it fit to threaten them by choreographing a song,” Imtiaz jokes, adding that he has always been interested in the song-and-dance aspect of cinema.

The song, titled “Sarphiri,” is sung by Shreya Ghoshal, was shot in Kashmir and picturised on the film’s leads, Tripti Dimri and Avinash Tiwary. “It’s a slow, lyrical track, perhaps the most beautiful melody in the album. It has been composed by Niladri Kumar, a sitar exponent, who plays with Zakir Hussain, and shot in the living spaces of contemporary Kashmir where we see the girl’s college, the guy’s house, the streets of Srinagar, and all of that,” the filmmaker-choreographer informs.


Imtiaz, who has previously shot in the state, including his Ranbir Kapoor and Nargis Fakhri-starrer Rockstar and Highway, featuring Alia Bhatt and Randeep Hooda, couldn’t be happier about returning to the Valley. “Many of the crew members from the two films, who are my friends, were present for this shoot. I’m so glad that so many films are going back to Kashmir,” he says.

As a parting shot, Imtiaz insists that he is taking the new job seriously. “I’ve been telling all my friends to hire me as a choreographer. I tell them I will charge less than Bosco (Martis, choreographer, who had worked with the filmmaker on his last directorial, the Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma-starrer Jab Harry Met Sejal). I’m not a dancer so I can’t do the dance moves, but I am good with picturisation,” he concludes, tongue firmly in cheek.