Filmmaker, producer, screenwriter Imtiaz Ali was spotted in Kolkata recently with his daughter Ida and took to social media to share pictures of some of their food adventures. In between eating his heart out at pretty cafes and street food joints, the Jab We Met, Rockstar and Tamasha director spoke to us about his definition of love in IG times, the romance of train journeys and more. Read on to know more...

I am from Jamshedpur; Calcutta was the first city I came to and still remains my favourite city in the country. I have been in the lanes of Kolkata several times and every time I try to discover at least one or two new places. This time it is a café in Hindustan park which is a beautiful, aesthetic place.

What I have been seeing from the last few years, the Hindustan Park area is developing nicely in the way it has retained the cultural richness of the architecture. Kolkata is unique in the way it is home to the highest number of skilled artisans for flower decorations, weaving, painting, pandal making and various life arts. Besides some of the best looking buildings, it also has the best food in the country and I try to get here as often as I can.

Jab We met was very edgy in terms of how it was placed with missing trains, runaway bride and a boy and girl sharing a room. At that point of time, it was different, now it wouldn’t be. If the movie is made again, there would be only superficial changes in the story. One thing that would play a big role is social media, So if Geet of present day elopes and goes into hiding, she will be off social media or wouldn’t use her own name on her profile.

I love travelling and more than seeing beautiful places I have enjoyed the fact that I felt very different every time I went out of my home space. My travel out of Jamshedpur was mostly on train to Kolkata or some other place, but it was a very dreamy kind of world for me where not only was I thinking of different things that I wouldn’t be thinking of in my regular life, but I was also anonymous. So I could give any name any story to myself. Travel and storytelling to me are intrinsically related.

Of all the things I do as a director, I enjoy shooting with music on set the most. The music directors that I have worked with have been true artistes and they have also been very gracious and generous in allowing me to come into the process of their music making. I owe a great deal to them for the fact that they have provided so much strength to my narrative, especially A R Rahman because he has taken the story forward to another zone with the music that he has provided for Rockstar, Tamasha and Highway.

There are parts of movies that I like but I am not my own fan. At one point we have been so engaged with these movies/songs that it doesn’t work for me in terms of entertainment anymore.

- Biryani from a renowned Mughlai restaurant in central Kolkata

- Tarun Niketan’s eating house for Bengali cuisine

- Iconic Park Street eatery for cakes: "Ida has been to Kolkata quite a few times and sometimes her birthday cake is ordered from the same Park Street confectionery. Both of us love it."

- Tangra for Chinese

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You get the best food in Kolkata at unnamed places and shops. A simple puri bhaji and chai or malai toast, absolutely inexpensive, are a few to name.