One quick glimpse at filmmaker Imtiaz Ali’s filmography and his romance with locations and landscapes is evident. At the 10th edition of the India International Film Tourism Conclave recently, Imtiaz addressed this romance.

When we caught up with him for a quick chat, he said, “I love travelling. If I am not shooting in a beautiful place, then I feel ‘What a waste!’ and if I am shooting at a beautiful spot, then I wish I wasn’t shooting, then I would have enjoyed this place. So, I am somewhere in between. But I am inspired by places. I feel like a different person when I travel. It is a liberating experience. It reflects in my stories, too.”

Imtiaz’s next is a biopic on Indian singer and musician Amar Singh Chamkila. While the movie awaits its digital release, the filmmaker has finalised two stories. “I have already written a few scripts. There’s something based in the Northeast of India. Then there’s something I have written about Turkey and my travels there. In a way, both are romance, as there is a man and a woman and a lot of that,” he said.

While Imtiaz isn’t keen to shed much light on his upcoming movies, these projects would mark the filmmaker’s return to the theatres post-pandemic. “This is a time of great creative unrest. A lot of things that used to work in a certain way earlier, will not work now. The audience, including us, is behaving in a uniquely different way post-COVID, as far as going to the theatres is concerned. The numbers that Pathaan and Jawan have achieved are unimaginable, but then there are also films that the audience doesn’t want to watch and it’s very clear. At this point in time, it is up to the filmmakers. The creative aspect of filmmaking will be tested. We will have to come up with better things,” he admitted.

How does that make the Rockstar director feel? He replied, “It makes me feel invigorated. You have to dive deeper; the jewels are deeper. You cannot gloss over. But that’s the circumstances in which good art emerges, historically. In that way, I feel very encouraged by what is going on.”

Imtiaz’s last two releases, Jab Harry Met Sejal (2017) and Love Aaj Kal (2020) didn’t perform well at the BO. However, the filmmaker believes that failure just opens new doors for him. “Most of the things I planned for myself didn’t come true and they were not good plans. I wanted a job as an advertising copywriter, and I failed at it. I got a job at a film company and I became a director within a year. I could have never imagined becoming a film director, otherwise. Many more cases of such failure have escalated me to a higher level. Failure has always opened many doors for me,” he explained.

Recently, multiple reports suggested that one of Imtiaz’s most popular films Jab We Met (2007), will soon head for a sequel. While Imtiaz denied the reports earlier, he tells us why he chose to not refute the rumours sooner: “Somebody starts a fire, and it turns into smoke. I knew that it wouldn’t be (true) because I would have had to be involved if there was a Jab We Met sequel. So, these were rumours. The more I would talk to the media and clarify, the bigger the story would become. Sometimes, the best way is silence and in two days if you don’t talk, everyone will know it is not true.”