Jab We Met (2007), Love Aaj Kal (2009) and Rockstar (2011) have shown us that Imtiaz Ali is at his best when helming love stories. You would think the gritty thriller, She, is almost a deviation. But the filmmaker surprises us when he says, “[With She], I am not getting out of my comfort zone. I am getting into it. There is a lot of drama, discovery, intimacy and journeys that I have not been able to bring to the screen before.”

In the crime drama, Aaditi Pohankar’s constable character Bhumi goes undercover as a sex worker to discover the secrets of Mumbai’s underbelly. While Imtiaz serves as the writer-showrunner of the Netflix offering, filmmaker-brother Arif Ali has resumed his place behind the camera for the upcoming second season. Being a director at heart, is it easy to step back and not interfere with another filmmaker’s vision?

“I never step in as the director. Sometimes, for a particular scene, if Aaditi or Arif [seek my guidance], I go as a friend or an associate. I have no interest in directing something that another director is working on. I would hate that [to happen to me] as a director. I can call the shots on my turf, but not here.”

Stepping into the role of a showrunner is not easy, Imtiaz admits. “I have to approve what Arif directs. It’s difficult because people do things differently from how you do them. It’s not better or worse, it’s just different. So, it’s important to collaborate. I am learning to create a space where two minds work [together].”

The first season had some drawbacks — from the barely fleshed-out central character, to the inherent male gaze of the show. Being a male writer, does it get difficult to develop a woman-led story? “I have never thought of it that way. As a man, I am more fascinated with women [and their stories] than of men. I might write something that people do not like, or it might be at odds with their world view. But with She, I am telling a story. That said, I have learnt a lot from the women in my life — my mother, daughter and my friends — and that reflects in my work.”

Arif Ali and Imtiaz Ali

Known for his romantic dramas, Imtiaz Ali discusses why he chose to explore the thriller genre for his maiden digital offering, She
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; March 22, 2020)

One would believe that Imtiaz Ali and crime thrillers don't go together. After all, he is the mind behind some of Hindi cinema's famous love stories. But Ali says he was happy to give in to the allure of the uncharted path as he explored the thriller genre with She on Netflix, his maiden digital offering. "I did not plan it [the shift of genres]. I am glad that I am doing something I am not associated with. It's my first web series, so I might as well make a new beginning," he says.

Though he always writes and directs his projects, She sees Ali as a writer and show runner with the directing duties assumed by filmmaker-brother Arif Ali and Anaarkali Of Aarah director Avinash Das. "I realised I could not do everything, as making a web series is like making four feature films at the same time. So, I preferred to look after the creative side and hand over the directorial reins to them."

Starring Gully Boy (2019) actor Vijay Verma and Aaditi Pohankar, the film revolves around a female cop who has a self-awakening journey as she joins an undercover operation to expose the underbelly of Mumbai. The filmmaker was not tempted to rope in big names from Bollywood, instead focusing on the demands of the roles. "In the digital world, it is all about the actor [being the perfect fit for] the character. Most web show actors, especially in the US, became big names due to their performances in the shows."

Will Work Harder To Understand Audience: Ali On Love Aaj Kal's Failure
Ali's last Bollywood outing, Love Aaj Kal—a modern twist to his 2009 outing of the same name—was panned by critics and audience alike, with some cinegoers even demanding a refund on their tickets. Ali agrees that he has introspected since the film's failure. "I will have to work harder to understand who I am talking to and how I should be telling the story for them to enjoy," he says, before adding, "It's not the question of what I did was right or wrong. I did what I felt at that point of time. I hope to get an answer from the audience over time. Some films are appreciated much later. For instance, Sholay did well after weeks [of its release]. I am not saying my film was a Sholay, but nowadays, we only look at short-term gains at the box office and not at a film's longevity."

MUMBAI MIRROR (January 16, 2017)

Sunidhi Chauhan thought playing a bored housewife in her acting debut would be a cakewalk. But, Playing Priya wasn’t an easy job
Aastha Atray Banan (MID-DAY; July 10, 2016)

"I always wanted to act, but I was never confident enough,” says singer, and now actor, Sunidhi Chauhan, over the phone from New York, as she is currently touring America. We have all heard Chauhan singing ever since she was 13 (her first song was Ladki Deewani Dekho from Shastra in 1996). Her later hits included Mehboob Mere (Fiza), Dhoom Machaale (Dhoom), Dance Pe Chance (Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi) and Girls Like To Swing (Dil Dhadakne Do). She also appeared as a judge on Indian Idol 5 and 6 and a coach recently for the Indian edition of The Voice (2015).

Chauhan is all set to play the heroine now in the short, Playing Priya, which has been produced by Humara movie and directed by Arif Ali. “Ali had watched a couple of my shows and knew I could perform. He said I needed to start acting. When he read the script to me, I told him this was the movie I wanted to start my acting career with,” says the 32-year-old. The fantasy thriller is about a bored housewife who finally gets some alone time when her kids go to school and her husband is out of town. But, then something happens that forces her to behave a certain way. “Something happens that makes her react. But, by the time you realise how she plans to deal with it, the movie is already over,” she laughs.

The singer, who faced the camera as an actor for the first time with this film, remembers thinking that it would be a cakewalk for her. “It seemed like such a simple movie, and so I thought ‘itna toh main kar hi loongi’,” she says. But, it was harder than she thought, as most of her scenes featured her alone, and hence, there wasn't much “reacting” but a lot of acting. “There isn’t much dialogue. I am playing someone who is home alone. I have to pretend as if no one is watching and be myself. That's hard,” she says of the short film that was shot in 23 hours.

It would seem like she made a good impression though, even if it was her debut. Ali, who directed Chauhan, says, “She was a complete natural. She has given 20 years to singing. If she concentrates a bit on acting too and gives it a few years, she can be a full-fledged actor; she has a bright future as one.” Chauhan, on her part, is ready to take on her next acting gig if a good offer comes by. “It’s quite difficult and I had to mentally prepare myself for this one. But, now that I am in the groove, bring it on!” says the singer.

Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 18, 2016)

Arif Ali planned a surprise birthday bash for big brother Imtiaz at the filmmaker's Andheri residence to ring in his 45th birthday on Wednesday. And in keeping with the writer-director's dislike for parties, it was a low-key affair with dinner and the customary cake while conversation flowed well past midnight.

Close filmi friends and a couple of assistants clicked selfies while Ranbir Kapoor made a guest appearance. Casting director Mukesh Chhabra and singers, Sunidhi Chauhan and Irshad Kamil, were also in attendance.

While reports claimed that Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma were at the do as well, a guest from the get-together refuted this with a resounding "no". "Even if they wanted to come over, Imtiaz would've asked them not to. He hates parties, is socially awkward and definitely doesn't like celebrating his birthday. This was as private as private gets," the guest asserted.

Upala KBR (DNA; September 10, 2015)


Says a source, “The film will reveal a tale of innocence set in a self-consumed, conniving environment. The casting is yet to be complete but the the team is looking at names like Ranbir Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor and Varun Dhawan to play the main leads. Buzz is that the film has been inspired by the lives of two great male singing legends of that era — friends, yet competitors as far as their singing was concerned.”

Arif says, “I was struck by the simplicity of the concept. The narrative will flourish through our screenplay and songs.”

Co-producer Arjun N Kapoor adds, “Every nuance of this musical saga is being meticulously planned to re-create the period this film belongs to.”

The film goes on floors early 2016.

Priya Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; July 3, 2014)

Arif Ali, 39, is the younger brother of the romantic filmmaker Imtiaz Ali. He is curious, experimental and secure. He believes in family and human beings and is not in a hurry to do things. To him, quality of life is more important than material things. Over an hourlong conversation ahead of his upcoming romantic film Lekar Hum Deewana Dil, he talks to Bombay Times about his beautiful mother, his insightful brother Imtiaz Ali and his dream of re-uniting with his wife and children. Excerpts:

You have debuted as a director at 39. How did you become a director?
We come from Jamshedpur where there are really no good colleges, so you have to move out after Class XII. Imtiaz had already moved to Delhi and by the time I finished school, he had come to Mumbai and was studying at XIC (Xavier Institute of Communications) and then was working at Zee.

My parents were happy to send me as Imtiaz was already here and I did my Eco Honours at St. Xavier's College. My friend's dad Shridhar Kshirsagar was making this television serial called Khandaan and needed Hindi writers who could translate from English. Since my Hindi was good, he called me to Bangalore for a couple of months while I was still in first year of college. He gave me my first air ticket to go to Bangalore. Prior to that, I had travelled only second class, and many a times even ticketless, from Jamshedpur to Mumbai and back. Invariably, we would be too many boys and just a few girls so even if we got a berth, we would give it to the girls. Ultimately, during the three years that I was in St Xavier's College, I travelled only without a berth. We would spread newspapers on the floor and sleep on it. All the chaiwallas in the train had become my friends and knew my taste. Travelling in AC was neither affordable nor considered macho. So you can imagine how I would have felt traveling by air first time, staying in a nice hotel, that too in a city like Bangalore that was considered so cool. Imtiaz had been working as the  Rs 1,500 flunkey, who would deliver tapes in Zee TV. He was always in the office 24x7 surviving on his tea and a packet of Bourbon biscuits. But by the time I was in second year of college, he had left and I took up the flunkey job at Zee alongside studying. Post completing my graduation, I took up a job at Cinevista, where I wrote for a detective show and then wrote Sanjivani, after which I started independently producing and directing TV shows. I then joined UTV full-time as creative director for about five years, where I did a gamut of stuff before I left them in 2009 to pursue making my own film. To sustain my family, I needed to keep writing for TV. Imtiaz and I had decided that he would not help me and I thank him for that. Being an elder brother, there is a natural tendency to help, but he had learnt by swimming in the water himself and he allowed me to do that. When I was doing TV at UTV, Vikas Bahl (Director of Queen) was in the films division and he used to like my writing a lot. He asked me to write a film for him and while that film did not happen, I later wrote Lekar Hum Deewana Dil and the first person I sent it to was Vikas. He loved it and said, `I think you should direct this film.' Vikas quit UTV and I continued doing TV till I met Dinoo Vijan, whom I knew due to Imtiaz doing Love Aaj Kal. Dinoo loved the script and decided to produce it.

Your relationship with your older brother Imtiaz Ali?
I call him bhaiya. We are best friends and grew up together. He has broken my head twice and I got stitches when we were younger. I would try to hit him back but physically , he would overpower me. He was very popular in Jamshedpur. Our schools were next to each other and in a small town like Jamshedpur, everyone knows everybody . He was good at everything, be it studies, sports, speaking and drama. He was very agile and could jump over the fence at once. He would not practise, but would still walk out with medals in sports. And on top of that, he was good-looking. In my school, there were girls only in Class XI and XII and even though they were my seniors, they would come to me and be nice to me. And I would feel kicked till one day when I realised that all that attention was because they wanted to be introduced to my brother. I was envious of him. But when he moved to Delhi, I realised the void in my life and really missed him. That is when we became best friends. He is very intelligent, aware and insightful about people. He has always taken himself seriously and that is a good thing as it's a sign of confidence. He is more self-absorbed than I am and unlike him, I am a bit of a fool and a tubelight in a way. But meri tubelight jalti hai ultimately, and woh bhi brightly. He has always been giving relationship advice to everyone from the time he was 18. There would be his friends queuing outside his house to take his advice and there was this joke that anyone who took advice from him would land up in a broken relationship and yet everyone wanted it. He would tell me also, 'You are a duffer and should do this.' Fortunately, I didn't listen to him. I love him the way he is and we can talk about everything. The only thing I would like to change about him is that at times he can be obstinate and headstrong and he may even regret it later. But that's him. Even though I am most attached to my mother, she is most attached to Imtiaz. She is beautiful and he has got his looks from her.

Why did you choose to make a youth love story?
I vibe with 20-year-olds very well. Even my tastes in life are that of a 20-yearold. For instance, the colour of my car is electric blue, I listen to their kind of music. As against fine dining, I like eating out at canteens, I like using trains abroad and will go everywhere with my backpack. I love sports and whenever I can play, I do that. I feel I am still 20 mentally .

How different are Imtiaz and you?
We both love our kids and our parents. Our parents are conventional but have given us a lot of freedom and encouragement. We are both extremely loyal. He is very grounded. He lives frugally and does not have a fancy car or apartment and is interested only in making films. Imtiaz is sufi and has always done his own thing and is a little aloof. I have always been the most dependable guy in the family who a relative will call if they come to Mumbai. With Imtiaz, either they will not call him or he will find a way to put them on to me. The only thing my mother likes me more for, over Imtiaz, is that she knows I will take her calls and, if busy, return her call immediately. With Imtiaz he may not call her back even in a week and may totally forget about it also. I am much more responsible than him, take fewer risks and feel that I have to work harder than him to achieve the same thing as he has a natural flair and intelligence. I do things slowly but surely. Imtiaz is mentally much older than I am though I have a stronger sense of responsibility.

Which was the toughest part of your journey?
I was 30 when I got married to Atiya Hussain who I have known from Jamshedpur since we were kids. She is an economist and a journalist and for the past one year is working in Geneva with the World Trade Centre where she lives with my two kids Nafisa (7) and Zafar (5) along with her parents who live there. She had to take up this job as, after the film happened, it took a financial toll as you don't really get paid for your first film. In the last one year, while making this film, I came close to breaking down as after my family left, I once went to the bank and realised that after paying off my EMIs, I was left with only Rs 400 and had no cash to withdraw. I had no idea where I would pay my driver from. I came close to selling my car and actually put it out on sale. I cut down my expenses drastically wherever possible. I saw my kids after 11 months, two months back. On the flight, I was overtaken by the anxiety as to how they would react to me and wondered what if we don't feel connected to each other. I reached there, changed quickly and went to their school that was a five-minute walk. They were playing. Usually, I would spot my child immediately but it took me some time, but I managed to spot Zafar. He came forward, hugged me and spoke to his friends in French and I said, 'Wow.' They didn't come and stick to me though they acknowledged me, but then slowly they kept coming back again and again and finally we had a really amazing time.

Atiya may need to work there for another one year, but eventually I am looking forward for them to return to India. A lot depends on how my first film is accepted. It just takes one film to change your life. Inshallah! I hope so.

BOMBAY TIMES (July 3, 2014)

The first day of shooting, that too for a song, in Mumbai's J J School Of Art was difficult. Reason being its close proximity to Mumbai Police Headquarters. As director Arif Ali says, “Every time we played the song, cops would come and ask us to stop the music. How could we shoot without the song? We had lots of shots lined up for the day and I was worried if I'd be able to get through as we had permission only for that day to shoot there."

As a part of the actors' workshop before the shoot, Arif and producer Dinesh Vijan took Armaan Jain and Deeksha Seth to a nightclub in Goa. After partying hard, they intentionally left Armaan behind, without any mode of transport. He managed to return to the hotel only by 4 am.

After another night of partying, the four were returning to the hotel on motorcycles. Unfortunately, Dinesh and Deeksha's motorcycle ran out of fuel on the way. Arif and Armaan were oblivious to this fact and reached the hotel. Meanwhile, the actress and the producer were left stranded until a jeep stopped by and the driver offered to help them.

Dinesh calls the director 'the youngest guy on the team' because of his youthful exuberance. He recalls, “At the party after wrapping up the Goa schedule, Arif jumped into the pool and landed on his head. The next two weeks, he shot with a cast around his neck."

When on the set, Armaan would always be asking questions. The makers joke that the actor would be a clear winner in college contests like JAM - Just A Minute, in which the participants are required to talk non-stop for a minute. “Armaan would easily ask the most questions in a minute," smiles Arif. Deeksha was called 'Google Rani' on the set. “She's very curious and is an avid reader. She'd give gyaan on everything,“ says Arif.

While Deeksha was told to click a picture every day, Armaan was asked to do breathing exercises and practise meditation. The actor was also assigned the task of making short films, as that would enable him to perform better as an actor.

Lekar Hum Deewana Dil, produced by Illuminati Films and Eros International, releases July 4. 

Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 19, 2014)

Director Arif Ali had planned to start the score of his directorial debut Lekar Hum Deewana Dil with a party song and sketched out the situation to his composer, double Oscar winner, AR Rahman. "But as is usual with Rahman sir, we recorded Beqasoor, a song we were in no hurry for, first while this one kept getting pushed," laughs Arif.

Rahman explain that he didn't want to do a regular club song and was wondering how he could make it different. Arif didn't believe in forcing a deadline on Rahman since pressure never works with him, and let this song simmer on slow fire.

Then, one day, on a flight to Chennai, with his lyricist Amitabh Bhattacharya and producer Dinesh Vijan, Arif fell asleep. To keep himself from getting bored, Dinesh took his cell phone and started playing the scratches Arif had taken from Rahman earlier. When Arif awoke, Dinesh told him that one of them, Nainon se, nainon se, might work as a party number. The director conceded that with the right words it might work and the duo turned expectantly to Amitabh who excused himself to take a loo break.

He came out of the bathroom and told them excitedly that he had got it. Khalifa came to him in a moment of epiphany. In Chennai, while recording Tu Shining, they sounded out Rahman.

"I liked the word Khalifa. There's a popular American rapper by the name too. The word's significance in the religious context dates back to a 1000 years, but it is also used today by the younger generation as a synonym for 'Hey Chief'," the composer explains.

And so while simultaneously recording Tu Shining, Rahman started on Khalifa, orchestrating everyone's moves. Amitabh started writing the rap portions, the lyrics a mix of Hindi and English. Shweta Pandit who was sleeping in one corner of the studio, was roused and pushed behind the mic. Hriday Gattani who was singing Tu Shining was told to sing Khalifa too.

But later when they were brainstorming on the album, it was felt that song needed Rahman's voice to add punch to it. "I was supposed to sing Allahda but they wanted me to hum Khalifa instead," reminisces Rahman who was persuaded to sing a couple of lines. And the verdict was unanimous-it had to be Rahman.

The promos had to come out in two days time and Rahman had to leave for Los Angeles so they were on a tight leash. On the day of the recording, Rahman was down with a bad cold. "Finally, we recorded Khalifa at 2.30 am. We were under a lot of pressure but when I heard it the next morning it sounded all right and I felt at ease," recalls the Mozart of Madras.

Khalifa took off a year after it was first planned. And Arif was a satisfied director. "It is not a usual Rahman song yet I was confident it would work. But with all the music that is happening, I was not surprised that it took time to pick up," says the director.

Rahman however was worried by the initial reactions. "I knew people would take time to digest Khalifa but when they ripped it apart saying, 'What is this song?' I tried to figure why they didn't like it. People are so quick to judge," he sighs. But the initial reactions changed and today, Khalifa is playing everywhere.

Priya Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; June 17, 2014)

Ranbir Kapoor is a full-on football fan and recently, even acquired rights to own his own football team. His younger cousin Armaan Jain, who will be debuting in Arif Ali's Lekar Hum Deewana Dil is also crazy about the game. The two cousins will be playing a friendly match with brothers Imtiaz and Arif Ali in Chembur at one of the foot ball grounds today . What's interesting is that both Ranbir and Armaan will be wearing jerseys of the countries they support.

And while we know that Ranbir is a good player, we will wait to see how Armaan plays. Who knows he may find a place in Ranbir's football team if he is good enough.

Imtiaz Ali talks about life after divorce and explains his role as a mentor
Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 17, 2014)

The Jab We Met director was busy with pre-production work but looked relaxed when Mirror caught up with him. Excerpts from a conversation:

You look like a different person after splitting from your wife Preety?
Yes, I am. I had become very formal in my approach to everybody. Marriage is so artificial; it comes with so many dos and don'ts that not only make you claustrophobic but also mediocre. It reduces you to a ch***a version of yourself, you play roles to meet someone else's expectations. Today, I say things as they are. I'm not hypocritical. I am as open-minded as when I was in school and college.

Would you say you are happier now?
(After a pause) I'd say I'm angrier and sadder as well. It's a mixed bag of emotions.

Do you hate the institution?
Actually, the men who stay married hate the institution of marriage more (smiles).

Will you marry again?
I don't know. Who can predict the future? Right now, I'm focussed on my next film, Tamasha. Ranbir (Kapoor) and I had been talking about it for ages. It takes off in July.

What is Tamasha about?
It's a personal story which will be played out in an effervescent manner.

Is it your signature theme again--boy and girl unsure about whether they are friends or lovers?
Not exactly, but yeah, it'll definitely have something in common with my earlier films.

Which film is closest to your heart?
Highway.

Not Rockstar? Ranbir was flawless...
Yes, Ranbir was terrific, but Rockstar was a defective film. There were many jumps in the story and things which no longer make sense to me. And I faced so much criticism for casting Nargis Fakhri.

Do you regret the decision?
No, the film may not have worked for her, but working with another heroine who knew Hindi better would have fostered mediocrity. The challenge to work with Nargis raised the film's intensity.

Highway did wonders for Alia. How did you zero down on her?
Ranbir used to tell me that Alia is very talented and I should meet her. I had met her when she was five years old. And I still thought of her as a kid. Then, one day, I bumped into her at a screening. One look and I knew I had to make Highway with her.

Recently, you collaborated with Vinay Mishra to mentor directors on short films...
Vinay is a school friend and I like being associated with short films. Today, with technology taking giant strides, wouldn't you like to watch interesting content on your phone? Vikramaditya Motwane, Vikas Bahl, Anand Gandhi and I are on board. I've mentored young talents like Krishna Hooda, Atanu Mukherjee, Ankit Yadav, Shikher Kalyan, Amrit Raj Gupta, Ankit Tripathi, Palash Vaswani, Premendra Sawant, Rukhsana Tabassum, Shikher Kalyan and Priyank Vyas. I gave them some suggestions but I have yet to see the final scripts.

And did you mentor your brother Arif Ali who is making his directorial debut with Lekar Hum Deewana Dil?
I was involved with the story when it was being written. But later, when I got busy with Highway, Arif handled things on his own. He was the one who messaged (A R) Rahman sir who instantly replied with a 'yes'.

It's being said that Rahman has become repetitive and should focus on Indian films rather than Hollywood...
I disagree; every composition of his brings a smile to people's faces. When he puts a composition like Jai Ho on the world map, India gains from it.

Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 16, 2014)

BOMBAY TIMES (May 14, 2014)

A R Rahman’s next venture in Bollywood is director Arif Ali’s Lekar Hum Deewana Dil. LHDD, as we told you a few days ago, marks the entry of Raj Kapoor’s grandson Armaan Jain and South import Deeksha Seth in Bollywood. The film is all about making mistakes and growing up. It takes audiences through the journey of two friends who take decisions, face consequences and learn from them. 

As in the case of other Illuminati films like Love Aaj Kal and Cocktail, the USP of LHDD is its music. Khalifa is the first track to come out and is programmed with an electronic music base. 

Ankur Pathak (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 12, 2014)

Imtiaz Ali's younger brother Arif Ali is making his directorial debut with the Saif Ali Khan-Dinesh Vijan produced Lekar Hum Deewana Dil featuring Ranbir Kapoor's first cousin, Armaan Jain, in the lead. Arif wanted somebody fresh out of college and wasn't prepared to cast a senior actor who could "pass off as a college kid". Abhishek Varman, the director of 2 States, recommended Armaan who was an assistant director on the sets of Karan Johar's Student Of The Year.

To get this Kapoor lad to the film sets, Arif had to knock on the doors of Krishna Raj, Ranbir Kapoor's bungalow. He knew the star through his brother Imtiaz who'd directed him in Rockstar. And when he told Ranbir he wanted Armaan in his next film, the actor was in shock. "Ranbir was like, 'Are you sure you are talking about Armaan? He's a kid!'" Arif recalls with a laugh.

But once Ranbir was convinced, he dropped a word to his cousin, who was initially apprehensive about taking up the role.

"At his age, guys are still equipping themselves with the arsenal required to be an actor. Armaan was quite under-prepared to act in a film which reflected in his first few auditions. He was terrible! Not that he was incapable, he was just under confident," Arif reveals.

Lucknowi kebabs came to the rescue. Weeks before the film was to go on the floors, Imtiaz, Ranbir, Armaan and Arif met up at Illuminati Films' (Saif and Dinesh's production house) Bandra office where they the bonded over a scrumptious spread of the famous grilled meat.

"Ranbir had a long conversation with Armaan there and explained to him that the time of fun and games is over. It was one of those 'brotherly conversations' which set you up for life," says Arif.

"He told Armaan that we knew what we are doing. While we were willing to invest faith and money in him, he needs to perform. From the next day, Armaan was a transformed kid - extremely receptive to new ideas and committed to the film." After this, Armaan was stripped off his privileged lifestyle. Arif packed him off to the North with limited cash and a second class ticket.

"He was horrified, but took the plunge. And the experience really helped him open up," he says, admitting that he had warned Armaan that if he did not perform, he'd be thrown out. "I told him that I did not care about him being a Kapoor. I had waited five years for my film to happen and I can wait another five."

The gamble paid off and the month-long trip in austerity fetched remarkable returns. "I'm waiting to see what RK has to say about Armaan's transformation," says Arif. "I haven't heard from him yet." 

Garima Sharma (BOMBAY TIMES; May 7, 2014)

Summer gets a dose of romance with director Arif Ali’s debut film Lekar Hum Deewana Dil, which marks the entry of Raj Kapoor’s grandson Armaan Jain and actress Deeksha Seth in Bollywood. Arif, director Imtiaz Ali’s brother, tells the story of two friends, who face the consequences of their decisions and then learn from them.

Says producer Dinesh Vijan, “The film is all about making mistakes and growing up. It reflects the ‘act first, think later’ sentiment of today’s youth and how relationships fail over unrealistic expectations. We are excited about our collaboration with A R Rahman too. He has created a young and new sound, which is unlike anything we have heard before.”

Adds producer Sunil Lulla, “After Love Aaj Kal and Cocktail, we are excited to team up with them yet again after. This is the perfect movie to continue our association with generation next love stories.”

Lekar Hum Deewana Dil, produced by Eros International and Illuminati Films, releases July 4.

BOMBAY TIMES (May 6, 2014)

AR Rahman on his stand on the music royalty tiff, his forthcoming projects and photography being his new pursuit
Asira Tarannum (MID-DAY; January 20, 2014)

That music maestro A R Rahman lives out of a suitcase is a known fact. But what amazed us when we met him after the press conference for Imtiaz Ali’s upcoming film Highway was his unbridled energy. Having flown in from LA, Rahman headed straight to the video shoot for one of the songs from the film, before turning up for the press conference. When MiD DAY caught up with him, a jetlagged yet patient Rahman sat down for a quick chat.

How was the experience of working with Imtiaz again?
Working with Imtiaz has been great. When we started out, we thought there wouldn’t be any room for a song; we were looking at accommodating just a lullaby. But once work began, we found potential for songs and now we have composed around nine tracks for the film.

Your work keeps making you travel back and forth — one day you’re in LA and the next day has you shooting a video in Naigaon…
I don’t shuffle around every day. I have been working on the score of a Hollywood film for the last two months, but at the same time, I worked on Highway’s music.

Over the past few days, the tussle over royalty rights has been making headlines. Your comment?
I’d say that it’s a good thing that a law protecting musicians’ rights has been passed. We needed a law in favour of musicians and artists. Of course, it will be difficult for the whole system to change drastically but I think people will eventually find common ground. Personally, it pains me to see someone who has composed great songs get so little in return for his/ her work. Often these talented people don’t even have enough money to change the curtains, or to get petrol for their car — this is unacceptable. Even if a person has composed just one song, he/she should be entitled to a royalty amount for it. It needn’t be a big sum, but it should let musicians live with some dignity.

You are the only artiste who commands royalty for a film’s music. Did you sign away your royalty when you came on board for Highway, which has T-Series backing the music?
I don’t want to go into all that.

How do you spend your free time?
I am very interested in photography now; I have been clicking photographs of my children in my spare time. Of course, they don’t like the attention. They get irritated and ask me to leave them alone.

Tell us about your upcoming projects.
I am leaving for Chennai now and then heading to the Grammy Awards the day after. I am also making music for a few Bollywood films, including Paani and Arif Ali’s upcoming film with Armaan Jain.

How difficult was it to get Alia Bhatt to sing?
Luckily for us, Alia has a good voice — it’s an inborn quality that helped her pull it off. I even asked her if she learnt singing to which she replied in the negative. I think she will do well in music if she were to pursue it seriously for two years. It’s not very often that one comes across someone who is beautiful, talented and can also sing.