Imtiaz Ali opens up about his buddy RK, his leading ladies, marriage and movies
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 23, 2015)

At a time when fellow directors are scrambling to meet the deadline, Imtiaz Ali has completed his upcoming film, Tamasha, ahead of schedule. The film was supposed to be a Christmas treat, along with SRK's Dilwale and SLB's Bajirao Mastani, but now is opening on November 27. "Once we started shooting, we realised that what we'd planned for later could be done now. The momentum carried us through," he smiles. The film is imagination stemming from reality, a mix of Asterix, street plays and love. "A new journey in a known world, not as outlandish or unusual as Highway, which revolved around the relationship between an abductor and his abductee," Imtiaz says.

Living in the spotlight, how much of his life is a tamasha, you wonder, and he quips, "Everybody's life is a tamasha. To quote Shakespeare, 'All the world's a stage and all the men and women merely players.' Yes, there are times when I feel my personal life is amplified but as Prem Chopra says in Kranti, the film industry is a 'do dhaari talwar', you become a name and lose your anonymity. It's not a happy thought. I've learnt to tolerate it as an occupational hazard," he sighs, saying the way to combat the intrusion is to take the people in your life into confidence so they're not caught unawares.

A year ago, he had vented against marriage, saying "it is artificial; comes with so many dos and don'ts that not only make you claustrophobic but also mediocre". Today, he asserts, that marriage is complicated, and you just have to be open and hope for the best. "Every marriage has different dynamics. I tried to be honest when I was in it myself. It didn't work, no regrets, some good things happened," Imtiaz shrugs, adding that he's not against the institution but is not looking for it actively.

His daughter, Ida, is one of the good things to came out of the marriage? Is she showing signs of following in his footsteps? "She has a mind of her own and I want her to grow organically. Since she was a child, she wanted to listen to stories and now she and I tell each other stories," he smiles. "But she's interested in designing too, so I'll let her decide. Meanwhile, I'm learning a lot from her."

His estranged wife Preety and he seem to have made peace too and are even working on a film together, a contemporary version of Laila Majnu. Imtiaz admits that he was fascinated by the love story and spent a lot of time reading up on it, then, wrote some scenes to understand the relationship better which turned into a script. "I felt it should be made into a movie but I didn't want to direct it myself. I wanted someone young and new to do it. My brother, Sajid, is directing it and Preety is producing it. This particular film was planned a long time ago and the plan hasn't changed. Fortunately, when I'm working, it's just work so its not difficult at all," he says.

Imtiaz admits that there are lots of other scripts he plans to sift through, decide which ones to farm out to others and which he'd like to helm himself. But this will happen only after Tamasha when he has a better idea of what he wants to do next. Talking of Tamasha, Ranbir Kapoor is looking at it to resurrect his career after Besharam and Bombay Velvet. Isn't that a lot of pressure on him given that the actor is a friend? "I feel extremely fortunate that I've got an opportunity to work with Ranbir. To quote a line from Rockstar, yeh bada janwar hai. He's a great actor in the guise of a star and not one to be damaged by a few films not working," asserts Imtiaz "I don't know if Tamasha will put him back on track but having seen what he's done, I'm confident."

He's also gung-ho about leading lady, Deepika Padukone whom he describes as an outstanding actor now that she has conquered her natural shyness. "She was always enchanting, now I see why," he smiles.

Alia Bhatt also graduated from Student of the Year to an actor of substance with Highway. He must feel like a proud mentor? "It wouldn't be fair to the lady if I took all the credit," he says chivalrously. "Alia is a born actor who was waiting to happen."

Randeep Hooda was quite cut up that she walked away with all the accolades and awards despite a sterling performance by him. That surprises Imtiaz, "Randeep is a pure actor, only interested in the film doing well. He's called me many times since the film released and told me Highway was very fruitful for him as it showed him in a new light."

Last year, Imtiaz's personal life was making more waves than his professional commitments. This year it's been rather quiet on the relationship front, even though he was spotted on a flight with his model girlfriend Iman Ali who left India to return to Pakistan last year. "I didn't like being in the tabloids at all so I think I'll leave that question alone. If I answer it, it'll only become another tamasha," he quips, tongue-firmly-in-cheek.

Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 1, 2014)

On September 10, Mirror had reported that Imtiaz Ali's girlfriend Iman Ali has returned to Pakistan. This had given rise to hushed whispers that the couple is no longer together. Well, it's official now. A close friend of the filmmaker admitted that the duo has indeed split.

But the Jab We Met director is not nursing a broken heart after losing his steady date who was last seen in Shoaib Mansoor's 2011 film, Bol. She then migrated to Mumbai in search of a Bollywood career but couldn't make much headway. The twist in the tale is that now Imtiaz is getting close to his estranged wife Preety Ali.

When contacted, Preety did not deny that things are getting better between her husband and her. "Imtiaz was always very close to me," she admitted.

Better still, the two have started working together on a film which will be co-produced by Ekta Kapoor and Preety. The film, tentatively titled Laila Majnu, will go on the floors shortly.

Speaking about the project, Preety revealed that it is a love story. "But it is not a remake of the 1976 Rishi Kapoor-Ranjeeta starrer Laila Majnu," she asserted. Interestingly, Imtiaz is helping Preety with the script. In fact, he is writing most of it. And Imtiaz and Preety are on the same page. Confirming this, Preety said, "Imtiaz is very involved with my film. He is the creative director."

The film has another Ali connection. Imtiaz's younger brother Sajid Ali will be directing it. He has replaced Ravi Jadhav, who directed the National Award winning Natarang and Balgandharva. Jadhav, a big name in Marathi cinema, has also helmed hits like Balak Palak and Timepass.

"Ravi behaved unprofessionally so Sajid Ali was asked to take over," added the source.

With her husband and brother-in-law for company, Preety is in a happy space today.