That Goa trip with friends — the one you keep talking about and social media never seems to stop talking about — has become almost a tradition. Even filmmaker Imtiaz Ali has a memorable Goa trip of his own, which he recently shared at the launch of the state’s first community radio station in Panaji on Saturday.

Imtiaz’s first trip to Goa was in 1993, after he and his friends earned some money by staging a play. With their first earnings in hand, they decided to head to Goa. “That was our first earning. I hired a bike and went to all kinds of places. That was the craze of being in Goa,” the Main Vaapas Aaunga director recalled.

But the trip also coincided with a significant moment in his life. While his father believed he was studying in Delhi, Imtiaz was beginning to question the conventional career path he was expected to follow. Around the same time, he had told his father that he did not want to pursue the UPSC examination or become an IAS officer.

“My father had no clue about this trip, as I was supposed to be studying in Delhi for UPSC. But at the same time, I had told my father that I didn’t want to do UPSC and be an IAS officer,” he said.

Instead of discouraging him, his father gave him the freedom to choose his own path. “My father became a very important person to me. He was the one who supported me and said, ‘You choose the line of your choice but do the best in it,’" Imtiaz recalled.

Imtiaz was speaking at the launch of Goa’s first community radio station in Panaji, where he was joined by actor Rahul Bose and actress Bhumi Pednekkar.

Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali exudes a saint-like calmness, which is surprising in a field where tension tends to run high. In conversation with Sonal Kalra, Managing Editor (Entertainment & Lifestyle), Hindustan Times, at the Tension Not Twitter spaces session, Ali said his craft is his secret. “Interest ka kaam hai, mazaa aata hai, tense wali feeling nahin hoti,” said the 50-year-old.

The director of cult films like Jab We Met (2007), Highway (2014), Tamasha (2015)seemed almost like a rockstar as excited listeners couldn’t hold back their questions. Excerpts:

I love travelling. I’m from Jamshedpur, which is not a big city. We had to travel to Delhi or Kolkata for everything. My father worked on irrigation projects and he used to take me on tours. I’d feel a weird romance while travelling. Wahi cheez abhi bhi chal rahi hai. I have a suspicion that I deliberately write films where I’d get to travel!

I deliberately do not make political statements in my movies. It’s not that I’m scared... If there comes a time when I want to say something political, I will. But I understand the kind of reach films have, and I don’t like to show ignorance that I might have about politics.

One was Aaoge Jab Tum from Jab We Met. I was embarrassed to shoot it as it seemed slow, boring. I used to tell the sound guy to only play the part we were shooting. It’s a blessing that I get to hang out with people like Pritam Chakraborty, A R Rahman sir, tons of musicians, lyricists.

Many! I feel a sense of responsibility... This is when the power of cinema jumps to me. Aap ek kahaani likhte hain, aapko andaaza nahin hota ki aisa asar pad sakta hai. This is why I try to make films from the heart, with as much honesty as I can.

Listen to the full session: https://twitter.com/i/spaces/1yNGaYeooqnGj