One of the renowned filmmakers of Bollywood, Imtiaz Ali is praised for his storytelling with deeply layered characters and exploration of self-discovery. With his latest project Main Vaapas Aaunga, he is creating buzz; it also showcases his passion for cinema and his ability to extract honest performances. During a recent event, Imtiaz reacted to fans who left their corporate jobs after watching the Ranbir Kapoor film.
Imtiaz Ali on fans leaving their corporate jobs
During an interaction at Boman Irani’s Spiral Bound writers’ convention, the filmmaker opened up about the heavy weight of his audience. Imtiaz Ali expressed deep feelings of guilt and responsibility for inspiring fans to quit their stable corporate careers to pursue artistic dreams, a trend largely sparked by his 2015 cult-classic film, Tamasha.
He stated, “I feel terribly guilty. Recently, I went to Boman Irani’s Spiral Bound, a writers’ convention, and he did a magnificent job with it. A lot of new writers were there. So many of them came up and told me they left their jobs and are watching Tamasha, and now they’re writers. The instant thought that came to my mind is, I hope they succeed.”
Explaining about his concern beyond individuals who made drastic life decisions after watching the film, he said, “If they don’t (succeed), then I become responsible for the disaster in their lives. I feel responsible and guilty towards the person but also towards their whole families, their wives, suffering children and parents. Their parents may have had aspirations ki mera beta engineer banega aur aage America mein kaam karega (that my son will become an engineer and work in America in the future).”
While he supports their pursuit of a creative dream, the filmmaker remains conflicted about the practical and financial fallout of their life-altering decisions.
For the unversed, Tamasha is a 2015 coming-of-age-romantic drama written and helmed by Imtiaz Ali and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala. Starring Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone in lead roles, the film explores the struggles of finding one’s true identity and breaking free from the robotic, monotonus conventions of modern society.
About Imtiaz Ali
Imtiaz Ali is a director and writer best known for his emotionally resonant, travel-centric romances. He began as a production assistant on television, writing concepts and directing TV programs like Kurukshetra and Imtihaan.
He gained widespread critical and commercial success with cult-classic films like the 2007 film Jab We Met, the 2011 movie Rockstar and Tamasha (2015). He founded the production company Window Seat Films, which produced projects like Highway and Tamasha. He has also ventured into writing for digital platforms, such as the web series She and Dr Arora.
His upcoming project is Main Waapas Aaunga, which is set against the backdrop of the 1947 Partition of India and spans decades to tell a sweeping cross-generational story of enduring love, loss and the power of memory. The film stars Diljit Dosanjh, Naseeruddin Shah, Vedang Raina and Sharvari, among others. It is scheduled to release in cinemas on June 12.