❖ Introduction

INTRODUCTION

Imtiaz Ali is an unconventional contemporary film director, producer and writer who likes to convey his stories in an artistic manner. His movies are exceptionally real and characters are flawed, full of imperfections which make his movies even more realistic and relatable. He fathoms the conscious and unconscious of the audience and that’s how he has carved a niche for himself- cult director of romance genre. His movies are more inclined towards the philosophical aspect, in which many of his characters go through some kind of ‘self-discovery’ journey where two damaged souls attempting to heal each other through a journey. Imtiaz Ali was born in Darbhanga and spent some of his early years in Patna. He belongs to the Muslim family of Darbhanga in Bihar. He comes from a farming background; his father was a contractor who did irrigation job. His uncle through his mother is Pakistani TV actor. He did his early education in St. Michael’s high school, Patna and later in D.B.M.S. English School, Jamshedpur and later attended Hindu College, University of Delhi, where he took part in the college theatre and was also in Ibtida, the dramatics society of the college. Thereafter he moved to Mumbai and did diploma course from Xavier Institute of Communication. He’s now married to Preety Ali and also has a daughter named Ida Ali who is also a director. Imtiaz began his career directing TV programmes including Kurukshetra for Zee TV and Imtihaan for Doordarshan. He started his career with writing and television shows before making his directional debut Socha Na Tha with Abhay Deol-Ayesha Takia which was released in 2005, a simple romance escorted by multiple plot twist. He quoted later that it took 3 years to make that film. Socha Na Tha revolves around two strangers embarking on an impromptu journey and opening themselves to discovery. Jab We Met and Rockstar brought him into the spotlight. Jab We Met bequeathed him his special place in the Bollywood, apart from the huge success at the box office, this movie became turning point of his career in the commercial film industry, and quite surprisingly the entire script of Jab We Met was finished in two and a half day. Imtiaz Ali in an interview quoted “It was written in a very short period of time but then, it had been on my mind for long. So, when I wrote it was very quick; it just took about two days to finish. It is awesome; it is a blessing that the film is still being talked about. I have very good memories but I also have

memories of being stressed because it was the least amount of pre-production time I got for any film. I just had 21 days before we could start shooting.” It’s no secret that Imtiaz Ali has given the millennial generation some of the best romantic dramas. Through the movie Rockstar he was able to portray the struggle of a musician. Rockstar was a film with wounded hero and Imtiaz Ali flavored interjections every now and then and this movie is also considered as one of the best musical albums by any movie Bollywood has produced so far. It is a film that sweeps your heart with its profound pure humanity and heartfelt honesty and it captures the vulnerabilities and complexities of the characters perfectly. It is film about a man struggling to find himself, spiritually and artistically, another best work of the director is the movie Tamasha, most chaotic and most criticized movie of his. The rawness, helplessness of the characters was depicted so well. The writing and direction is indulgence. The movie dwells on finding the inner self. In contemporary Bollywood, love stories have undergone a far-reaching, fundamental transformation: from fighting the cruel world and family till the 1990s, lovers have been battling their own inner demons circa 2000. Have I fallen in love or is it just friendship? To commit or not to commit? Tamasha goes a step ahead, leaving behind these seminal questions to dwell on something even more significant: finding your true, inner self that has been lost to a robotic work life, to discover and embrace the clown lurking behind the automaton in you. In that sense, Tamasha could well be the next part in the Ranbir Kapoor-in-evolution series of Hindi cinema that boasts of films like Wake-Up Sid, Rockstar and Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani. There is definitely a good thought that Imtiaz Ali invests in Tamasha and some moments do come alive and reach out strongly. After all, a lot of us have been burning ourselves out; are caught in a rut, that too out of choice. Even the entire facade Imtiaz employs – of theatre, role-playing and storytelling – while referencing his own raconteur-filmmaker self, places Ranbir in a nice art and aesthetics context as against the mechanical mode. Rather than working on clichés he took bold topics like Stockholm syndrome to sexual abuse. Imtiaz gives us a portrait of two damaged souls who, through a journey across north India, help to heal each other in the movie ‘highway’. The idea of a victim falling in love with her kidnapper isn’t new – the Stockholm Syndrome in which the hostage forms an emotional bond with the abuser has often been cinematic fodder, especially in Hollywood. Imtiaz skillfully creates moments that are at once, tender, funny and fragile. Imtiaz Ali’s romancing the road is of a piece with his favorite plot device. This director is happiest and most-happy making when his characters are on the move, the breeze rustling their hair.

Imtiaz Ali in Love Aaj Kal 2009, managed to weave a tale about modern relationships, in all its frivolous glory, with just the right amount of frivolity and seriousness required to tell it. Critics say that this movie was way ahead its time and one of the finest works of the director. He is credited to be one of the most popular Hindi film makers who can touch the raw and throbbing nerve of the younger generation. He immaculately captures the pulse of new age romance. His romances aren’t conventional, you won’t get to see a clichéd boy meets girl fall in love story, rather the narrative is infused with portrayal of the character’s struggles and desires.