When Imtiaz Ali talks about his art, you listen. That’s credibility the man has established for himself through characters and stories like Highway and Rockstar that one gets naturally curious to uncover how he conceived of them.
The filmmaker is now about to release his new project based on the life of the late Punjabi singer ‘Amar Singh Chamkila’, featuring Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra. To promote the same, he did a Reddit AMA on the r/india community and answered questions about his creative process and the upcoming film. Here are some of the things he said –
1. I am a 16yo and want to pursue filmmaking but have no idea how to. Can you pls provide any type of guidance regarding how do I enter the industry and if should I opt for joining film schools?
“I feel, you should go in the zone of your interest. Try to do as much work as you can – make short films on the digital medium, do theatre.”
2. Which Bollywood/Hollywood romantic movies are your all-time favorite? If you could choose any actor/actress (living or dead, any era) for your romantic movie, what will be your dream casting for actor and actress?…
“It’s a time thing, for me, it is Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak. Dilip Kumar and Madhubala…”
3. Sir, as a writer, I’ve read all your scripts and studied them and I love the little nuances and little descriptions you offer in them. What’s the process behind your writing? How can I become a better writer?
“IDK whether you should follow me as a writer. I feel, I am a director that writes rather than the other way. I imagine sequences in which there are people talking and I simply record them down as a writer. That is a process I employ in writing. Apart from that I might be a very uneducated writer.”
4. What made you choose Diljit and Parineeti for the roles of Chamkila and Amarjot?
“When you see the film, I am sure you’ll say this was the only perfect cast. I needed actors who could sing! Diljit for a fact as he has lived in Punjab – he believes he is the No. 1 Chamkila fan in the world – entitles him to be in this movie. Parineeti has a striking resemblance to Amarjot.”
5. Do you think our industry today has anybody like Chamkila?
“Chamkila actually did a lot! He wrote lyrics, made compositions, told musicians what to play, and then… he sang! Right now, in the music industry, I feel many people are like that. IDK how Prateek Kuhad works, but he could be. I think there would be many – but I need to know their process of working to finalise the answer!”
6. Chamkila is infamous for his controversial lyrics – according to you was his music bold or controversial?
“I do know his music was controversial. That became one of the reasons for his death. His work was bold but not in a provocative way – he was just trying to record what he has seen around in his own life. He was specifically famous for his lyrics and we have tried our best to replicate it.”
7. Could you talk about how growing up in Jamshedpur has had an impact on your work?
“Jamshedpur is a highly cosmopolitan place and I have grown up amongst various communities that have spoken many languages, making it easy for me to get into anybody’s home culture! That has been the impact on my work!”
8. Out of every character in your movies, which character defines you? Which character depicts Imtiaz Ali?
– khabib73
“I hope that I have not really represented my own character in any of my characters. There is nobody like me, per say. But there is a glimpse of me in every character.”
9. What’s a characteristic unique to Indian film industries you like? Does your reality shape your art, or does your art shape your reality? What is an actor to a director? And what would you say is the most important role of a director/storyteller in a society?
“What I can tell you as an insider, that it is an industry of dreamers – that is unique! I think my reality shapes my art- I am in a way like Chamkila, I depict what I have seen. I guess my reality is also shaped by art – now that I am making movies. An actor is a paintbrush for a director with who he can create and tell story that is in his heart. Therefore, the connection with the actor is always heartfelt one.”
10. Is it easy to get cast in your movie as an outsider? What all do you look in for an actress for a lead role?
“What I am looking for is – suitability in terms of look and more than that – the character. Apart from that, I would like, great acting ability and an insightful person!”
Imtiaz Ali is one of those artists whose name is enough of a reason to convince someone to watch his work, regardless of the ultimate outcome. He’s the director who got Highway out of Alia Bhatt at a time when she also did Student of the Year.
Earlier this year, Orry also did an AMA and lived up to people’s expectations – Orry Recently Did A Reddit AMA & Here’s All The Scoop He Spilled About Bollywood And His Life