Directors Cut

Imtiaz Ali is a picture of patience. With some spice thrown in,of course. While he doesnt blink before a volley of unimaginative questions (How do you feel in Kolkata?

Imtiaz Ali is a picture of patience. With some spice thrown in,of course. While he doesnt blink before a volley of unimaginative questions (How do you feel in Kolkata?,Will you work with Tollywood stars?,Did you like the biryani at Aminia? and last but not the least Do you think Love Aaj Kal will be a hit too?) he politely explains the one-question-a-breath scribe,the importance of thinking before speaking. Why do you journalists ask these questions would anybody possibly say that he is not liking a city when hes there to promote his film? he laughs.

Two films later,Imtiaz is the toast of B-town with the big budget Love Aaj Kal ready for release. Its a big city film. In fact,the film shuttles between time zones and metropolises across the world Delhi,Calcutta,San Francisco, he says. The issues Imtiaz deals with in the film,are mostly big city as he puts it. However,the Jamshedpur-born directors heart remains with small town India. I am equally comfortable dealing with the big city madness and small town romance in cinema. But I am more fond of the small town, he smiles.

Kolkata was just appropriate for his story. Since the film spans two generations in two countries,I wanted to work in two cities that had some visual connection. Both Kolkata and San Francisco have bridges and trams, he explains.

Travel,an important motif in his previous films,(remember the train ride in JWM and the road trip to Goa in Socha Na Tha?) finds its way back in Love Aaj Kal too. I guess travel creeps in because personally I love travelling, he adds.

Love Aaj Kal,like his previous endeavours,brings back a strong-willed woman in the centre of the film. I have known very strong,determined women in my life. Their influence naturally translates into my work, he reflects. They are usually more intelligent than men, he adds with a laugh.

Though he is not looking at reprising his scriptwriters role in Ahista Ahista for any film in near future,he doesnt mind if somebody makes a movie on a story written by him someday though. And as for happy endings,he is not a sucker for them. When I am watching a film,I dont necessarily look forward to a happy ending. Its just that happy endings were the only way my films couldve ended. It isnt some sort of a ploy or my trademark either, he adds.

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Directors Cut

Imtiaz Ali is a picture of patience. With some spice thrown in,of course. While he doesnt blink before a volley of unimaginative questions (How do you feel in Kolkata?

Directors Cut

Imtiaz Ali is a picture of patience. With some spice thrown in,of course. While he doesnt blink before a volley of unimaginative questions (How do you feel in Kolkata?