Imtiaz Ali recalls experiencing the biggest ‘humiliation’ of his life when he failed the ninth standard: ‘When I had to repeat the class…’

Imtiaz said that at this time, he was living with his relatives in Jamshedpur as his father had just been transferred. “I was staying at my relatives house, who owned cinema halls in Jamshedpur. Two theatres were very close to the house, so I was just watching films those days,” he shared, and added, “Parents were not there in those days, because transfers happen during the academic year, and I was already studying here so it might be because of this.”

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Imtiaz mentioned that even before this, he wouldn’t have described himself as a “good student.” “I was very good in the beginning. I got a double promotion also, when I was promoted from KG to Class 2. Then I was mediocre, and then I failed in Class 9 and after that, I became a good student.”

Imtiaz Ali eventually went on to study at Delhi University’s Hindu College and later moved to Mumbai to study at St Xavier’s College.