Imtiaz Ali: ‘I Can Kill 25 People In A Minute On Screen, But…’

‘…depicting a love story is hard.’

Celebrated for crafting swoony romance dramas, Director Imtiaz Ali returns with another exploration of love in Main Vaapas Aaunga.

Set against the haunting backdrop of Partition, the period drama boasts an ensemble cast featuring Naseeruddin Shah, Diljit Dosanjh, Sharvari and Vedang Raina.

“Today if there is so much violence in the world, then there is also need for people to see something beautiful, to see something loving. Because they are missing that in their lives,” says Imtiaz as Mayur Sanap/Rediff listens in.

How was Main Vaapas Aaunga envisioned?

When Amar Singh Chamkila was released, there were a lot of articles about the ‘Return of Imtiaz Ali’.

(A R) Rahman sir called me one day and said, ‘Everybody is saying you are back. Where had you even gone?’

Basically, he called me to say, don’t be upset, it’s a nice thing.

Anyway, that’s not why this film is called Main Vaapas Aaunga. The reason is that it is a story about going back.

Tell us more.

I feel that everybody in the world wants to go back to something that he or she has lost. Everybody feels that I have left something behind, I want to go back to that.

Some people can go back, some people can’t.

This is such a story.

It is about a young man, who is now 95 years old on his deathbed, and suffering from Alzheimer’s. This thought comes to his mind again and again that when he was on the train during Partition, leaving his land, his people, his love, against his will, he had promised that he would come back.

Because of Partition, the story becomes very dramatic. But it is actually a love story.

Why did you decide to use Partition as the backdrop for this story?

I have met a lot of people in Punjab, Bengal, and all over India. People, who are in their 80s or 90s, and have seen Partition. I have met people who have lost their memory. They don’t remember where they are, how old they are. They don’t remember their son, their daughter.

They only remember their (life in) pre-Partition, undivided India.

They remember their homes, their people, their things. I have met a hundred people like that. I have met them in different cities, and they have inspired me to make this film.

I wanted to make it now, at this time, before they die. They have forgotten the horror. But they remember the love.

They remember the girl who used to live in that house. They remember their cycle. They remember their doll. They remember all those things.

I felt this is not represented in our cinema. In our cinema, there has been a representation of violence and hatred only. Which may be valid, but this side is also there.

I will give you an example of a true story.

A woman in her late 80s was on her deathbed.

She kept asking, ‘Did you keep my doll in the sandook (trunk)?’

She was hallucinating. She felt she was still crossing the border at the time of Partition. She was not worried about her children. She was not worried about anything else. She was worried about that doll, and that love survived everything.

Is there a Partition-based film that you particularly like?

Tamas told us many things. It was provocative, yet balanced. I really appreciated it.

Deepa Sahi, Om Puri…there were so many good actors in it.

How challenging was it to balance the theme of Partition with the softness of a romantic story?

My focus is on the love story.

It is about a dying man and his memories about this girl that he has loved. The reason for their conflict is Partition. So, I have not tried to balance it out. I have just tried to tell that story purely.

I have kept it simple.

The girl symbolises home.

She symbolises dignity.

She also symbolises beauty.

I have focused on that love and longing.

Is there anything in your life you would like to go back to?

Childhood is something everybody misses. Innocence is something that constantly gets sacrificed in life.

There are some symbols of the place where I have spent my childhood in Jamshedpur.

I have a house that comes in my dreams, the company quarters where I grew up.

No matter how many houses I buy today, that place will always be my house.

Is this why longing has always been a crucial part of your storytelling?

I guess, yeah. Longing is not only a part of my storytelling, it is the most important emotion for all humanity. For all artists.

Even English poets have written that we yearn for what is not (there).

Our sweetest stories are of the saddest days.

As they say, the personal is political. When you talk about Partition, it is inherently political. In today’s time, where the world is consumed by so much hate, is it challenging to tell a story rooted in love?

It is not difficult at all. I realised that during the making of Amar Singh Chamkila. At the highest time of conflict in Punjab, Chamkila became the biggest star because he was singing fun songs. He was not talking about the bad times.

Whenever there is a certain situation in society, the reverse is also needed. It is like yin and yang. When there is a lot of harshness in the world, there will be people craving for love.

This story is like that.

Why is this love so important for this old man who is dying? It is because his life is so hard. He needed that love more than people, that is why it remained alive in his heart till the end of his life.

Today, if there is so much violence in the world, if that’s what you are saying, then I believe there is also need for people to see something beautiful, to see something loving. Because they are missing that in their lives, and cinema has to give what people are missing in their lives.

How much has your definition of love changed from Socha Na Tha to this film?

Whatever I feel about love today, it is there in this film.

The definition of love might be changing. I was confused before, like Viren (Abhay Deol’s character in the film), and I am still confused.

I will stop making films on an issue, whether it is love or politics the day I think I have understood it fully. I think making a film is a medium to explore the issue. My characters are just reflective of who I am.

As a creative person, when you write a story and then direct it, you relive the same emotions again and again. Do you find yourself getting emotional through that process?

Yes. But it doesn’t happen all the time.

Your films often gain cult status after their release. As a filmmaker, does that amuse you?

For me, Main Vaapas Aaunga is my attempt at love at first sight. I hope people will love it the very first time they see it. I have tried to make a film which is not simplistic. It has layers.

But I have tried to improve my game. The scenario has changed a lot in the last four-five years after COVID. That’s why certain films are tracking better than others.

Some genres are easy. Some are not.

I can kill 25 people in a minute on screen, but depicting a love story is hard.

In a love story, the pace will move slowly. My challenge is to make it captivating.