Did you know Imtiaz Ali's family owned many talkies which propelled his love for cinema?
In an interaction with Netflix India, Imtiaz Ali revealed how his journey towards storytelling began. He also revealed that his family owned several talkies
- Entertainment News
- 3 min read
If you think that ace director Imtiaz Ali’s directorial ventures are all about travel, meeting and falling in love, then you may have been mistaken to uncover the underlined essence of his visual serenity. Known to have to leave a lasting impression on viewers with his Sufi yet modern take, Imitiaz’s inspiration and love for theatre and cinema are deeply rooted in his childhood. In a recent interaction with Netflix India, the filmmaker revealed how his journey towards storytelling began.
But while doing so, the director also unveiled that his relatives owned several theatres in Jamshedpur, where he grew up watching stories onscreen through vivid angles. This part of his childhood propelled the mind of Imtiaz into the world of stories. During the interaction, Imitiaz Ali also detailed his friendship with theatre projectionists who would often allow him to load the reels of movies.
Imtiaz Ali’s ancestor’s legacy
In the video released by Netflix, Imtiaz said that he had access to various cinemas in Jamshedpur as his relatives, not one, but three film talkies namely Jamshedpur Talkies, Star and Karim Talkies. As a kid, he would go to these places, sit in the projection and watch movies through odd angles. Sometimes the characters would appear huge, and sometimes ‘very small’, however, to be in that room for him was ‘enchanting’.
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I as a kid had access to cinema theatres in Jamshedpur because my relatives owned Jamshedpur Talkies, Star Talkies and Karim Talkies. Even when I was a kid the gatekeepers knew me, the projectionist knew me. Hence, I could go up to the projection room and watch. I made friends with the projection there, wherein once in a while he would ask my help to load the reel as well. I was very fascinated by the atmosphere of the theatre. It did not matter what movie was running but just the melodrama, the sound, the music, the big faces and when you look at a screen from odd angles; like very close to the screen, on top from a balcony, where you can just huddle and sit on the floor and watch – Amitabh Bachchan’s face looks huge and on the other side of the screen, Rekha’s face looks small but you still enjoy that. So for me to be in that room was spectacular, just to be in that world was enchanting.
On the professional front, Imtiaz Ali’s last movie that ran on the silver screen was Love Aaj Kal. Starring Kartik Aaryan and Sara Ali Khan, the film was a spiritual successor of the 2009 film of the same name. The filmmaker also helped with the script of the crime-drama web series She.