Imtiaz Ali wins hearts with his response on working in the film industry with a Muslim identity: I have no reason to forget anything

Imtiaz Ali

Imtiaz Ali is one of the most successful and respected filmmakers in the Hindi film industry. He has films like 'Jab We Met', 'Tamasha', 'Rockstar' and now 'Amar Singh Chamkila' to his credit. Recently, the filmmaker won hearts and applause with his response to a news anchor who asked him about his Muslim identity.

During an interview with Aaj Tak in front of a live audience, the anchor asked Imtiaz, "Aap Muslim hai ye bhulkar aap ye industry mai kaam kar sakte hai? (Can you work in this industry forgetting your Muslim identity?)

Responding to the question, Ali calmly said, "Mai ye bhi nahi bhul sakta ki mai Jamshedpur ka hoon, mai ye bhi nahi bhul skata ki mai Hindu college ka hoon, mai ye bhi nahi bhool sakta ki mai Bombay mai rehta hu. Mai bahut saare cheezein nahi bhool sakta aur mujhe bhoolne ki zarurat kya hai. Mujhe kisi bhi cheez par koi afsoos ya shame nahi hai. Toh mujhe bhoolne ki zaroorat hi nahi. Mai sab kuch yaad karke ye film industry mai kaam kar sakta hoon. (I cannot forget that I am from Jamshedpur or the fact that I am from Hindu college. I cannot even forget that I live in Bombay. I cannot forget a lot of things and I do not even have the need to. I have no regrets or shame about anything. I can work in this industry while remembering everything)."

About Imtiaz's latest release 'Amar Singh Chamkila':

The movie is based on the lives of Punjabi artist Amar Singh Chamkila and his wife Amarjot Kaur, whose songs became massive hits in the 1980s. The director shared interesting insights about the movie, including how he convinced Diljit Dosanjh to play Chamkila, the challenges Parineeti Chopra faced in recreating Amarjot's music, and much more.

Imtiaz told IMDb during ‘On The Scene', "When I spoke to Diljit, I assumed that since he is a musician, he would have heard about Chamkila from his childhood, especially being from the same area as Chamkila. So he knew everything about Chamkila. When I spoke to him for the first time, I found out that he had already made a film loosely inspired by Chamkila's life events."

"However, I had specific knowledge because I had conducted thorough research. I listened to stories and met people who knew Chamkila and Amarjot 36 years ago when they were alive. I met Tikki, who played the dholak and was Chamkila's close friend. He was a mercurial character who greatly influenced Chamkila," he added.
When asked what draws him towards actors who are artists, the director replied, "There have been artists in my films. I don't know whether I do it because I am a writer and director. But I also feel interested in the lives of those people who don't toe the line, so to speak, and they do something unexpected that makes their lives more dramatic for cinema."