Zoya Akhtar's brand of cinema enjoys a strong fan base and loyalty. As a filmmaker, she knows how to strike the right balance between cinematic liberty and realism. Her previous feature film, Gully Boy, was proof that the filmmaker can bridge the gap between the audience and the silver screen. 

In an interview with Aaj Tak, Javed Akhtar opened up about what made him unsure about his daughter Zoya making Gully Boy. The veteran lyricist and poet said in Hindi, "Yeh jab bana rahi thi Gully Boy, toh mujhe lag raha tha ye kaise banayegi? Arey tum Bandstand pe rehti ho, chhuttiyon mein London, America jaya karti thi. Hong Kong jaati thi. Kahaan tumhe yeh sab (Mumbai's underbelly) ke baare mein kya malum hoga? Aisa main dil mein sochta tha. Bolne ki to himmat nahi thi mujhe (When she was making Gully Boy, I thought ‘How will she make it?’ You stay in Bandstand, and go for a holiday in London, America and Hong Kong. How would you know about all this? I used to think about it, but never had the courage to tell her)."