How stressful is it when your new film is being compared to one you made a decade ago, we wonder, and Imtiaz flashes a wry smile, “The fact that everyone asks me this question means I should feel stressed, but I only feel validated and gratified that people remember what I’ve done in the past and are hoping to find some of that in this film too.”
He’s quick to add that one doesn’t need to have watched the previous film to understand this one as it’s a fresh story with new characters. “The only common factor is the idea of two stories that are separated by an era, influencing the other,” he avers.
Same movie title:
“We didn’t want to confuse people. But, at the same time, I knew I had to tell the audience that it was the same concept as the original. Otherwise they would have felt cheated after watching the film. I didn’t care for Love Aaj Kal Reboot and was against a Part 2 appendage as that signifies an extension of the original story and people would expect the old characters to return. Finally, we bought the rights and settled on Love Aaj Kal,” he explains.
Once, Yash Chopra was the ‘King of Romance’, a title Imtiaz has inherited, though his love stories are not rain-drenched, with heroines in chiffon saris, but journeys of self-discovery through their quest for a soulmate. Today, when, like Sejal in Jab Harry Met Sejal, we are struggling to understand love, how would he define it? The query draws a disbelieving look, “I make movies about love not because I know the answer but because I’m wondering what the answer is.”
On Kartik Aaryan:
Imtiaz informs he’d met the actor for another film, but the fact that Kartik is living in a city after being in a small town, made him believe the actor understood different cultures. It made him the perfect fit for Love Aaj Kal, which revolves around two characters in different time zones. “He’d know where I am coming from, having heard stories like this from older people. He grasps things quickly, is accessible and in the right age group,” Imtiaz says.
On Sara Ali Khan:
He has known her since the making of the earlier Love Aaj Kal, with her dad. Imtiaz describes his new leading lady as a modern girl with a long career ahead. “She can change the concept of the Indian film heroine. She ticks all the right boxes. She looks nice, dramatic, even, has a great voice and an expansive worldview. She can fit any character, from any bracket of society. Most importantly, she listens closely and submits completely,” he gushes.
On his next with Deepika :
“Nothing I’ve spoken to her about, but hopefully, something will happen,” he shrugs.
With the scrapping of Article 370, will he return shooting in Kashmir?
Imtiaz nods, saying he has a connection with the Valley and a commitment to its people. His words bring back memories of Shammi Kapoor, who had loved the Valley as much. What was it like taking the ailing actor back there for his last film, Rockstar? Imtiaz recalls the late actor’s agony—he had just undergone a surgery in which he lost a toe. He was in pain when they were canning a shot that required Shammi ji to smile for the camera. Imtiaz had the unenviable job of letting him know that his smile reflected the pain. “Despite my assurances that no one would notice, Shammi ji insisted on giving one more shot, this time masking the pain. We take so many short cuts, but that memory inspires me to give my best shot,” he asserts.
On being asked about his daughter, who’s studying to be a director in a Los Angeles film school :
He’s been vocal about Ida’s contributions to Tamasha and the new Love Aaj Kal. Can we hope for a collaboration? “There can only be one director on the set but I’d love to work with her. I respect her mind. Her short films have got more accolades than any of mine, she’s a precious commodity,” he smiles.
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