Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali believes there will never be another Amitabh Bachchan, and he feels lucky to have grown up in the era the legendary actor defined. He also hopes to collaborate with him on a film one day. Bachchan, among the biggest stars Indian cinema has seen, with a career spanning over five decades, celebrated his 84th birthday on Sunday.
Imtiaz Ali says he was born in the Amitabh Bachchan era
Speaking to PTI, Ali said, “That there is nobody like Amitabh Bachchan and there never will be. I will categorise myself as a person who was born in the Amitabh Bachchan era in India”.Imtiaz said he once assumed he would never get the chance to work with Amitabh, because the veteran actor’s stature felt too towering to approach. That changed after he directed him in an ad film. “When I came into the film industry, I thought I’ll never work with Amitabh Bachchan because he’s just like… I don’t know what I can say to him. But I had the good fortune of doing an ad film with him. And then I realised that, ‘No, no. I can work with this gentleman, and I would love to, like any director.’ Hopefully, someday I’ll work with him,” he said.
Imtiaz Ali marks 25 years in the film industry with ‘Main Wapas Aaunga’
He spoke to the media on the sidelines of Whistling Woods International’s annual cinema festival, “Celebrate Cinema ‘26,” where he took part in a session on his film ‘Main Wapas Aaunga’. The director of ‘Jab We Met’, ‘Rockstar’, ‘Tamasha’ and ‘Love Aaj Kal’ is having a year full of milestones, both personal and professional. His latest release, ‘Main Wapas Aaunga’, has done well at the box office, his daughter Ida recently got engaged, and he has now completed 25 years in the film industry.Looking back on this phase of his career, Imtiaz said the affection and appreciation he has received from audiences has made him more aware of what he owes them. “I want to give a gift back to the audience. So now, when I’m making a film, I always keep that in mind. I feel that I’m here only by the kindness of the audience and people in the film industry, and I want to do my best for them,” he said.
Imtiaz Ali says filmmaking is a privilege, not pressure
When asked if the wish to meet audience expectations could weigh on him, Imtiaz said he sees filmmaking as a privilege, not a burden. “I’m not ever going to take my work as pressure because I can’t even survive without it. I feel that it’s a rare privilege that somebody can make a film in this world, and I have been given that privilege. And every day, I find myself in disbelief that I am a film director, and there’s no pressure on me. There’s only this scope for further and more and more enjoyment,” he said.