22 Tango

About the film

Imtiaz Ali (Hindustani pronunciation: [ɪmt̪ɪjɑːz əliː]; born 16 June 1971) is an Indian filmmaker. He is best known for writing and directing the romantic comedies Socha Na Tha (2005), Jab We Met (2007) and Love Aaj Kal (2009), and the dramas Rockstar (2011), Highway (2014), Tamasha (2015), Jab Harry Met Sejal (2017), Amar Singh Chamkila (2024), and Main Vaapas Aaunga (2026).

Early and personal life

Imtiaz Ali was born in Jamshedpur and spent some of his early years in Patna.

His father Mansoor Ali was a contractor in irrigation, and as a child, he would sometimes accompany him, which gave Imtiaz a sense of what was going on in the innards of India. His maternal uncle is Pakistani TV actor and director/producer Khalid Ahmed. He had his early education at St. Michael's High School, Patna and later at D.B.M.S. English School, Jamshedpur. He is the elder brother of director Arif Ali, who made his directorial debut with Lekar Hum Deewana Dil (2014).

He attended Hindu College, University of Delhi, where he took part in college theater. He was very successful in college. He also started Ibtida, the dramatics society of the college. Thereafter, he moved to Mumbai and did a diploma course from Xavier Institute of Communication.

Career

Ali began his career directing TV programs including Kurukshetra for Zee TV and Imtihaan for Doordarshan. His initial work also includes a forty-five-minute slot telefilm for the series Rishtey on Zee TV; he later made the story of one of the episodes into a feature film named Highway. He moved on to Bollywood films. In 2005, he made his directorial debut with the romantic comedy, Socha Na Tha, starring Abhay Deol and Ayesha Takia. He got to direct the film following a meeting with Sunny Deol, who agreed to review his script and produce the film. Reflecting on this pivotal moment, Ali remarked that, "he didn’t ask me where I was from or about my experience. He holds a significant place in my life because he gave me my first film." Upon release, it received positive reviews from the critics, but emerged as a commercial failure at the box office. He quoted, later in an interview, that it took him three years to make the film.

His second directorial venture, the romantic comedy Jab We Met starring Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor, emerged as a major critical and commercial success. The film earned him the Filmfare Award for Best Dialogue, in addition to his first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Director. It has been consistently ranked as one of the most popular romantic films of Bollywood.

His next film, the romantic comedy-drama Love Aaj Kal starring Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone, emerged as his biggest commercial success to date. The film received widespread critical acclaim, earning Ali his second nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Director. It has gone to achieve cult status, and has been acclaimed for its depiction of the feeling of pure love which never changes, although the perspective of realizing one's soulmate changes over time.