Cool in a brown shirt and a pair of blue denims, Imtiaz Ali was his charming self on his recent trip to Kolkata in December, when t2 caught up with him. The Jab We Met maker was in town for a coffee-table book launch to mark Tekno Valves’ — manufacturer and exporter of high-pressure gas cylinder valves — 50 years. He chatted with us on the pandemic learnings and why The Telegraph has a “special place” in his heart.
Welcome to Kolkata, once again, Imtiaz!
It’s always a pleasure to come to Kolkata and heading out to eat, as usual. Looking forward to going to the Chinese quarters in Tangra.
So, it’s Chinese for dinner today?
Chinese for dinner tonight!
You were last here in Kolkata a couple of years ago...
I couldn’t come to Kolkata for the last two-and-a-half years because of the pandemic... perhaps the longest that I haven’t been in the city.
You told us last that it’s the food you enjoy the most. It remains the same, right?
You know this trip has been organised. There are 16 of us, friends and family, we have come here with the only purpose and that is to eat. We are going to be in the city for two days. So, that gives us around six-to-eight meals. Such is the love for the food of Kolkata, not only for me, but for many people.
What else is on your wish list?
There are the usual suspects, which are Aminia biryani, Haji Allauddin ka puri and aloo... a visit to Flurys is a must. As is a visit to Tarun Niketan for Bengali food. Then also jhalmuri at two or three different spots in Kolkata. Then the dahi vada and pani puri off The Lakes. Actually I like the pani puri of Victoria (Memorial) more, the golgappa. And, various other things. Today, after I came, I had malai toast, puri bhaji and samosa.
You are here for a coffee-table book launch...
Rohit Behani who is the CEO of the company has been a friend for many years. It’s actually fascinating to be a part of something that has lasted successfully for 50 years, a business house that has not only sustained for 50 years, but also developed in these 50 years. These things don’t somehow catch the fancy of the normal person, but this is a fascinating story of innovation and success. If a film was made on this, it would be an interesting film.
You love travelling. How does it feel when you travel in the times we are living in?
I couldn’t travel for almost a year. Then I luckily got the chance to shoot something and I went to Dubai for it. I look forward to travelling now more than before. Travelling has its restrictions and those restrictions must be followed, but what has happened is there is greater joy in travelling now because this has given a chance to those places which were not on the tourist map earlier. People are going to faraway resorts. So, though the lockdown has been crippling to the travel industry, it will also open up other venues for travelling.
What do you make of this new world?
I think there are many silver linings to this cloud. The atmosphere and environment is cleaner than before. The ozone layer is a bit more repaired. People have got conscious of the fact that no matter how mighty man may think he is, he is just a speck in the scheme of nature and so if you mess around with nature too much, it will have its corrective ways and that would put humanity at great risk. I think in some way lockdown and Covid has addressed the arrogance of mankind.
We’ve all also had the chance to look back at our own lives and habits and perhaps improve our ways of living and dealing with nature. This is also being called the time of great resignation. A lot of people are moving out of their usual jobs and circumstances into something that they would really want to do. People are moving out of the cities as well.
Of course there are lots of demerits. The fact that we have been locked down and that so many have lost lives and health, but if you look at the brighter side, it has also been a corrective measure.
As a creative person, what has fundamentally changed in you?
I feel it has been a time for creative development of writing, looking back at my own work and trying to qualify, improve. All of us, on a day-to-day basis, do things that are urgent. I got a chance to do things which were not urgent but still important. Stories that were kept on the back-burner, which I couldn’t really develop. I thank my stars for being a writer because it made it possible for me to sustain life in these two-and-a-half years when movement was restricted. I could write and pass my time.
Will it impact your creative process in any way?
I’ve had the time to relook at my stories and improve them. I hope as a result, my films turn out to be better in the future.
What book has your attention right now?
I am reading a lot of history these days... history of mankind. I am reading The Martyrdom of Man by William Winwood Reade. It is about the development of civilisation and history. So, I am more keen to read non-fiction books.
We have been bombarded with OTT content in the last two years. What have you liked?
I see a lot of foreign shows and I liked the last few seasons of Narcos: Mexico. I saw True Detective, finally. I am watching Succession which is popular and interesting. I also saw The Knick. I like shows that are not in a hurry and desperate to grab your attention. I would recommend it to people who would want to see what America was in the early 1900s.
Is the film on Kolkata happening?
I just have a desire, not a story, which can show the various art forms which are prevalent in Kolkata. I must say The Telegraph has a special place in my heart. I am a Jamshedpur kid and used to receive The Telegraph and still does. When I speak to you, I have the happiness that perhaps people in my hometown will get to read this.