Imtiaz Ali ensures his films strengthen moral values

His new venture will involve the collaborated use of performance, film and poetry.

GURGAON: The glitz and glamour of cinema must go beyond entertainment to have the right impact on society, believes filmmaker Imtiaz Ali, who says he tries to make socially responsible films. “I realise the power of the medium that we work in and there is a sense of responsibility that I try to have in my movies so that it doesn’t affect anyone badly.

“I was also influenced by cinema greatly, but was more influenced by movies that were not meaningful cinema. They were easy, casual good films and I feel I have acquired a lot of social skills and moral values from movies,” Imtiaz said on the sidelines of the launch of lyricist Irshad Kamil’s book on Friday.

The book, which is a compilation of 31 poems, was released by Ali, actor Ranbir Kapoor and Irshad.  Ali, who has brought in a youthful zeal to the big screen with hits such as  Jab We Met, Love Aaj Kal and Highway, also mentioned he wants to strengthen societal values with his movies. “I think Indian cinema, more than anything else, is instrumental and responsible for the sense of morality that exists in society. I actually check whether my movies strengthen those values or not,” he added.

After the success of Rockstar, Imtiaz has teamed up with Ranbir for his next project titled Tamasha. Expectations are high, but Imtiaz prefers to look away from the pressure. “It doesn’t matter. Rockstar was a movie that we did and enjoyed. Now we are making a new movie with new challenges and new theme that we need to express through performance, film and poetry,” he said. Tamasha also stars actress Deepika Padukone. 

Published in The Express Tribune, February 9^th,  2015.

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