Imtiaz Ali: 10 Years, 10 Commandments

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26th October marked the 10th(?!) anniversary of the cult, multiple-viewings-demanding ‘Jab We Met’, a film that demonized ganne ke khet, made us wonder if Manjeet is really impotent and taught self-love to a generation of girls by gifting them #MainApniFavouriteHoon as a forever caption for their Insta selfies. A decade has gone past since then, during which we’ve been on the glorious receiving end of 5.5 more of Imtiaz Ali’s films (counting Cocktail).

Forgive me if this sounds like a Lifetime Achievement Award opening line, but this is a director who continues to have an indelible mark on our collective psyche. Regardless of whether you’re a creator looking for a muse, an unrequited lover, a lost girl looking for her place in the world, or just someone who likes to find themselves in a universe inhabited by characters that are real, but shimmer just slightly with an otherworldly glow, Imtiaz Ali films have a line, a nod just for you.

Did I say Universe? Scratch that, I meant a multiverse. All of Imtiaz Ali’s films (yes, even Jab Harry Met Sejal for you cynical lot) occupy vastly different spaces, but are bound together by a certain sentiment, a singular feel from the Creator, which is called ‘The Imtiaz Ali touch’, for lack of a better term. Watching his movies is like entering the world of the white bedsheet that Heer drapes over Jordan to shut out the world. It’s a world of no rules, no artificiality, no villains, where reality’s rough edges are softened and the prosaic makes way for the profound.
The commonalities that Imtiaz Ali films share have been discussed ad nauseum. I do have a sneaking suspicion that in his mandatory ‘If I were Prime Minister for a day’ school essay, Imtiaz Ali wrote ‘I will outlaw arranged marriage and banish all fiances’. Breathtaking locales, dazzling music,metaphorical travel, deep RUMInations, Punjabphilia, and existential dilemmas aside, there is a laundry list of things, tenets if you will, that can be gleaned from his all his films. I am spurred to list these down today in a Moses-esque moment. You can join me on this (long winding, I’m afraid) journey if you will.

1. Baby you should go and love yourself

If Karan Johar implored us to love our families, Imtiaz Ali tells us that it all begins with oneself. No I’m not uttering the Main apni favourite hoon war cry again (it’s inspiring only so many times), but other Imtiaz characters have paved the way for self love too. Veera freed herself from the clutches of the past and started loving herself, in the bargain giving Mahabir too, a modicum of self acceptance. Ved also navigates the swamp of his childhood complexes to emerge as a success story comfortable in his own skin. The cutesy Viren and Aditi, through their love for each other, finally realized their worth instead of settling for the first good thing that arrived their way. Tara loves herself enough to walk away from her dream man when he turns out to be a mirage. When people say Imtiaz Ali movies are love stories, this is what I take away - loving oneself is paramount, and undisputable.

2. Don’t make history your favourite subject

If Heer focused solely on her background, she would never have experienced Jungli Jawaani. If Mahabir didn’t let go of his past, he would still have abused and rejected Veera’s love. Veera stopped seeing herself as a victim of someone else’s viciousness and created a life that called out to her. Aditya Kashyap released not just his mother, but himself from the weight of her choices. Your past may well shape you and your world view, without taking away your power of not letting it define you, and sculpting a life that you want for yourself.

3. Love doesn’t conjure perfection

Love in real life is imperfect, love on Indian celluloid is mostly glittery and perfect, between puzzle pieces that fit together perfectly and fight against a common pyaar ka dushman. Now look at love in Imtiaz Ali films. It is messy, far from perfect, forbidden, childish, one sided, obsessive, unexpected, even a love springing from Stockholm syndrome. Love doesn’t magically solve all problems; in fact it creates more, and in Mahabir’s case, gets him killed. Humans are the corner puzzle pieces and our love stories don’t always make sense. But just like in real life, it’s always worth it.

4. Throw your calculator away

A relationship is a crucible of power imbalance. A quote in Shantaram goes, “Love is the opposite of power. That's why we fear it so much.” Imtiaz Ali movies ask you not to fear it. Loving more is not a weakness, it’s borderline heroic. You can be like Tara and love more in the face of humiliation and hurt, or like Meera who loves Jai enough to let him find his way back to her. As Aditya says to Geet, ‘Tu mujhe bohot pasand hai, par wo meri problem hai’. Love is a choice we make at every step, and wearing your heart on your sleeve with all accompanying risks is the only way to love. No character says “If you love me, you’ll do ABC for me’, because true love doesn’t hinge on ultimatums.

5. Surrender

Since I’m on a Shantaram streak, another quote says, ‘Sometimes, you have to surrender before you win’. This rings true for Imtiaz Ali characters in all his films. And I’m not talking about surrendering to love, I mean surrendering to one’s own truth. Ved surrenders to the truth of his core, Harry surrenders to the innocence of Sejal, Mahabir surrenders to his fate and the tenderness in himself, Jordan and Heer surrender to finding lost parts of themselves in the other. Tara literally gets down on her knees in front of Ved. Sky high walls keep you safe, all the while shielding you from the best life has to offer. So give up control, or the illusion of it, and be lead to your destiny. I’m not saying this, he is.

6. Kooky is cool

We don’t like our leading ladies and gents flawed. Sure, hamartias and heroic flaws are welcome, but not human shortcomings. Imtiaz Ali is having none of that. Jordan is unspeakably arrogant and obsessive, Ved’s upbringing manifests itself in bipolarish ways, Heer is depressed, and the lyrics for ‘Heer To Badi Sad Hai’ in Tamasha are a dead ringer for depression too. Geet is a Pollyanna if you look closely. Harry is a sexual deviant(?) aka he’s every third guy on Tinder. The point is, I love how synapses and neurons of Imtiaz Ali characters don’t always fire normally, and they might be label enthusiasts might say they have mental disorders. This doesn’t make them outcasts or crazy, it just makes them as human as the next person. And yet, they are the protagonists that we love and admire so dearly, not despite, but because of their flaws and idiosyncrasies. Imtiaz Ali - making kooky cool since 2005.

7. Samaaj with a pinch of salt

Ever notice how all Imtiaz Ali characters have aberrant traits? Ved steals loose change from his dad, Heer drinks Narangi and has an extramarital affair, Aditi runs away from her own engagement, Jordan beats up reporters and Mahabir, well, is a straight up criminal. These people fall short of society’s expectations of being ‘good’ people, and still script their own redemption and a happy ending. In our lives too, ‘samaaj’ is a faceless entity to enforce manufactured morality. If you need a shot of courage to be deaf to ‘log kya kahenge’ and listen to your heart like Geet, help yourself to an Imtiaz Ali movie marathon. You will come out on the other side of it not looking for your neighbour uncle's validation for your life choices.

8. No if, no butt, only gut

This is an extension of the earlier point. In almost every Imtiaz Ali movie, you witness the line ‘XYZ karke mujhe achha lag raha hai’, or ‘Mujhe aisa pehle kabhi nahi laga’. This happy feeling can come from burning a photo, sneaking off to Goa, falling in love with someone’s fiancee, kissing someone’s ahem...wife, getting kidnapped, dancing with strangers, etc. Don’t try any of these at home, but the bottomline is that if something feels good and makes you happy, just take the plunge and do it. Moments that make you feel truly alive, awed or happy are hard to come by, so don't let them whoosh past you. You might have a thousand reasons not to do something, but the one illogical voice that tells you to follow your gut, is the one you should be listening to.

9. Women are..well, people

You may disagree with me after watching Jab Harry Met Sejal, but the dismantling of tropes about women is possibly my favorite part about Imtiaz Ali films. Starting with Geet destroying the ‘akeli ladki = khuli tijori’ uncle, to making fun of the sharam being aurat ka gehna in Tamasha, these films wave a feminist flag in their own style. On a more sombre note, Veera stops being a silent pyaari gudiya at the end of Highway, and Sejal plays coy while declaring that she’s using Harry to look for the ring in the same beat. Women in Imtiaz Ali films are in control of their destiny for a substantial part, by having the freedom to make their choices and more importantly, their mistakes. His female protagonists are a shiny knight for themselves and others, all while retaining the charm of a princess.

10. Love's a stop, not the destination

‘Imtiaz Ali has written the best love stories of this generation’, is high praise indeed, though it might be a little off the mark. A conventional ‘happy ending’ that ends at the altar is not what his protagonists are hankering for. His stories are about the deeply personal and momentous epiphanies that all of us search for. Each character in an Imtiaz Ali film has a growth trajectory that’s separate from their romantic journey. Sure, love is the alchemist, which is a far cry from other stories where love is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. From Janardhan Jakhar to Ved, from Jai and Meera to Veera and Harry to Sejal, each of them evolve right in front of our eyes. Geet, who has 'shaadi karne ka bada shauk' also doesn't find her true love's kiss before she finds herself. They try and succeed in being better versions of themselves, not just better lovers. That the new and improved 2.0 characters succeed at love is important, but not the mainstay of the journey. We could all take a cue from his stories and invest in and commit to ourselves before looking for someone to share ourselves with.

Imtiaz Ali movies are perfect for rewatching, marking out your favourite scenes, quoting dialogues fit for all occasions, and listening to the epic soundtracks that endure very well through time. (P.S.: Radha from JHMS has unashamedly been my work track since August). They’re great friends (like the best books), which you can go back to at any time at any scene, and come back with fresh insights and entertainment. A solid decade of watching Imtiaz Ali movies has left me with these 10 commandments. They might seem like the obvious way of life if you think hard enough, but why do the thinking when they have been distilled so beautifully on celluloid for us? Kyuki Imtiaz Ali hamesha correct baat bol dete hai Jaaneman!

Which are your favourite parts of an Imtiaz Ali film? Let the discussion begin :)  

Images Source: Google