Imtiaz Ali: Delhi Ka Deewana.

- If you are rejected, it is not a judgment about the quality of your work. You should understand Nanaiya as Chandrak...

Film director Imtiaz Ali's films reflect Delhi. The reason is that Imtiaz Ali has an old connection with this city. He studied in Delhi.

Imtiaz Ali, a native of Jamshedpur, reminiscing about Delhi says, 'At that time I was associated with a theater group called Act One. I used to live in Hindu college hostel. We used to catch a train from Delhi to Jamshedpur that time. My friends always insisted on traveling with me in my compartment, because every time it happened that the most beautiful looking girl would travel in my compartment! The same thing used to happen in the bus. I found Delhi girls very talkative. They kept talking. The urge to tell her story would come somewhere, pata nahi mein ja rahi thi... then in a rhythm she would also tell her personal stories. All these things were in my mind. All these stories were incomplete in a way in my life. This is good because all these girls' stories have been completed in my film 'Jab We Met'. 'Jab We Met' is the story of a girl whom I met several times in Delhi. I always found such girls in Delhi. I still remember that we used to catch bus number 220 and 240 from Mandi House to my hostel in Delhi University. As college elections are held in Delhi on a grand scale, it is rare that there is no memorable story about the elections. During the elections, every candidate used to put up their posters in our hostel as well. As we were not in favor of any candidate, we asked all of them to put up some posters, but one person put up a strong poster. I removed it. A few days later some students came to our hostel looking for me. They surrounded me. I realized too late that I was being kidnapped! The funny thing is that those guys kidnapped me in a rickshaw!'

Imtiaz Ali, who started his career as a film director with the film 'Socha Na Tha' in 2005, adds, 'I was fond of telling stories since childhood. I was an introvert as a child, but throughout my school life I enjoyed telling stories. Many have a natural love and talent for telling stories. Every story is worth telling if there is desire and passion.'

About Delhi, Imtiaz Ali says in particular, 'The city has gone through a process of destruction and regeneration many times, due to which all traces of the past are missing, but when you look at any monument, you realize how much these trees and stones have seen. Every monument has a story waiting to be told...'

Imtiaz Ali founded the Dramatics Society 'Ibtida' at Hindu College. Now understand why Delhi features a lot in Imtiaz Ali's films? Hardly any other film director has realized the atmosphere of Nizamuddin Olia's dargah in the song 'Kun Faya Kun' in the film 'Rockstar'.

Salute to Imtiaz Ali's Delhi-Preeti!