The definition of love differs for every individual but one that resonates with most of us is what we see in Imtiaz Ali's films.
For the Millennial couples, juggling with their day-to-day responsibilities and trying to find a midway to what their heart and mind says is kind of a struggle. Be it Socha Na Tha where Viren and Aditi are two fickle individuals who fall in love after getting involved in the most hilarious yet complicated situation or Ved and Tara,?who struggle to accept their own flaws in order to make their relationship work.
Eros
Facebook/Imtiaz Ali
For instance, in Jab We Met, Geet, who is madly and deeply in love with her own self (Main Apni Favourite Hoon. Remember?) faces her first heartbreak, she goes into her own shell. She is seen residing and living her own life in Shimla. Imtiaz seems to understand the intricacies of pain and heartbreak and how we fall back and trap ourselves into the shackles of our own shell, which we feel is safe and familiar.
Toote Dil Se Hi Sangeet Nikalta hai. Remember? In Rockstar, Janardhan Jhakad AKA Jordan falls in love with Heer, who is married to someone else but the way both of them try to break free to fill the void is what made the film extremely relate-able.?
Eros
But here is a twist. Even though his films give us the hope of happy endings in life, 'forever' is something that Imtiaz Ali never endorses in real life.
Facebook/Tamasha
Instead, he believes that nothing is forever, except the love that you have for your own self!
Facebook/Imtiaz Ali
Facebook/Imtiaz Ali
"It's not a generation thing. It is a person's thing. While you might think that yours is the only generation that's confused when it comes to love, but that's certainly not the case. Maybe you're just confused about a particular thing. The previous generation was confused about some other things. And I have been tricked into believing that confusion is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, confusion is an essential thing for any kind of growth."
Unsplash
"This generation isn¡¯t hypocritical like the previous generations, where people didn¡¯t tell their partners, what was really happening or that they were inclined towards others. In fact, there are terrific advantages that people have in relationships during this time. I also don¡¯t think it¡¯s glorious to be faithful to your partner just because he or she is your only option. Also, there is no qualitative difference between lovers of various generations."
Unsplash
"Everyone feels lost in the state of vulnerability and that¡¯s when they reach out. It¡¯s not that I have a better understanding or knowledge of love as a subject. I am still searching and exploring and that¡¯s the reason why I make films around that idea. And being lost or vulnerable is completely okay. That's when we get to know what we want."
Eros
"Girls are really smart when it comes to love. They can process you and talk in a complicated way. In real life, I have seen that where women do something knowing already that their feelings towards something is not perfect, but still diving into it. They are not clear emotionally but they still jump into relationships and marriages. For instance, the scene in Rockstar where Heer is getting ready and Jordan asks if he can ask her something, to which she says? ¡°Kuch mat poochna warna main sach bol dungi..¡±, like Heer has feelings for Jordan but she is still getting married. Sometimes you know the right thing but you do still end up doing it differently."
BCCL
"Sometimes people get attached and get into a deeper significant relationship which is more intensely personal and since it gets established this way, it is not consequential in the scheme of the world. Whether it is a sexual relationship or not, it¡¯ll be the one where they are inseparable, like twin siblings, it¡¯s like twins; they don¡¯t need each other for daily existence because for daily, they have another kind of thing. And it¡¯s not necessarily that you want to get married to the person you are really attached to but you have that connection with somebody. So that kind of two-facedness to put it in a bad way does exist in people. While we say that it¡¯s wrong, hypocritical and dishonest, but it¡¯s there and it exists in so many of us. Later on when you move ahead in life, you might feel like you miss him or you should have been with them because you always miss what you don¡¯t have."
Facebook/Tamasha
"There is no clinical examination to know who¡¯s your soul mate. Is that a reversible decision or thought? Yes. Because everything inside us changes and can you guarantee that you will always feel like that for someone? Or you can just keep fooling yourself that oh no, I still feel that oh my god, do I feel the same I felt for someone ten years ago? Because we as humans have too high an ego to admit that my feeling has changed. Who the fuck knows? In all honesty, in case one knows that he or she is your soul mate, which is why people are confused. Things change, our concept of soul mate changes. I have seen something different. Nothing is permanent in life. Everything?is changing?and that¡¯s why we say that change is the only constant. Even if there is a void, the love-lessness doesn¡¯t stay for a long time. It gets filled."
Facebook/Tamasha
"For us, our image is most important to us. While we say that we do things for others, sirf apni hi image important hai hume. You want a certain feeling for your own self. But you got to re-connect with your own self."
Unsplash
"There will never be an answer to heartbreak. Except for the fact that somewhere deep inside, you always got to hug your own self. You need to know that the person you find deep inside yourself is your everlasting companion for life. You have to start looking at yourself like a friend."