A filmmaker whose name has become synonymous with romantic drama in Bollywood, Imtiaz Ali had to struggle a lot at the onset of his career before finding his footing in the industry. He got his start directing television programs before moving on to the big screen.
He first tasted success with his 2007 film Jab We Met, and went on to direct hit projects like Love Aaj Kal, Rockstar, Highway, Tamasha, and Jab Harry Met Sejal. The characters in his films are often known for their indomitable spirits while facing great odds.
It is something that the director himself possesses, as is evident from today’s quote of the day, which is an excerpt from his 2024 interview with The Hindu at the 55th International Film Festival of India. The quote reads: “If I really want to find a solution and make things better, then I have to be calm. So I do feel angry but I don’t become a slave to anger.”
The meaning of Imtiaz Ali’s quote
Imtiaz Ali’s quote highlights the importance of staying calm and level-headed. People often have ideas of making changes for the better. For a person with a creative mind, such as the director, such ideas are likely to be more frequent.
A lot of things also happen that might not be to a particular person’s liking. The best way to deal with it, as Imtiaz stated, is by not becoming a “slave to anger.”
The aforementioned quote is part of a larger statement that the director shared when asked why he was generally not seen to be angry. In response, he stated, “If there is something that I don’t like either in the news or anywhere else around me, I’ll try to understand how this problem can be solved; and what I can do, in my small or large capacity as a human and a filmmaker, to rid the society of this problem. For that, I have to go into the causes.”
“However, having a biased point of view and getting emotionally aggravated is not the solution. I have seen that in my life. If I really want to find a solution and make things better, then I have to be calm. So I do feel angry but I don’t become a slave to anger,” he added.
Relevance of Imtiaz Ali’s quote
In a world that is as fractured as our own, where wars and calamities, predominantly man-made, continue to be a thing of the present, it is easy to be frustrated and lose one’s sense of calm.
Every time someone tells us that the world can be much worse, we realise that the world can also be a much better place if we try. But it does not seem we are close to realising it anytime soon. In moments like these, it is not just easy but also understandable to be angry.
But Imitiaz Ali’s quote reminds us that to get meaningful change, the steps that need to be taken can only be visualised by a calm and clear mind, not one that is clouded by anger. And therein lies the significance of the statement.
