Nainital
Literature
Festival

Imtiaz Ali is a storyteller who turned silence into dialogue and journeys into revelations. A director who doesn’t just make films, but captures moments the way memory captures life; raw, fleeting, and unforgettable. Born and brought up in Jamshedpur, he had his early education at St. Michael’s High School, Patna, and DBMS English School, Jamshedpur, where he shone as a basketball player and theatre enthusiast from middle school. He later attended Hindu College, University of Delhi, completing his BA in English Literature, and founded IBTIDA Dramatics Society. Moving to Mumbai, he directed TV shows, wrote films like Ahista Ahista and Cocktail, created Netflix’s SHE and SonyLIV’s Dr. Arora (2022), and wrote and directed Socha Na Tha (2005), Jab We Met (2007), Love Aaj Kal (2009/2020), Rockstar (2011), Highway (2014), Tamasha (2015), Jab Harry Met Sejal (2017), and Amar Singh Chamkila (2024). His characters don’t just perform; they breathe, stumble and grow, mirroring generations who’ve found reflections on screen. With every frame, he redefines romance, rebellion, and self-discovery, quietly shifting mainstream cinema’s language. He made us believe music can speak when words fail, pauses louder than punchlines. An architect of emotions, Imtiaz Ali’s films travel beyond box offices and awards, settling deep into popular culture and personal memory.