Imtiaz Ali (born 16 June 1971) is an Indian film director, producer, actor and writer who works in

Hindi cinema Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

Early and personal life

Imtiaz Ali was born in

Jamshedpur Jamshedpur (, ) or Tatanagar is the largest and most populous city in Jharkhand and the first planned industrial city in India. It is a Notified Area Council and Municipal Corporation and also the headquarter of the East Singhbhum district. It ...

and spent some of his early years in

Patna Patna ( ), historically known as Pataliputra, is the capital and largest city of the state of Bihar in India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Patna had a population of 2.35 million, making it the 19th largest city in India. ...

. Imtiaz belongs to the Muslim family of

Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West Be ...

(now Jharkhand). His father Mansoor Ali was a contractor who did irrigation job, and as a child he would sometimes accompany him, which gave Imtiaz a sense of what was going on in the innards of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. His uncle, through his mother, is Pakistani TV actor and director/producer

Khalid Ahmed Khalid Ahmed ( ur, خالد احمد) is a Pakistani TV director, producer and actor. He currently teaches theatre at National Academy of Performing Arts.(Rafay MahmoodKhalid Ahmed presents double bill at NAPA (National Academy of Performing A ...

. He had his early education in St. Michael's High School,Patna and later in D.B.M.S. English School,

, He is the brother of director Arif Ali (who made his directional debut with the film ''

Lekar Hum Deewana Dil ''Lekar Hum Deewana Dil'' () is a 2014 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film that stars Armaan Jain and Deeksha Seth. Jointly produced by Saif Ali Khan, Dinesh Vijan and Sunil Lulla under the banner of Eros International, Maddock Films a ...

''). In an interview with ''

The Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...

'' he talks about his early influence of cinema:
He attended

Hindu College, University of Delhi Hindu College is a constituent college of the University of Delhi in New Delhi, India. It offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in sciences, humanities, social sciences and commerce. In 2022, it is ranked 2nd nationally by Nationa ...

, where he took part in college theater. He was very successful in college. He also started Ibtida, the dramatics society of the college. Thereafter he moved to Mumbai and did a diploma course from Xavier Institute of Communication. Imtiaz is married to Preety Ali. They have a daughter named Ida Ali, who is also a director.

Career

Imtiaz began his career directing TV programs including ''Kurukshetra'' for

Zee TV Zee TV (stylised as ZEE TV) is a Hindi general entertainment pay television channel in India. It was launched on 2 October 1992, as the first privately owned TV channel in the country. It is owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. Zee TV also ...

and

Imtihaan ''Imtihan'' (translation: ''Examination'') is a 1994 Indian Hindi-language action romance film directed by Harry Baweja, starring Sunny Deol, Saif Ali Khan and Raveena Tandon. Plot Vicky (Saif Ali Khan) is a popular singer, who meets and fal ...

for Doordarshan. He moved on to Bollywood films. In 2005, he made his directorial debut with ''

Socha Na Tha Socha is a town and municipality in the Colombian Department of Boyacá, part of the Valderrama Province, which is a subregion of Boyacá. It borders Socotá in the east, Sativasur in the north, Tasco in the south and in the west Paz de Río. ...

'' starring

Abhay Deol Abhay Singh Deol (born 15 March 1976) is an Indian actor and producer who is known for his work in Hindi films alongside one Kannada and one Tamil film. Born in the Deol family, he made his on-screen debut in 2005 with Imtiaz Ali's romantic c ...

and

Ayesha Takia Ayesha Takia Azmi (née Takia; born 10 April 1986), is an Indian actress and former model who worked predominantly in Hindi films. Takia made her debut in 2004 with the action thriller ''Taarzan: The Wonder Car'' for which she won Filmfare Best F ...

. He quoted, later in a talk, that it took him three years to make the film. His second film, ''

Jab We Met ''Jab We Met'' () is a 2007 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Imtiaz Ali and produced by Dhilin Mehta under his banner Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision. The film stars Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor in their fou ...

'', starred then real-life couple

Kareena Kapoor Kareena Kapoor Khan (; ''née'' Kapoor; born 21 September 1980) is an Indian actress who appears in Bollywood, Hindi films. She is the daughter of actors Randhir Kapoor and Babita, and the younger sister of actress Karisma Kapoor. Noted for pl ...

and

Shahid Kapoor Shahid Kapoor (; born 25 February 1981) is an Indian actor who appears in Hindi films. Initially recognised for portraying romantic roles, he has since taken on parts in action films and thrillers, and is the recipient of several awards, inc ...

, and became a box office success. His next film, '' Love Aaj Kal'' starred

Saif Ali Khan Saif Ali Khan (; born Sajid Ali Khan Pataudi; 16 August 1970) is an Indian actor and film producer who works in Hindi films. Part of the Pataudi family, he is the son of actress Sharmila Tagore and cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi. Khan ma ...

and

Deepika Padukone Deepika Padukone ( or ; born 5 January 1986) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. She is one of the highest-paid actresses in India, and her accolades include three Filmfare Awards. She features in listings of the nation's most pop ...

, and emerged as his biggest commercial success to date. Ali's next film ''

Rockstar Rock Star or Rockstar may refer to: Films * ''Rock Star'' (2001 film), an American film starring Mark Wahlberg * ''Rockstar'' (2011 film), an Indian Hindi-language film by Imtiaz Ali * ''Rockstar'' (2015 film), an Indian Malayalam-language fi ...

'', starring

Ranbir Kapoor Ranbir Kapoor (; born 28 September 1982) is an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi-language films. He is one of the highest-paid actors of Hindi cinema and has featured in ''Forbes India''s Celebrity 100 list since 2012. Kapoor is the rec ...

, did well at the box office despite mixed reviews with praise for Kapoor's performance and A.R. Rahman's music which has now achieved cult status. Ali founded his film production company, Window Seat Films; whose first release was ''

Highway A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It is used for major roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks. In some areas of the United States, it is used as an equivalent term to controlled-access ...

''. Starring

Randeep Hooda Randeep Hooda (; born 20 August 1976) is an Indian actor and Equestrianism, equestrian known for his work predominantly in Hindi cinema. Hooda made his Hindi film debut with ''Monsoon Wedding''. He had a turning point in his career with the ga ...

and

Alia Bhatt Alia Bhatt (; born 15 March 1993) is a British actress of Indian descent who predominantly works in Hindi films. She has received several accolades including four Filmfare Awards. One of India's highest-paid actresses, she has appeared in ''F ...

, the film was well appreciated by critics and is credited as one of his best films. His next production film, ''

Tamasha Tamasha ( mr, तमाशा) is a traditional form of Marathi theatre, often with singing and dancing, widely performed by local or travelling theatre groups within the state of Maharashtra, India."Tamasha", in James R. Brandon and Martin Banham ...

'', starred

and

in the lead roles and was released to mixed reviews on 27 November 2015, although it has went on to achieve cult status for its subject inspiring many youngsters later on and has been recognised as one of Ali's best films. The movie was a moderate success and opened to good reviews from cities. His next directorial venture ''

Jab Harry Met Sejal ''Jab Harry Met Sejal'' () is a 2017 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Imtiaz Ali. It stars Anushka Sharma and Shah Rukh Khan in their third collaboration after ''Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi'' (2008) and ''Jab Tak Hai ...

'', starring

Shah Rukh Khan Shah Rukh Khan (; born 2 November 1965), also known by the initialism SRK, is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who works in Hindi films. Referred to in the media as the " Baadshah of Bollywood", "King of Bollywood" ...

and

Anushka Sharma Anushka Sharma (; born 1 May 1988) is an Indian actress and former producer who works in Hindi films. She has received several awards, including a Filmfare Award. One of the highest-paid actresses in India as of 2018, she has appeared in '' F ...

in lead roles, was released in August 2017. The film released to negative reviews in India, even though it did well overseas. His next release after 3 years, '' Love Aaj Kal'', starring

Kartik Aaryan Kartik Aaryan Tiwari (born 22 November 1990), is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films. After pursuing a degree in engineering, he made his acting debut with Luv Ranjan's buddy film ''Pyaar Ka Punchnama'' (2011). He went on to star in the ...

and Sara Ali Khan, released on 14 February 2020, and opened to negative reviews.

Filmography

Frequent collaborations

Awards and nominations

List of awards and nominations received by Imtiaz Ali.

Filmfare Awards

The

Filmfare Awards The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were first introduced by th ...

are presented annually by

The Times Group Bennett, Coleman and Company Limited, (abbreviated as B.C.C.L. and d/b/a The Times Group), is an Indian media conglomerate headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The company remains a family-owned business with Sahu Jain family owning a majority ...

to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Hindi cinema.

International Indian Film Academy Awards

The

International Indian Film Academy Awards The International Indian Film Academy Awards, popularly known as IIFA, is an annual awards ceremony for Bollywood. Produced by Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd, the winners of the awards are decided by fans, who vote online for th ...

(shortened as IIFA) is an annual international event organised by the Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. to honour excellence in the Hindi cinema.

Producers Guild Film Awards

The

Producers Guild Film Awards The Producers Guild Film Awards, previously known as the Apsara Awards, is an award event hosted by the Producers Guild of India to recognize excellence in Hindi film and Television in India, television. Originated by filmmaker and scholar Amit ...

(previously known as the Apsara Film & Television Producers Guild Awards) is an annual event organised by the Film Producers Guild of India.

Screen Awards

The

Screen Awards The Screen Awards is an annual awards ceremony held in India honouring professional excellence in Bollywood. The nomination and award selection is done by a panel of distinguished professionals from the industry. The awards were introduced by t ...

are presented annually by

Indian Express Limited Indian Express Limited is an Indian news media publishing company. It publishes several widely circulated dailies, including ''The Indian Express'' and '' The Financial Express'' in English, the '' Loksatta'' in Marathi and the '' Jansatta'' i ...

to honour excellence in Hindi cinema.

Other awards

References

External links

*
A very short Interview with Imtiaz Ali
at ''Indian Auteur'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Ali, Imtiaz 1971 births Living people Writers from Patna People from Jamshedpur Hindu College, Delhi alumni 21st-century Indian film directors Indian male screenwriters Hindi-language film directors Filmfare Awards winners Screenwriters from Bihar Film directors from Bihar Zee Cine Awards winners