Imtiaz Ali

Imtiaz Ali (born 16 June 1971 in Patna, Bihar) is an Indian film director, producer and writer. He started his career with writing and directing television shows. He directed shows like Imtehaan, Naina and Kurukshetra. In 2005 he made his directorial debut with Socha Na Tha, which didn't do that well. Then he earned critical and commercial success for his direction of Jab We Met (2007). Love Aaj Kal (2009) and Rockstar (2011) made him a noted filmmaker.

Imtiaz Ali was born in Patna and spent some of his early years in Patna. Imtiaz belongs to the Muslim family of Darbhanga in Bihar 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. His uncle, through his mother, is Pakistani TV actor and director/producer Khalid Ahmed. He had his early education in St. Michael's High School, Patna and later in D.B.M.S. English School, Jamshedpur, He is the brother of director Arif Ali (who made his directional debut with the film Lekar Hum Deewana Dil).

In an interview with The Times of India he talks about his early influence of cinema:

He attended Hindu College, University of Delhi, 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 was married to Preety Ali but the marriage ended in a divorce in 2012. He has a daughter named Ida Ali with her.

Imtiaz began his career directing TV programs including Kurukshetra for Zee TV and Imtihaan for Doordarshan. He moved on to Bollywood films. In 2005, he made his directorial debut with Socha Na Tha starring Abhay Deol and Ayesha Takia. He quoted, later in a talk, that it took him three years to make the film.

His second film, Jab We Met, starred then real-life couple Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor, and became a box office success. His next film, Love Aaj Kal starred Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone, and emerged as his biggest commercial success to date. Ali's next film Rockstar, starring Ranbir Kapoor, did well at the box office despite mixed reviews.

Ali founded his film production company, Window Seat Films; whose first release was Highway. Starring Randeep Hooda and Alia Bhatt, the film was well appreciated by critics and is credited as one of his best films. His next production film, Tamasha, starred Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone in the lead roles and was released to mixed reviews on November 27, 2015. The movie was a moderate success and opened to good reviews from cities.

His next directorial venture Jab Harry Met Sejal, starring Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma 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 and Sara Ali Khan, released on 14th February 2020, and opened to positive and negative reviews. While the film was liked by some it isn't credited as his best work.

List of awards and nominations received by Imtiaz Ali.

Filmfare Awards

The Filmfare Awards are presented annually by The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Hindi cinema.

International Indian Film Academy Awards

The International Indian Film Academy Awards (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 (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 are presented annually by Indian Express Limited to honour excellence in Hindi cinema.

Other awards