For me, important films are those I saw when I was not a filmmaker: Imtiaz Ali

JAIPUR: Films that you make are like houses that you live in on rent but the ones that you grew up watching are your own, says filmmaker Imtiaz Ali who would defend "Sholay" over his movies "Rockstar" or "Tamasha" any day.

Ali, whose films have a fandom of their own, particularly "Rockstar" and "Tamasha", said these films may not have done well during their release weekend but over the years, they have acquired a certain power and fans get mad at any kind of criticism against them.

The filmmaker was speaking at the Jaipur Literature Festival on Monday.

Asked whether he finds it amusing that people defend these films with such vehemence, the filmmaker recalled his own formative years as a movie buff.

"I think what happens with a filmmaker is that you make the film, then you move on. For me, the important films are not 'Tamasha', 'Rockstar', 'Highway' and all of that. The important films are the films that I saw when I was not a filmmaker.

"So, (if) somebody says something wrong about 'Sholay', and I will protest. Ramesh Sippy (director), he won't even know. I have told Dharmender about a scene. He doesn't remember it, he only remembers Dilip Kumar's scenes. So, the films that you watch are your own. The films that you make are just like houses that you live in on rent," the filmmaker said during a session hosted by film critic Anupama Chopra.

Ali said he has often been told that his films are ahead of time, something that he would like to change.

"There was a girl in the lift right now and she said, 'Sir, do you think you are ahead of your time? I am trying very hard to not be. And this whole thing that your movie doesn't do very well on the first day of release and then it does better later, I am working to change that. I am trying to learn all the tricks possible," the director, who last made critically-acclaimed "Amar Singh Chamkila" for Netflix, said.

Ali said he was not being modest by admitting that it is his incapacity as a filmmaker that his films gain popularity later.

"What happens is, it is your inability to tell the story simply that makes it seem like if you watch it for three times, you really enjoy it most. It is my inability and I am working to dispel that. So that every layer, everything that one enjoys in a movie, why can't it be seen and enjoyed in the first viewing? It should be. But for that, I need to have the ability of the storyteller to tell it simply," he said.

Citing the example of "Mahabharata", the filmmaker said everyone understands its text.

"I am not making anything bigger or more complicated than that. If that can be understood, then my movies can also be understood. There is no such thing as rocket science. But obviously, as a filmmaker and as a storyteller, one needs to try to have that ability that Ved Vyas, Valmiki (Ramayana) or Homer (Greek poet known for 'Iliad' and 'The Odyssey') and all of these people have had."

"Tamasha" is often cited by fans for being a life changing movie with its inherent message of choosing one's dream over societal expectations but Ali said it would be "too much" to take that kind of responsibility" as a filmmaker.

"And this is not the intent at all. I don't think I know any better than anybody else to be giving gyan (lecture) in my movies. But yes, it's a part of me...This is definitely a reflection of a greater truth than my life... So, if somebody takes it into consideration in any decision-making, then it's up to them really. But yes, I'm never expecting a response of a personal type from a movie.

"All response that I'm thinking of is that when the film ends in the theatre, and the doors open and people come out, they have smiles on their faces. This is the only response I'm aiming at."