Imtiaz Ali talks about ‘Jab We Met’ sequel, representation of women in cinema at Jaipur Literature Festival

Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], February 3 (ANI): Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali, who is best known for directing ‘Love Aaj Kal’, ‘Rockstar’, ‘Tamasha’, and others, opened up on whether he is planning to make ‘Jab We Met’ sequel, and changes in the representation of women in cinema.

While speaking to the media at the Jaipur Literature Festival, he talked about his most loved film ‘Jab We Met’, starring Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor.

“I do not believe in making sequels of films. I feel there is a market for sequels and people say that the public will come to watch it, so people are ready to invest money but there will not be that much enjoyment in it. Personally, if I ever feel that I can make an extension of the story, I will make it otherwise I will not work on sequels,” he said.

On the ‘Jab We Met’ sequel, he added, “It is not possible at all as even fans would not like to watch Geet (played by Kareena) and Aditya (played by Shahid) having fights or complexities in their relationship, so I am not making.”

The ace director is a creator of strong female characters and he shared that he loves portraying independent powerful women on screen.

Speaking about the representation of women on-screen and how it has changed with time, he said, “I feel it has changed and if you see strong women characters were found in earlier films as well like ‘Mother India’ or if you see Mehboob Khan’s ‘Andaz’ where the actress was shown as liberal and free as the men of that time. So, it is always there and the same I do in my films.”

“I always found women very strong. They are powerful and I admire my mother. I love the portrayal of powerful and independent women on screen.”

During the conversation, he also recalled his childhood days and said that he failed at the age of 9, which was a very bad experience for him. He also said that earlier there was no AC in his house, so he had to open the window.

He also talked about his films such as ‘Amar Singh Chamkila’, ‘Tamasha’, ‘Rockstar’, and ‘Jab Harry Met Sejal’.

He said that “success is celebrated, but there is a lot to learn from failure”. He also shared that he “tries to depict the truth through his films”.

He also stressed the importance of music and said that composers like A R Rahman and Pritam have “helped me understand music”.

Meanwhile, talking about the Jaipur Literature Festival, this year’s festival, which runs from January 30 to February 3, 2025, in Jaipur, is drawing thousands of literary enthusiasts, authors, and cultural leaders from around the globe.