Exclusive | Ida Ali on turning director like dad Imtiaz Ali: I don't want anyone to do me any favors
Here's the latest update from the Bollywood world:
Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali ’s daughter Ida Ali has grown up surrounded by stories, but when she decided to make her own short movie, she wanted to do it on her own terms. She of late directed a short with her friend Kareema Barry, with whom she also runs a podcast channel centered on Hindi films.
Adding to this, Ida with dad Imtiaz Ali “I had been wanting to direct something which is not related to any brand or any music video. I wanted to do something of my own,” Ida says in a chat with HT City. Since the duo already had their podcast, they wondered if they could make a movie as well, “Of course, we could only make a short movie. And so we were like, okay, let's see what ideas we can get. And on a whim, made a short movie.” Within a month, they have rolled out a second short movie as well, titled GUL.
Meanwhile, Ida grew up in a household where stories were part of everyday life. Her father, filmmaker Imtiaz Ali would tell her stories every day.
Notably, “I think I always wanted to be a storyteller,” she says. It was during her teenage years that she realised she was visualising her stories as films. At 15 or 16, she made her first short movie and immediately knew she had found what she wanted to do.
As per the latest buzz, She adds, “The way that I think about characters is guided by the way my dad thinks about characters because he is the person that I first told my stories to."
In further updates, Ida and Kareema have also taken the unconventional step of building their own production company, Blue Curtain Films. The venture grew out of the foundation they established through their podcast, which has been around for about a year.
On top of that, Ida says she could have used her industry connections to approach established filmmakers, actors or production houses, but deliberately chose not to, “I don't want anyone to do me favors either. For a short movie, if some known name or production house is backing us, it kind of takes away, I think it is not fair. I want everyone who comes on to a project to come on because they are excited about it,. When I have something like that to offer to someone with a bigger name, then I would be very happy to work with them,” she says.
In an age where social media has made everyone a potential content creator, Ida believes filmmakers should focus less on chasing numbers and more on creating a lasting connection with audiences.
Source: Hindustan Times