Imtiaz Ali, who directed the 2017 romantic drama ‘Jab Harry Met Sejal’ starring Shah Rukh Khan, recently reflected on the film’s shortcomings in an interview with ‘Mid Day’. Despite the high expectations surrounding the film, it received poor reviews and underperformed at the box office. Ali acknowledged that one of the key issues was his failure to fully utilize Shah Rukh Khan’s stardom.
Imtiaz Ali on not utilising SRK’s stardom in Jab Harry Met Sejal
During the interview, Imtiaz opened up on Jab Harry Met Sejal and said: “I feel that Shah Rukh is the biggest star I worked with, but he is so accessible person that he never gives you the impression that ‘I am somebody’. He is just a regular guy, sitting over here and talking.”
He further added, “But the fact that he is such a humongous star is not something that I had not calculated or made provision for at all. I had written and directed the film like I would for anybody. But he is Shah Rukh. That manifested itself in ways I wasn’t thinking maybe. The other thing is that I would have written and showcased the film differently. It is not that I would do anything extremely filmy, but I would have added flashbacks and scenes where Shah Rukh could be used to the best of his strength, both as an actor and a star. I didn’t figure that out.”
Imtiaz Ali’s recent project
Imtiaz Ali’s most recent project was ‘Amar Singh Chamkila’, starring Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra. The film tells the untold true story of Punjab’s original rockstar, Chamkila, who rose from poverty to achieve immense popularity in the 1980s through his powerful music. His rise, however, angered many, leading to his assassination at just 27 years old. The film is available to stream on Netflix.
ALSO READ: Shah Rukh Khan Eats Only One Meal A Day, Sleeps At 5 AM & Wakes Up At….
