Laila Majnu: Being Imtiaz Ali's Brother Is A Gift And Also Liability - Debutant Director Sajid Ali
Sajid, who has followed his elder brother Imtiaz into the movies and makes his directorial debut with Laila Majnu, said filmmaking was something he literally fell into.
If
there
is
one
character
from
Imtiaz
Ali's
films
his
brother
Sajid
Ali
would
identify
with,
it
would
be
Abhay
Deol's
role
in
Socha
Na
Tha.
Viren,
in
Imtiaz's
debut
film,
was
confused
about
love,
and
Sajid
was
about
his
career
choices.
Sajid,
who
has
followed
his
elder
brother
Imtiaz
into
the
movies
and
makes
his
directorial
debut
with
Laila
Majnu,
said
filmmaking
was
something
he
literally
fell
into.
"Filmmaking
was
never
a
plan.
I
was
confused
just
like
Abhay's
character
in
'Socha
Naa
Tha'.
I
thought
I
should
do
an
MBA
but
I
was
bad
in
math.
Then
I
thought
I'll
do
journalism.
There
was
a
lot
of
confusion.
I
decided
to
take
up
English
literature
in
my
college.
Then,
Imtiaz
guided
me
to
this
one
year
course
in
filmmaking," Sajid
told
PTI
in
an
interview.
"While
studying,
I
started
liking
the
process
of
screen
writing
and
while
doing
that
I
found
my
voice.
I
realised
this
is
what
I
enjoyed
doing,"
he
said.
Having
a
famous
director
as
a
brother
can
be
tough
for
someone
starting
out
and
Sajid
is
aware
of
the
baggage
as
well
as
its
benefits.
"I
knew
the
world
I
was
entering.
It
is
a
gift
and
also
a
liability.
The
liability
-
I
would
be
judged
and
compared.
He
(Imtiaz)
is
legendary
in
a
few
things
like
relationships
etc
whereas
I
lack
the
depth.
But
I
also
knew
I
will
have
his
support."
"I
never
thought
I'll
be
a
doing
a
love
story.
The
only
reason
I
agreed
was
because
I
knew
I
had
the
support
and
I
could
bounce
things
off
him
and
learn
from
him
in
the
process
and
become
more
qualified,"
he
said.
Taking
a
familiar,
oft-told
tale
such
as
Laila
Majnu
and
placing
it
in
a
modern
context
on
the
big
screen
has
its
own
challenges,
including
facing
criticism
from
people
who
want
these
stories
to
be
left
alone.
Sajid
understands
the
argument,
as
he
considers
himself
as
one
of
those
who
doesn't
like
someone
messing
with
something
that
is
grand.
This,
he
said,
put
a
lot
of
pressure
on
him
because
he
was
judging
himself
at
every
step
of
the
way.
"I'm
very
judgemental
and
believe
you
should
not
touch
something
that
does
not
belong
to
you.
I
have
tried
with
full
'shiddat'
(intensity)
not
to
touch
it
in
the
wrong
way.
I
have
tried
to
be
faithful
to
the
original
story."
Sajid
said
he
has
given
three
years
of
his
life
to
"Laila
Majnu",
which
releases
this
Friday
and
stars
newcomers
Avinash
Tiwary
and
Tripti
Dimri.
Imtiaz
has
co-written
and
co-produced
the
film
with
Balaji
Motion
Pictures.
"As
the
film
inches
closer
to
its
release,
a
certain
emptiness
has
set
in,"
he
said.
There
is
also
the
thought
that
he
has
to
do
something
again.
But
before
that,
he
wants
to
catch
up
on
lost
sleep.