He tends to make films in which the protagonists are constantly travelling from one place to another. Be it Jab We Met (2007), Love Aaj Kal (2008), Rockstar (2011) or his latest Highway (2014), his movies marry the conflict the characters are experiencing with an eventual change in their location. Appropriately enough, Highway had a houseful screening at India’s only travelling film fest: Jagran Film Festival. hitlist caught up with the acclaimed filmmaker to understand what drives him and how he reflects on non-Hindi cinema...

Imtiaz Ali made his directorial debut with Socha Na Tha (2005). Pic/Datta Kumbhar

Q. Not all films get a commercial release in our country. In such a scenario, don’t you think commercial cinema has an unfair advantage?
A. First of all, we need to accept the fact that cinema is a very expensive form of storytelling. Films don’t come cheap. Secondly, when a film is all set to release, it doesn’t come with a surety either that it’s going to breakeven — let alone make profit. It’s a risk producers take. Thirdly, who are we making films for? People decide for themselves what they want to watch whether it’s at a multiplex on a Friday or at a film festival during weekdays. Either way, you simply can’t take away the commercial angle. All films are meant to be commercial but not all of them succeed in becoming so. And that space needs to improve.