I don't use the word love, says 'Tamasha' director Imtiaz Ali

We are with writerdirector Imtiaz Ali lunching at a crowded Andheri deli and we are talking taboo relationships The sort that you know you shouldnrsquot be in but canrsquot help being inldquoYou think you want control but you really donrsquot And itrsquos fine to be in them Itrsquos a part of evolving You want to fit into slots that you find respectable or what the world sees as respectable You are disturbed when that doesnrsquot happenrdquo he says biting into a crunchy citrus saladldquoYou know itrsquos all about that feeling that says lsquoI want to do this I donrsquot care I just dorsquordquoAlso read Deepika is Ranbirs muse in Tamasha says Imtiaz AliSeemingly random conversations about life and its trappings are easy to indulge in with Ali His movies mdash last yearrsquos hit Highway and before that Jab We Met Rockstar and Love Aaj Kal mdash have been about doing things we want to but most of the times donrsquot His latest Tamasha is no different Ranbir Kapoor plays a man who transforms into an outgoing charming guy on vacation to Corsica when he meets Deepika Padukonersquos character and falls in love When they return he jumps back into his normal skin which he tells her is actually quite ldquoboringrdquo but the real himImtiaz Alirsquos Highway was one of last yearrsquos big hits ldquoWe all have one vicarious side and a boring one and we keep trying to merge the two Perhaps thatrsquos not possible at allrdquo says the 44yearold ldquoAs a kid Irsquod carry this image in my head of being in a train looking out I wanted to be outside not inside the train because inside I had to behaverdquoWhen we move to discussing love though he says the word is taboo for him We think that startling especially since he has earned his fame making lsquoloversquo stories ldquoI avoid it like the plague Itrsquos the most confusing thing to me It means different things to different people and acquires different meanings through the day I donrsquot like miscommunication so I use more specific terms like affectionrdquo When instructing his actors he will say ldquoYou are feeling like you want to hold herrdquo or ldquoYou want to kiss her right nowrdquoLove Aaj KalThatrsquos more easy to understand he argues ldquoI donrsquot even use the word love with my kids We are not cheesyrdquoAlso read Did you know Love Aaj Kal was earlier titled ElasticDoes that mean there is a distinction between love and lust ldquoWhy should there be he wonders ldquoWords canrsquot be used to describe feelings like thoserdquoTamashaWe are back to discussing taboo relationships and he has a theory Is the object of affection really your object of affectionSometimes he explains you like the thirst not what will quench it water But you still need the water to quench that thirstJust when you want to say thatrsquos esoteric he bares the average Joe side to him admitting that itrsquos hard to find women who hersquod lust after but also strike an invigorating conversation with ldquoItrsquos damn hard man A girl can be superhot But if there is no connect the lust will wear off I seek that connectrdquoWe agree that lust is an easier emotion to express love complicated to live out ldquoTamasha says that love makes you the person you need to be and sometimes by moving in the direction of what you desire you may reach the true yourdquoSo is he saying love makes you your best selfldquoExactlyrdquoWhy then does he on screen portray lust in black and whiteldquoLove Aaj Kal had a hint of lust They Saif Ali Khan and Deepika are sitting in the car in one scene they touch then kiss and touch some more and then really kiss Are you sure none of my other movies hint at lust Doesnrsquot Highway have a bit of it like a suggestion of sex in the fields or the time he talks about his motherrdquoBut thatrsquos forced we argueldquoYes perhaps you are rightrdquoFor the time being we are going to have to wait for Tamasha which Ali says despite its existential dilemmas has a happy ending ldquoOr else I would be saying lsquodonrsquot try and change yourself for the better for loversquo Irsquod never say thatrdquo