Actor-poet Gunjan Saini has a unique relationship with talented director Imtiaz Ali. Imtiaz’s last film Chamkila, which was released on OTT, was a huge hit. His fans and followers are aware of a social media page called ‘Imtiaz Ali the Storyteller’ which has various creative posts related to his work. Gunjan is one of the writers of that fan page. Sharing more about her love and adoration for the director Gunjan says, ”I do not work for him directly. We have a page called ‘Imtiaz Ali the Storyteller,’ which has been around for quite some time. Sir is associated with that page, and he stays in touch with all of us. We often seek his advice or guidance on content. I contribute as a writer to that page. Sometime back Sir invited the page members to the premiere of ‘Chamkila,’ and I met him for the first time there. Meeting him in real life was an amazing experience.”
Talking about Gunjan’s favourite films of Imtiaz Ali she says, “My favorite film is ‘Jab We Met.’ But one film that has significantly impacted my life is ‘Tamasha.’ Because of this film, I started writing on Instagram, particularly about the characters of Ved and Tara. This gave me a tremendous boost.” She also adds, ”As a writer, I aspire to collaborate with Imtiaz Sir one day, particularly in writing songs for his films. I have this hope of contributing either dialogues or songs to his projects. When I met him, it was a beautiful experience. I had sent him a voice note on his last birthday, expressing how he inspired me to become a poet. Instagram has been a great platform for my writing and poetry. In response, He also sent me a voice note saying he is proud of me. Meeting him felt like meeting a teacher; it was surreal.”
Gunjan also feels Imtiaz Ali is incredibly intelligent and emotionally sensitive. His ability to evoke deep emotions from actors is evident in his films. The unspoken emotions are portrayed in his movies like ‘Laila Majnu’ and ‘Rockstar.’ She says, “You can truly appreciate these films when you are emotionally engaged and aware. He is a brilliant director and writer, and I am grateful to be associated with him in some way and to have met him that day.”
