From ‘Gaman’ to ‘Umrao Jaan’: Why do you want to apologize to your children, Muzaffar Ali?
Muzaffar Ali, the legendary filmmaker, painter and patron of the cultural heritage, recently appeared in the new episode of the show “In the Ring with Filmfare” with Filmfare Editor-in-Chief Jitesh Pillai. This conversation was not just an interview but the intensive self-analysis of his life, thoughts and philosophy of art. Muzaffar Ali’s film journey is a proof of his multidimensional talent. While he gave classical films like Gaman, Umrao Jaan, Anjuman, Zuni and Janisar, he also restored India’s traditional art, textile, and Sufi music on the global stage. Through his organization Rumi Foundation, he conducts an international Sufi music festival like Jahan-E-Khusrau, which is a confluence of art, culture and spirituality.
Story started from the streets of Calcutta
Recalling the beginning of his life, Ali says, “I have written a lot in my autobiography ‘Knik’, but it starts with my journey from Aligarh to Calcutta. Aligarh which is the city of poetry, I went to study science.
AI round of Air India and preparation for ‘movement’
Ali says that he was working in Air India while he was moving. “Air India job was a very high thing for me. It gave me the freedom to promote art. Got the opportunity to send artists abroad, buy art and express emotions through films.”
‘Umrao Jaan’ and association with Rekha
Regarding Umrao Jaan, he said, “When Rekha agreed unconditionally for this film, I was shocked. Perhaps she looked across this character, felt the poet of pain and hope. She was not just playing a role, she became the soul of the poetess.”
Objection to ‘Muslim social’ tag
Muzaffar Ali clearly says, “I disagree with tags like ‘Muslim social’. All this is a cultural expression. We are all part of the same Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb. Umrao did not write anywhere in Jaan that it is only for Muslims. It is a culture of union, love and association, which should not be broken.”
Look at the marketing of today’s era
He believes that “today stardom and already tried tools promote films, while we used to marketing with art. Gaman is still alive today because he has experience of emotions.”
What would you like to teach yourself?
What will they teach if they meet their own young version? “Patience, intimacy, understanding and discipline of beauty. Working by drowning in any craft has its own effect and he makes the depth of the person.”
A father’s self -sanction
Muzaffar Ali, the father of three children, Murad, Sama, and Shad Ali (director), also shares a task, “My children have complained that I did not give them time. What I was giving was not right for them. Still, forgiveness is in every relationship. Murad is in every relationship. Murad gets the love of poetry, Sama is moving the work of my textile design and there is a tremendous understanding of my textile design.”
Muzaffar Ali’s life is not just of films, but also a lively document of culture, art, tradition and sensation. Their thoughts not only introduce us to the depth of Indian aesthetics, but also teach that true art is what it adds, not breaking.
