Imtiaz Ali on ‘Jab Harry Met Sejal’: “Shah Rukh never imposed himself on the film | Hindi Movie News – Times of India

Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali recently addressed longstanding rumors that Shah Rukh Khan’s star power compromised his creative vision for the 2017 romantic comedy ‘Jab Harry Met Sejal‘. The film, starring Khan and Anushka Sharma, underperformed at the box office, sparking speculation about potential conflicts between the actor’s influence and the director’s storytelling.
In a recent interview with GQ India, Imtiaz Ali dismissed the claims, asserting that Shah Rukh Khan never overstepped during the film’s production. “Shah Rukh never imposed himself on the film,” Ali said. “But he is a huge star with an enormous fan base. He has a lot of expectations to fulfill, and I wasn’t writing to serve that. I did not consider the scale of his stardom.”
Reflecting on the film’s reception, Ali acknowledged that the story could have been better structured, hinting at missed opportunities to clarify the characters’ motivations. He mentioned that additional elements like flashbacks or a more traditional narrative approach might have benefited the film. “Certain elements need to be included in the script to make it work, but the soul of the film must remain intact,” he explained.
Ali also shared his broader perspective on filmmaking. He admitted that with Jab Harry Met Sejal, he attempted to make his storytelling more accessible and mainstream, only to realize it didn’t align with his natural style. He emphasized the importance of staying true to a filmmaker’s vision, regardless of external pressures.
Previously, in an interview with Mid-Day, Ali had stated that a film’s lack of commercial success doesn’t mean it was entirely flawed. He noted that every project is a learning experience and that a director’s priority should be to create films they genuinely believe in.
‘Jab Harry Met Sejal’ featured Shah Rukh Khan as Harinder Singh Nehra, a Punjabi tour guide, and Anushka Sharma as Sejal Parikh, a Gujarati woman searching for her lost engagement ring in Europe.