Take any of Ali's films, and you'll notice a recurring theme that love lies at the heart of the protagonist's journey of self-discovery.
Love has many shades. But while most Bollywood films stick to one (the rosy, feel-good version with picture-perfect endings), Imtiaz Ali dives much deeper. He explores love in its rawest, most psychological form. He shows that sometimes, it’s confusing, messy, and even painful, but it’s in those moments that we grow. Leo Tolstoy famously said, “All, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love. Everything is, everything exists, only because I love.” For Tolstoy, love is both the reason we live and the way we make sense of life. Now, if you look at Ali’s films, that idea breathes through every frame. Although most of his stories aren’t primarily about love, they’re about people finding themselves through love. Love is depicted as something that helps his characters figure out who they truly are. Like Tolstoy also said, “All great literature is one of two stories: a man goes on a journey, or a stranger comes to town.” In Ali’s world, the journey is internal. And at the center of it all is a man and a woman; confused, but trying to make sense of themselves through each other.
As the celebrated filmmaker turns 54 today, let's take a closer look at the psychology of relationships in his films. Just keep in mind that there are many kinds of love in his films, but we're talking about the one that pulls two people together only to reveal the deeper layers of life.
Love isn’t limited to two people finding each other and romance. It's rebellious. It's about finding the courage to break free. And in Imtiaz Ali's films, love is always the force that helps his characters step out of the boxes society has built for them.
In 'Socha Na Tha', Viren is trapped between what his family wants and what he feels. It’s his love for Aditi that helps him finally question the pressure and expectations tied to an arranged marriage. No, he doesn’t rebel just for the sake of rebellion; he does it because love opens his eyes to what he truly wants. Also, in 'Jab We Met', Geet may come off as bubbly and carefree, but she’s also been raised to marry the man her parents choose. Again it’s love, first for Anshuman, and then for Aditya, that gives her the strength to make her own choices, to defy family, heartbreak, and tradition. 'Rockstar' sees Janardan (Jordan) as the typical “naive Indian boy” until Tara walks into his life and helps her find the emotional intensity, the chaos, and the courage, to become who he really is. Tamasha’s Ved is finally able to reject the mask society forced on him through love. And although not traditional love, Veera in 'Highway' breaks away from her elite upbringing only after meeting Mahavir.
Love often works like a mirror, showing us who we really are, not who we pretend to be. In 'Tamasha', Ved lives two lives, one wild and full of stories on vacation, and another dull 9-to-5 version in Delhi. He convinces himself that the latter is reality, until Tara reflects the truth back at him: the real Ved is the storyteller, the dreamer, the explorer. In 'Jab We Met', Geet is the epitome of joy and chaos, but heartbreak turns her into someone she is not. It’s Aditya who reminds her “yeh sadness tujhpe suit nahi karti”, and in doing so, helps her find her way back to herself. In 'Jab Harry Met Sejal', Harry buries his identity under years of routine and loneliness, but it’s Sejal’s presence that brings his Punjabi roots and forgotten warmth back to life. Even in 'Amar Singh Chamkila', it’s Amar’s relationship with Amarjot that helps him embrace his art with honesty. 'Love Aaj Kal' (both versions) plays on this same idea — love becomes the lens through which characters see who they truly are and what they truly need. For Ali, love isn’t about finding someone; it’s about finding yourself.
Love doesn’t always lead to “happily ever after”, at least not right away. More often, love enters like a storm, stirs something deep within, and then leaves, giving space for transformation. This is a recurring theme in Ali's films. In 'Jab We Met', Aditya is broken and lost, and amidst all that, Geet walks in like a spark. When they part ways, in the silence of that separation, Aditya finds purpose, turns his business around, and starts truly living. In 'Rockstar’, it’s only after Heer leaves for Prague that Janardan begins to truly pursue his passion. Her absence lights a fire that transforms Janardan into Jordan, the raw, explosive artist he was always meant to be. In 'Love Aaj Kal', love ends in heartbreak, but that heartbreak forces the characters to face their truth, to stop running, to grow up, and to choose passion over safety.
(Credit: T-Series)
That’s the beauty of these stories; people fall in love, get separated, but in that space, they learn to love themselves. They discover meaning and direction.
Imtiaz Ali depicts love as this powerful, transformative force that helps you understand yourself and discover the deeper meaning of life. And while that’s beautiful, there’s a pattern in most of his films that’s quite problematic. It’s almost always the woman who walks into the man’s life and helps him in his self-discovery. She is the one expected to heal, to fix, to awaken. But why does that emotional responsibility always fall on the woman? Why must she carry the weight of someone else’s healing? In 'Tamasha', we never really get to know what Tara wants. Her entire arc revolves around helping Ved become who he truly is. An exception is 'Highway', where Mahavir gently nudges Veera toward her own truth. But again, it’s one-sided: one character entering and “fixing” the other. 'Jab We Met' gets it right. Geet brings Aditya back to life in the first half, and in the second, Aditya is the one who helps her heal. Now that’s love - equal, mutual, and supportive. It’s not about one saving the other, but about holding each other up.
(Credit: T-Series)
Ali, I don’t know if these words will ever reach you. But if they do, I’d honestly love to know what you think about it.
