Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali’s films like Love Aaj Kal, Tamasha and Rockstar changed the grammar of the Hindi film industry and gave audiences male protagonists who were vulnerable on screen and didn’t mind destroying themselves for love. In a recent interaction, Imtiaz spoke about Rockstar and shared a crucial, never-heard-before detail about the film’s ending and how, inspired by the story of Heer Ranjha, he killed the film’s female protagonist Heer.
At a recent fan meet-up in Mumbai hosted by Laksh Maheshwari, Imtiaz admitted that Heer wasn’t supposed to die in the film’s original script. “I wanted her to be alive. I wanted so many different things in Rockstar. In fact, I had written a full draft, but unfortunately I lost it and then years later when I got the chance of making Rockstar, I tried looking for it and I had lost it. It wasn’t in the computer.”
Imtiaz explained that, inspired by the story of Heer Ranjha, he eventually killed Heer. However, as the story progressed in his mind, the film’s male lead, Jordan — played by Ranbir Kapoor — also dies in the end. He said, “So I wrote it again. This time when I was writing. I don’t know what happened. At the end of it, Heer was no more. I think it was also because I was following Heer Ranjha a lot. That is why the girl’s name was Heer and that she dies before Ranjha, so the movie ends before the death of Jordan.”
Tamasha’s Ved inspired by Imtiaz’s real-life friend
Imtiaz’s film Tamasha, though not a hit upon its release, later became a phenomenon among youngsters and inspired many to quit their corporate jobs and pursue their passion in the arts, just like the film’s protagonist Ved, played by Ranbir Kapoor. In the same interaction, Imtiaz shared that the name Ved and parts of the film’s story were inspired by his own school friend named Ved, who gave up his passion for playing the guitar to become a doctor.
He said, “I haven’t told this to a lot of people as to why the protagonist in Tamasha is named Ved. Only those close to me know about it.”
A teary-eyed Imtiaz recalled memories of his friend and said, “I was a very shy kid in school. It was very difficult for me to make friends. I was not good at anything, be it studies, sports, drama, singing etc. There was no talent in me. In the 5th standard, I met a boy who had relocated from England. His name was Ved Vardhan Tripathi. The character’s name in the film is Ved Vardhan Sahni.”
Sharing how he drew inspiration from his old friend, Imtiaz added, “As I was writing the script more than 30 years later, the name Ved came up. I thought maybe I got the inspiration from Ved Vyas. Lekin aadmi apne hosh mein nahin hota hai, jab likh raha hota hai. Ved Vardhan was that friend with whom I felt safe and protected. I used to not feel conscious. I used to be happy about the fact that ‘mere saath bhi koi hai’. I began looking forward to going to school as Ved was there.”
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He continued, “After many years, I got transferred. There were no mobile phones then and hence, we lost touch. But I did connect with him. At times, I would hear about him from a friend. I learned that he wanted to play the guitar, but he got busy with his MBBS. As a result, he couldn’t pursue music. He trained some people and they found success in the field and not him. At this point, I met Ved occasionally. He got addicted to alcohol. He got married. Then, one day I learned that he was dead. I could not, for the life of me, understand that aisa kyun hua? There was some mystery. Kuch tha jo woh dhund raha tha.”
Imtiaz Ali revealed, “I had met him when I was shooting Love Aaj Kal (2009) in London. He was based there and he seemed happy when we met. We used to talk on the phone. He used to call late sometimes. He used to be intoxicated and would reminisce about old days and the shameless things we had done together!”
He also said, “When Tamasha was made, I went to London and met his family. My daughter Ida was with me. We met his sons and played cricket with him. They told me, ‘Woh kuch chahta tha, but he didn’t get it. He used to be out of the house mostly and would play music. He became a misfit’. That day, sitting at his house, I realized why I might have called this character Ved. Andar hi andar aap bahut saari chezein process karte ho jo aapki intelligence aapko nahin samjha sakti. However, I didn’t tell them that to check out what the name of the character was in Tamasha. I just requested them to see the film.”
