Legendary filmmaker, painter, and cultural connoisseur Muzaffar Ali sits down for a rare, heartfelt conversation with Filmfare Editor-in-Chief Jitesh Pillai in the latest episode of In The Ring With Filmfare, now streaming on Filmfare’s YouTube channel. Celebrated for his poetic visual language and a worldview rooted in cultural synthesis, Muzaffar Ali takes us through the inspirations, philosophies, and creative forces that have shaped his multifaceted journey.
His artistic legacy spans far beyond the silver screen — while he gifted Indian cinema timeless gems like Gaman, Umrao Jaan, Anjuman, Zooni, and Jaanisaar, his contributions also include the revival of traditional crafts, textiles, and the curation of the iconic Sufi music festival Jahan-e-Khusrau. As the driving force behind the Rumi Foundation, Ali continues to weave together cinema, design, music, and cultural heritage into a seamless tapestry of artistic expression.
Revisiting the early chapters of his journey, Ali reflects, “I have tried to document my autobiography Zikar, but I would like to go a little further back to Calcutta. And then I moved to Calcutta from Aligarh, which is a City of Poetry, where I had gone to study science. When I was in Calcutta, I worked in an advertising group, and Mr. Ray used to be our director, so I used to watch him very carefully at the agency where I was. He was basically sketching and detailing his films, and that’s when I realized, why don’t I? My initial journey started from then.”
He also recalled his enriching tenure at Air India, during the time he was making Gaman, “When I was making Gaman, I was involved in Air India, the Air India job was very elevating for me. It gave me the freedom to promote art, to buy art, to send artists abroad. All the funny things I could do at that time. I also made films.”
Opening about his creative process while crafting Umrao Jaan and his collaboration with Rekha, he stated, “I think once Rekha agreed, it was very surprising to me that she agreed without any conditions. Maybe she saw beyond the moments, she could see more than we could. Then, from there, working backwards to prepare the whole thing was a big thing for her. The preparation was something else, she was the poetess in the film and the poetess of pain, the poetess of optimism, and inevitable spirits.”
Ali also addressed the frequent labeling of his films as “Muslim Social,” offering a clarion call for cultural unity, “I don’t like the word ‘Muslim Social’. I think it is all cultural expression; we are part of the same culture. In Umrao Jaan, there was nothing written that only Muslims can come, and Hindus can’t. The entire culture is called the Ganga-Jamuna culture. Milne ka, Judne ka, Mohabbat ka. Do not split it. Umrao Jaan started from Brahma Vishnu Mahesh as the taalim guru. There was no split culture; it is always a blending of culture, concepts, words, and thoughts. I think aesthetic detailing is missing in India.”
Discussing the change in today’s film marketing, he expressed his views, “Gaman is still alive. I am doing the art of marketing. If you know the art of marketing, you can market something that is nothing. You can market anything in terms of experience. What did not work out, I could not help. Now, people are using stardom, tested tools, etc. We use art for marketing.”
Giving advice to his younger self, he shared, “I would teach him patience, the importance of being rooted, deep humanism, and a keen eye for aesthetics. Discipline in one’s craft always pays off. The effort people put into their work shapes not just the craft but also their understanding of its impact. That is a huge space for learning.”
Lastly, sharing bits on being a father to three kids including filmmaker Shaad Ali, he says, “My kids have always had one complaint — that I didn’t give them enough time. You believe you’re giving them the best, but sometimes it turns out to be the worst. Still, nothing is ever so bad that it doesn’t deserve forgiveness. Murad’s inspiration comes from poetry — I believe he got that from me. Sama is following my journey of textiles. And Shaad has an amazing sense of music and humour.”