Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali has opened up about a bizarre brush with the law while making one of his most beloved films, Jab We Met. In a candid interview, the actor revealed that a non-bailable arrest warrant had once been issued against him over a scene in the 2007 romantic comedy featuring Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor Khan in lead roles.Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter India, the director recalled the time when locals from “Ratlam ki Galiyan” took offence to a humorous scene in the film, claiming that the depiction of the town known for its snacks like chivda and fafda was defamed by associating it with a red-light district.Ali, who was deep into filming his next project Love Aaj Kal at the time, was unaware of the escalating legal matter saying, “I was shooting in Calcutta when [producer] Dino [Dinesh Vijan] came running to me and said, ‘Sir, there’s a non-bailable arrest warrant and if they come to know you are here, they will come and arrest you.’”In the middle of the controversy, Ali recalled Veteran actress Dolly Ahluwalia’s light-hearted response. Offering him her support, she teased, “Main apne haathon se roti bana kar laungi, salakhon ke beech se aapko niwala khilaungi (I’ll make rotis with my own hands and feed you through the prison bars).” Beyond the anecdote, Ali also spoke about the broader concept of freedom saying to the portal, “One of the parameters of freedom is being able to speak the truth in a public forum. If you speak every word truthfully, then you are free.”Ali’s most recent project was the critically acclaimed film titled Amar Singh Chamkila which had an OTT release.
