Imtiaz Ali recalls getting abducted from college over poster dispute
What's the story
Acclaimed filmmaker Imtiaz Ali recently recounted a terrifying episode from his days at Delhi University's Hindu College. The incident, which involved his abduction by a local political gang over a poster dispute, was shared during an interview with Unfiltered by Samdish. Despite the harrowing experience, Ali has often spoken fondly about his time at Hindu College, crediting it with shaping his personality and thoughts.
Abduction incident
What was the dispute?
Ali recalled, "In Delhi, I was once abducted from my hostel by a local gang." He explained that student politics at the time was dominated by rival factions. "Someone had put up a poster on the wall of my hostel. I told them to...use the side walls," he explained. "They deliberately pasted it on the front wall. In front of them, I removed it and put it up on the side. They left."
Midnight abduction
They arrived in a cycle rickshaw post-midnight
A few days after the initial confrontation, Ali was warned by a friend around 2:00am to flee as the local gang was coming. "They arrived and said, 'Come with us.' They had come in a cycle rickshaw to take me away. They made me sit and took me to a government quarter-type place in the university area," he recalled. There, he encountered the gang leader associated with a political party who wanted to know what had transpired.
Escape route
Ali told the leader what exactly happened
Ali explained that he hadn't torn the poster but merely moved it as it spoiled the building's look. The gang leader then asked one of his men if Ali had torn the poster. The man replied, "It's the same thing. Whether he removed it or tore it...it's the same." This misunderstanding led to an argument between the leader and his associate. "The leader slapped his own man twice for lying to him. That's how I got away," Ali said.
College memories
In 2017, Ali shared his experiences of Hindu College
During a visit to Hindu College in 2017, Ali reminisced about his college days. He said, "DU taught me a lot, and I had good, bad, ugly, romantic, and all kinds of time here." He admitted to doing illegal things during this period, but didn't elaborate as he deemed it was a "very strong government." On the work front, Ali is currently preparing for the release of Main Vaapas Aaunga on June 12.