Imtiaz Ali recalls pain after 'Jab Harry Met Sejal' failed at the box office: 'I should have dealt with it in a different way'

Imtiaz Ali has rated his 2017 film 'Jab Harry Met Sejal' 3 out of 10 and called it “an opportunity lost.” The filmmaker said the Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma starrer had a strong idea at its center, but he felt the final film did not use that potential well. The romantic comedy-drama marked his first collaboration with both actors. It had huge pre-release buzz, but it received a largely negative response after release and failed to meet box office expectations.

Imtiaz Ali rates Shah Rukh Khan's film 'Jab Harry Met Sejal' 3 out of 10

The Indian Express reported that Imtiaz spoke about 'Jab Harry Met Sejal' during an appearance on 'Unfiltered by Samdish'. When asked to rate the film out of 10, he gave it a blunt “3”.



Explaining his answer, Imtiaz said, “I feel it was an opportunity lost, because of the potential of the story. I should have dealt with it in a different way.” He added, “I liked the potential of the story more than the story and definitely more than the film.”

The filmmaker then explained the idea behind Harry's character. He said he had thought about a man from a small village in Punjab who goes abroad with innocence and tenderness, but who is slowly hardened by life.

Imtiaz said the man’s emotional response to intimacy shaped the character. According to him, Harry carried deep hurt and trained himself to leave after intimate moments so he would not have to face tenderness again.

Imtiaz Ali calls 'Jab Harry Met Sejal' an opportunity lost

This is not the first time Imtiaz has spoken about the film’s failure. In an earlier interview with Ranveer Allahbadia, he said someone told him, “So what if it didn’t do well, it is still your film.”

He said the remark affected him deeply. “Toh mujhe bohot dard hua (It hurt me a lot),” he recalled. Imtiaz also called the film “an unfortunate child” and said he felt “a strange melancholy” while looking back at it.

He said he had sensed disappointment around the film at the time and was also bedridden with dengue for a month. Imtiaz is now preparing for the release of 'Main Vaapas Aaunga', which is scheduled to arrive in theaters on June 12.