Sajid Ali to make directorial debut with ‘Banana’.
By Jasmine Raskoti
NEW DELHI: The brothers of director Imtiaz Ali are following in his footsteps. Younger brother Arif Ali made his directorial debut with Lekar Hum Deewana Di. And now the youngest brother, Sajid Ali, who is 12 years younger than Imtiaz, will join the legion of Bollywood directors with ‘Banana’.
‘Banana’ will be produced by John Abraham but will not feature him. John has agreed to produce for Sajid. There were reports earlier that at one time John was supposed to star in ‘Rockstar’ directed by Imtiaz Ali.
Though full details regarding ‘Banana’ are yet to be known, it’s believed to be a coming of age film set in Jamshedpur, where the Ali brothers have grown up and spent their childhood.
According to a source, “‘Banana’ is a film about friendship, loyalty and love set in Jamshedpur. All the protagonists are 17-year-old. Sajid has shot the entire film in Jamshedpur where incidentally Vikamraditya Motwane had also shot his debut film ‘Udaan’. It’s about the ups and downs of school life.”
Confirming the news, Sajid was quoted as saying: “Yes, I’m following my brothers into film direction. I’ve followed them all my life, trying to be like them. They’ve set high standards. But let’s see if I can live up to expectations.”
The film should be out by next year.
Imtiaz has made his name as one of the finest directors in the industry whereas Arif Ali’s directorial debut film received negative critical reception and was panned by most of the critics. His film was also about friendship and love. Let us see what Sajid has in his bag and if luck favors him.