Notable Interview with an Adept Bollywood Director – Aijaz Khan
Full Name: Aijaz Khan
Profession: Bollywood Director, Producer, Ad Film Director, and Script Writer
Place of Residence: Mumbai
Popular Projects by Bollywood Director Aijaz Khan:
- Baankey Ki Crazy Baraat (starring, Rajpal Yadav, Vijay Raaz, Sanjay Misra, Rakesh Bedi, Tia Bajpai, Satyajeet Dubey, and Pankaj Jha).
- White Elephant (Art Film, produced by NDTV Imagine and Walkwater).
- NAFS (Short Film)
Upcoming Projects:
- Chatur-Vedi’s
- Haamid
- Ludhiana to Lahore
Popular Ad Film Direction by Aijaz Khan:
- Head & Shoulders
- Monte Carlo
- Modern Diaries
- Citibank
- Panasonic
- Ponds
- Pepsi Foods
- Maruti
- com
- Colgate
- JK Tyres
- Fuji Films
- Godrej Foods
About Director Aijaz Khan:
From a learner, beginner, and dreamer to an ad film maker, writer, and Bollywood director, Aijaz Khan had a beautiful journey of career to experience. Ever since he used to hear stories from his grandaunt (popular writer, Ismat Chughtai), he made his mind that he will bring stories to the big screen.
Aijaz is still a dreamer and loves to dream big. Perhaps, that is one of the reasons why he could accomplish the dream of directing more than 350 ad films in his career. Aijaz started to present his creative story telling quality ever since he was a child. He would leave his family, school, and friends awestruck by his story telling skills.
With the passing years and experience, he strongly believes that it is the story, which can either make a film record or break a film record. His recent film Baankey Ki Crazy Baarat successfully ran for 6 weeks with a houseful of audience.
Achievements and Honor by Aijaz Khan:
- Producer and Director – Peach Films
- Director – UTV
- Director – Highlight Video
Aijaz Khan Family Background:
Some more prominent names to remember from Aijaz’s family were her grandaunt, Ismat Chughtai, who was also the author of ‘Lehaaf’. Her writings were highly regarded and related at the level of ‘Manto ki kahaniya’.
Aijaz’s father, Nazar Khan also directed various films like, ‘Shagoon’ (starring Waheeda Rehmanji and Kamaljit). Currently, Aijaz lives with his pretty wife and two sons who are planning to make their own existence in their respective fields.
Bollywood beautifully explained by Aijaz Khan in a few answers:
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What was the most interesting ad that you loved directing?
- Kitply ad of 30 seconds. It’s the ad in which we made a casket of wood that I didn’t know how it looked like, due to limited technological advancement on web. There is a mummy wrapped in bandages and comes out of the casket. As a director, it’s the ad I enjoyed working on the most, as it involved lot of research and creative thinking.
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Are you religious or spiritual?
- I believe in the law of attraction and karmic cycle, that’s all. I know that there is some power that makes us do good or bad, which eventually lets us to face our karmas.
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How far do you believe in the reality of ‘casting couch’?
- Well, I agree that there are some elements in every industry that makes it concerning for the women to try their luck. However, the girls should take a stand when it comes to casting exploitation. Bollywood industry is simply targeted as it’s related to glamour and media, but I believe such things happen everywhere and some women are smart enough to handle such tricky situations.
As a director myself, I can’t imagine to make someone compromise with me for a film. At the end of the day, I would doubt my own character and efforts invested in the movie.
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What is your thought about Nepotism?
- I don’t think the industry has ever barred any outsider from showcasing their talent. Anyone who has the skills and fire in belly to do something passionately has succeeded well. It should be the same with the star kids too. I don’t think there is anything called Nepotism or biasness between outsiders and star kids.
There are many who couldn’t succeed despite a strong background, whereas there are some who made it up to the mark. If these star kids aren’t given the chance to follow the legacy of their family, then their recognized face value leaves them with little option and more risks to try their luck outside the industry.
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What fascinated you towards script writing?
- I grew up in a ‘literature’ environment and thus, the idea of writing stories always made me inclined towards script writing.
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What message would you like to given to the audience or your readers?
- Be a storyteller and tell a story irrespective of whether it’s real or fiction.
‘Every story brings you the 3 most expected A’s –
Attention, Audience, and Acclamation.’
Straight from the writer’s desk:
We met him at his office at Andheri and thought he would be a typical director with lots of philosophical talks running in his mind. However, the number of coffee rounds made us realize how time passed by listening to his brilliant tips and strategies about film direction. Aijaz Khan not only carries the experience of being a good director, but also carries the look of a model director, who was seated in his cabin wearing a blue tee inside, open jeans shirt, and a jeans pant with those well-done beige shoes. The moment I saw him, I guessed it’s him!
I cannot deny that we exchanged a session full of learning with lots of humor and intellect. Although, he will be busy with a couple of upcoming short films and commercial movies, I would love to be a part of his work and understand what direction is all about.
Some of his ad-films are something that we have always loved watching on TV. Aijaz has given just a few films to the industry, but I strongly hope to see him with big budget movies real soon. At the end of our meet, I started to believe that he will soon be giving an amazing number of movies to the industry through his creative thinking. Thank you for this wonderful meet Aijaz Khan and my best wishes are with you for your future endeavors.
