'Run Away, They're Coming': Imtiaz Ali Opens Up About Terrifying Hostel Experience

Film director Imtiaz Ali has shared an incident where a gang attacked him in college during one of his most horrifying experiences. Find out what happened and how Imtiaz was able to escape.

Imtiaz graduated from Hindu College in 1993. Recently, Imtiaz shared the incident while appearing in a podcast episode and recalled that a small fight escalated into a bigger issue.

He said, "At that time, there was frequent conflict between the NSUI and ABVP in the university. Someone put a poster on my hostel wall. I told them not to put it on the front wall, but on the side wall. But they deliberately put it on the front wall." I removed the poster in front of them and put it aside. They left.

He further explained, "A few days later, at around 2 a.m., one of my hostel mates came and told me to run away, as they were coming. They then came and said, 'Come with us.' I asked where, but they forcibly put me in a cycle rickshaw and took me to a place that looked like a government quarter. There was a gang leader there, who was associated with a political organization. He questioned me about the incident. I explained that I hadn't torn the poster, but had simply removed it from the front and re-posted it because they felt it was ruining the building's look."

Recounting how he finally escaped, Imtiaz said, "The gang leader asked one of his men if I had torn the poster. He said, "Removed or tore, it's the same thing." The gang leader got angry at this and said, "You said he tore the poster, now you're saying he just removed it?" An argument ensued, and the gang leader slapped his own man twice for lying. That's how I got the chance to get away."

Imtiaz Ali's next film is "Main Wapas Aaunga," a romantic drama set during the Partition era. Besides Diljit, the film also stars Vedang Raina, Sharvari, and Naseeruddin Shah. "Main Wapas Aaunga" will release in theaters on June 12.