Sajid Ali gushes over Triptii Dimri's stardom ahead of Laila Majnu re-release: She is truly self made
As Avinash Tiwary and Triptii Dimri's Laila Majnu gets a re-release across India, director Sajid Ali talks about his leading lady and delayed love the film got
Avinash Tiwary and Triptii Dimri starrer 2018 release Laila Majnu got a re-release in Kashmir recently, and because of fan requests, the film is now re-releasing across India. Director Sajid Ali says, “The fans are the custodians and real owners of this film. We are still relevant because of them. I wasn’t there on social media until a few weeks back, so I didn’t have any idea of the following the film has accumulated. It was quite a surprise.”
While the film has become popular over the years, Sajid insists that a lot of it comes out of guilt. “People have taken probably more than what the film offered. I have been privy to conversations where people have gone out of their way to talk and write about Laila Majnu out of guilt. And I feel because of guilt, people have overcompensated as well,” he asserts.
Dealing with the film's failure in 2018
The director admits that the film not working at the time of release did hurt him a lot. “I really thought it was the kind of film that should have worked. It had all the elements, but people didn’t come to the theatres. On the seventh day, it was washed out. I had fallen on my face, and it took me time to get back to reality. I have had many cycles of getting over the film and it was out of my system, but it started seeping back recently,” he shares.
Sajid is excited about the re-release but says, “I am not as nervous as the heartbreak has already happened. I feel there is no better time for it to get a re-release.” The director informs that Laila Majnu is doing well in Kashmir since the re-release. “The only houseful show I had seen was the cast and crew screening of Laila Majnu in 2018, and the next one I saw was in Kashmir now. We’ve been having back-to-back housefuls. Now, I am interested to see how it performs in other cities,” he says.
2024 has been proving to be a lucky year for the whole team associated with Laila Majnu with Sajid having a son and his brother and the film’s producer Imtiaz Ali giving the successful Amar Singh Chamkila. Avinash had a success with Madgaon Express while Triptii gave a hit with Bad Newz. “It’s also a little scary and feels like you’re being watched. Iski bhi aadat nahi honi chahiye as every year isn’t going to be like this. Lag raha hai ki sab kuch ek saath to nahi mil raha hai,” Sajid says.
Sajid on Triptii's stardom
While the director witnessed Avinash’s stardom during their recent trip to Kashmir, he takes immense pride in Triptii’s journey too. “I’ve always known she’d do well. For a year, she was a Bollywood heroine, but then the film came and it flopped big time. After that I saw her struggle. She wasn’t wearing fancy clothes that she used to before half the time, there weren’t any hired vehicles given to her, she was travelling in autos, and I felt really bad for her as she was just six months in Mumbai. But she took up an acting course. We told her that ‘you are a good actor, you should focus on things like dancing and all as that is where you can be better at’. But she went back to zero and uske baad uske andar ka real actor jaaga hai. So, I give her all the credit in the world because she is truly self-made,” he gushes.