Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

‘It is gratifying that a streaming show has legacy value,’ says Imtiaz Ali on She Season 2

Ali is presently busy promoting the second season of his Netflix show She.

‘It is gratifying that a streaming show has legacy value,’ says Imtiaz Ali on She Season 2

“If my characters are allowed to change, why can't I,” asks filmmaker Imtiaz Ali, arguing that he would not have been able to write the dark and brooding She without the effervescent Jab We Met.

The second season of She, which explores the seamy underbelly of Mumbai through the eyes of a cop who discovers her sexuality and confidence while working undercover as a sex worker, returned for a second season on Netflix on Friday.


And the comparisons with his earlier films, including Socha Na Tha, Tamasha, and Highway, are inevitable.

"I got a lot of response for She pointing in the direction that people didn't expect it. They were surprised but almost all of the response was positive. Stories like She and Highway have been written long before, it is just that others came before,” Ali told PTI in a Zoom interview.

He remembers well his first “light story” that went on to become his first film too - Socha Na Tha - and is happy he is able to switch tracks and has something to say in other, darker spheres as well. The director said it is important to move between two extremes in genres without losing one's balance. “It's not that Imtiaz Ali of ‘Jab We Met' wouldn't have written ‘She'. Quite the opposite actually. If my characters are allowed to change, why am I not? Of course, there will be a change in the way I write, but I feel ‘She' would not have been possible without 'Jab We Met'. I feel these are connected," Ali said.

The second season of She, fronted by Aaditi Pohankar, is directed by Ali's brother Arif Ali and produced by Viacom 18 Studios' Tipping Point and Window Seat Films. It sees the protagonist explore her newfound confidence and sexuality.

She is bound by duty to the police force but also struggles with her attraction towards drug lord and assassin Nayak.  According to Ali, the second season will see his central character Bhumi go through a more internal journey.

"There are two things as themes in this season, one of them is the seduction of darkness, we even have theme music for it. There are certain very relieving qualities about darkness, about sin, and about being wrong. It sets her free in multiple ways. The second theme, which I found interesting, is that sometimes in life survival becomes a choice. You've got to choose whether you want to survive or not. And in the second season Bhumi decides to survive.

The story of She came to Ali while he was walking the "streets of infamy" in Hong Kong.  "...this idea of the big bad world of the underworld, prostitution, and authorities mixing together in the narrow alleys of a big city like Mumbai. Also, the idea of intimacy in a dangerous situation like that and female power. I wanted to discover it from the inside of a woman's mind rather than to objectify her...," Ali said.

The first season of the show was trending in the top-10 most-watched shows in India ahead of the second season premiere. This, Ali said, makes him feel like he is part of a community where both the makers and the viewers are looking forward to the same thing.

"It is gratifying that an OTT show has legacy value. If you make something you know that it can be viewed almost 20-30 years later. This is not the feeling one gets in TV. It is kind of disconcerting that a show runs only once on TV. It used to be said to TV directors like myself, ‘Whatever you do, this is a picture with one show. So don't work too hard on it'," Ali said recalling his initial years in television. Unlike TV, the director said, an OTT show has an “almost limitless shelf life”.

"Some people are watching She for the first time, some are rewatching the show… Shows like Narcos have been discovered around the world in different years. So, a show that does not do well for the first couple of years might strike gold in the third or fourth year. It is gratifying to a filmmaker to know that if you make something, it has the potential to be discovered later by the audience."

More For You

Spain earthquakes

Almería airport sustained damage in its departures lounge

CSmonitor

Spain earthquakes: What we know about the 5.4-magnitude tremor that shook tourist regions

Highlights:

  • A 5.4-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Almería, southern Spain, at 7.13 am on Monday
  • The tremor was felt in over 50 towns, including tourist destinations like Malaga
  • No injuries have been reported, but building damage occurred in airports and showrooms
  • The quake follows a weekend of floods and severe weather in Spain
  • No UK Foreign Office travel warnings have been issued, but travellers are advised to check local alerts

Southern Spain was rocked by a 5.4-magnitude earthquake on the morning of Monda,y 14 July, with tremors felt across several provinces, including popular tourist destinations.

The earthquake struck at 7.13 am off the coast of Almería, nearly two miles below sea level, according to Spain’s National Geographic Institute (IGN). Despite its intensity, there have been no reported injuries, although some structural damage has occurred.

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India flight crash
Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft, operating flight AI-171 to London Gatwick, crashed into a medical hostel complex shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12.
Getty Images

Air India chief says crash report opens new questions, no conclusions yet

A PRELIMINARY report into last month's Air India plane crash that killed 260 people has raised further questions, and the investigation is still ongoing, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson said in a memo to staff on Monday.

The initial report, released by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on Saturday, pointed to confusion in the cockpit shortly before the Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump Jr and girlfriend Bettina Anderson

Donald Trump Jr and Bettina Anderson turn heads with intense PDA before Trump’s Club World Cup appearance

Getty Images

Donald Trump Jr and girlfriend Bettina Anderson flaunt PDA ahead of FIFA Club World Cup final​

Highlights:

  • Donald Trump Jr and Bettina Anderson were seen getting intimate at Teterboro Airport before heading to the FIFA Club World Cup final.
  • The couple matched in white shirts and embraced publicly while awaiting President Donald Trump and Melania Trump.
  • Anderson defended Don Jr online earlier this year after a New York Magazine article criticised him.
  • Trump Jr’s ex-fiancée Kimberly Guilfoyle was recently appointed US Ambassador to Greece, while ex-wife Vanessa is now dating Tiger Woods.

Donald Trump Jr and his girlfriend Bettina Anderson turned heads over the weekend with an unabashed public display of affection on the tarmac in Teterboro, New Jersey, just before President Trump and Melania Trump landed ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup final. The couple, who have been together since mid-2024, looked inseparable as they hugged, kissed, and held hands openly, seemingly unconcerned by the presence of others or nearby cameras.

 Donald Trump Jr and girlfriend Bettina Anderson All eyes on Donald Trump Jr and Bettina Anderson as their PDA grabs attention before Trump’s arrivalGetty Images

Keep ReadingShow less
Trump-Getty

Trump will become the first elected political leader in modern times to be hosted for two state visits by a British monarch. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

King Charles to host Donald Trump for state visit in September

KING CHARLES will host US president Donald Trump in September for a second state visit to Britain, Buckingham Palace announced on Monday.

The visit is scheduled to take place from 17 to 19 September.

Keep ReadingShow less
southend london plane crash

A plume of black smoke rises from an area near the runway after a small plane crash, as seen from inside a building at London Southend Airport on July 13, 2025. (Photo: Reuters)

Reuters

Southend Airport closed after plane crash

LONDON Southend Airport in Essex has been closed until further notice after a small plane crashed at the airport on England’s south-east coast on Sunday, according to police.

In a post on X, London Southend Airport said all flights to and from the airport have been cancelled while emergency services, police, and air accident investigators are at the scene.

Keep ReadingShow less