"Women Are The Carrier Of Cultures"

Muzaffar Ali, a popular actor and director and his diverse interests have included everything from Sufism, fashion, vintage cars, and painting to poetry, music, and filmmaking. His films include Umrao Jaan, Gaman, and Jaanisaar. In his autobiography Zikr: In the Light and Shade of Time he narrates his journey in a very linear fashion.

Muzaffar Ali, Indian Film-Maker said that women are certainly the carrier of cultures and act as a buffer for the household from the external influences that are challenging our households.

When asked about the whole idea behind the book Zikr: In The Light And Shade Of Time, Ali stated that "A lot of people were asking me to write something but it's not easy to put pen and paper to write your life. Depicting your life is a very sensitive thing to do because every life is very interesting and every human being lives a full life where they are involved in relationships, shaped by many influencers, and problems."

"Everybody is going through a process and to understand that process through one's own life was a challenging thing to do. I thought let's start from the threshold and write about different shades of Lucknow through my father's vision," he added.

Ali continued by stating that he never found working in Bollywood to be particularly easy. But since he was employed by Air India, he wasn't even a struggler there. But in filmmaking, one cannot create a film if the heart is not touched, and he was unable to perceive how commercial cinema had affected him.