In Jinn, Ajmal Zaheer Ahmad (AZA) has created a haunting story and captured it in his film. Ras Siddiqui (RS) interviewed him for this publication to dig deeper into the movie and the filmmaker:

RS: First before we approach the subject of the movie itself, could you share a little information about yourself and how you became a filmmaker?

AZA: As far as how I became a filmmaker...the simple answer is that it was something I knew I wanted to do since I was very young. I vividly remember watching Superman as a three-year-old sitting cross-legged on the floor in my parents’ bedroom. That music still makes my heart beat. One of the reasons I went into this career was to give the same feeling to others. As far as the nuts and bolts of how I got to this point? It’s a long story but the simple answer is...I made a firm decision to become a movie director, and then never looked back.

RS: The “Jinn” film project seems to have taken a number of years to complete. What were some of the reasons for the delay and are you now happy with the final product?

AZA: We’ve been asked this question a few times and it’s one that I love to answer because it means that people have been waiting for the movie. The other good thing about the question is that people assume we are a large Hollywood-type company. We take it as a compliment. The truth is there actually was no delay as the release date was never set for the movie. Since this movie is solely owned by us, we didn’t have to set a date ahead of time and then scramble to hit it. We simply worked on it till we felt that it was in its best form ... and then decided to release it. It’s a luxury that few filmmakers have and we’re very proud of what we have accomplished. We hope that people enjoy it.

AZA: The answer as to why we made the “Firebreather” super car for Jinn is very simple ... because we could and because it’s crazy! It’s was such an off the wall concept; Hard to really put it into words. Basically, the hero needed an awesome American muscle car ... so I designed the car, one that I would love to own myself ... and then we built it. It represents the first time you could walk out of the theatre and potentially buy the actual car you saw in the film. No movie company has ever done that before ... even the big guys.

RS: Why a film about the supernatural? Did you grow up in a South Asian family like many of us who were scared by stories of Jinns and Bhoots (ghosts) which you are now sharing on screen with the world?

AZA: This one is simple. There has never been a movie depicting the authentic “Jinn” concept. In an industry where many movies are rehashes, remakes and reboots ... we thought something fresh would be interesting. I grew up with this concept and since I was nine-years-old, I wanted to make a movie on them. I remember asking myself “How come no one has made a movie on them?” ... well, now someone has.

RS: At this point in time and after seeing both of the previews-trailers released thus far of “Jinn” we still know very little about its story. What it does come across as is an action-adventure-thriller with a strong element of the supernatural. It that an accurate description or should we call it a horror film?

AZA: You’re pretty dead on with your assessment. Jinn lends itself to being advertised as a horror concept on the surface. However, there is much more to Jinn than just evil monsters running around. We have attempted to capture the true mythology of the “Jinn” and also make it exciting for everyone. We are extremely curious to see how people label it after they’ve seen it.

RS: Did a tech background come into play when you created the “Jinn” in the film as far as the special effects are concerned?

AZA: I do not have any tech background (apart from movies) but I have learned and stayed on top of the technology necessary. From cameras to computers to cars ... they’re all my passion and I feel knowing them well makes me a better director. It of course helps incredibly when putting together SFX shots. My design and drawing skill was the other thing that has helped immensely. I tried to design every composition, costume, prop, and environment beforehand so we knew the best way to attack each shot.

RS:  Did you plan the release date of 04-04-14 or were greater-unknown powers at play here? 

AZA:  4-4-14 was a spot recommended to us by our distributors, Freestyle Releasing. Since this is not a 100 million dollar movie by any means, we chose to counter program Captain America. The basic principle behind counter programming is to give an option that is different from the huge movie that’s coming out on that day. So for those that might want to see a supernatural thriller rather than an action movie, they have a choice. Since our release is much smaller than Captain America, we run less risk and have a high chance of finding an audience ... if we reach out to them properly.

RS: Are you working on your next film project already or in other words where does Ajmal Zaheer Ahmad go from here?

AZA: Exxodus Pictures and I have numerous projects ready to go. Some are extremely ambitious films that are birthed from a similar core as Jinn ... to reveal and create new concepts that haven’t been done yet. We have many of them in various stages of development but of course as a small company, all our time right now is devoted to finishing and promoting Jinn. With the support and well wishes of the people reading this, we hope that the release will be a success. If so, I’m pretty sure you’ll be seeing a Jinn 2 in production quite soon.

RS: To conclude, the Jinn (or Djinn) concept not provide serious competition to Captain America but it should still offer viewers some exciting comparison shopping.