Existence, Exile, and Ecstasy: Exploring the Shared Aesthetics of Camus, Sufi Philosophy, and Imtiaz Ali’s Protagonists

Abstract

This study examines the thematic and aesthetic overlap between Albert Camus' existential philosophy, Sufi spiritualism, and Imtiaz Ali's cinema. The split of self, loss of meaning, and desire for transcendental pleasure are shared themes addressed across Western absurdism, Eastern mysticism, and modern Indian film. Analyzing Camus's The Myth of Sisyphus and The Rebel alongside the Sufi literature of Rumi and Al-Hallaj identifies motifs of inner exile, metaphysical revolt, and mystical unity. Protagonists in Ali's Rockstar, Tamasha, Highway, and Jab Harry Met Sejal face struggles reflecting the absurd man's fight against self-annihilation and the Sufi longing for ego-death. Employing phenomenological and hermeneutic methods, the study shows how Ali's narrative, music, and visuals act as spiritual tools. It concludes that these domains share an aesthetic language defining a self seeking euphoric completeness via rupture, travel, and reflection, turning screen tales into a zone of philosophical resistance.