Imtiaz Ali’s Partition-era romance Main Vaapas Aaunga has slowly and steadily carved out its own place at the box office. The film continues to draw audiences in strong numbers, making its mark at a time when only tentpole spectacles are often believed to have the scale and longevity to survive in theatres. Along with audience appreciation, the film has also been receiving praise from industry insiders. The latest to celebrate the film is Mahesh Bhatt, who penned a heartfelt note for Imtiaz Ali.
Writing for Variety India, Bhatt shared a note titled “On Thirst and Main Vaapas Aaunga.” He began by saying that while some films arrive with great fanfare, others quietly leave a lasting impact. “There are films that arrive with drums and trumpets, announcing themselves like conquerors. And there are films that arrive quietly, carrying only the fragile cargo of a human heart. Main Vaapas Aaunga belongs to the latter category.”
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He described the film as an act of rebellion against the current cinematic landscape, writing, “We live in an age where cinema is increasingly driven by velocity, spectacle and testosterone. The marketplace rewards certainty, noise and instant gratification. In such a climate, a film that pauses to listen to the deeper movements of the human spirit is almost an act of rebellion.”
Bhatt then explained what resonated with him the most about the film. “What moved me about Main Vaapas Aaunga is not merely its story. It is the thirst that runs beneath it. The thirst that made a man hanging on a cross utter the words, ‘I thirst.’ The thirst that has haunted seekers, poets, lovers and ordinary human beings since the dawn of time. The thirst to come home. The thirst to be understood. The thirst to discover whether there is something more to life than the identities we spend a lifetime constructing.”
He also reflected on Imtiaz Ali’s Highway, starring his daughter Alia Bhatt, and wrote, “Years ago, when I watched Highway, I felt that Imtiaz Ali had heard something that many of us had missed. Beneath the surface of that film was the silent scream of violated young girls hidden within the presumed safety of homes and families. It may not have shaken the box office in the manner expected of mainstream successes, but it illuminated a dark corner of our collective life. For that reason alone, it remains important.”
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‘A hunger for stories that speak to something deeper’
Bhatt further said that Main Vaapas Aaunga raises questions that stay with its viewers. “Cinema, at its most powerful, does not provide answers. It illuminates questions that we secretly carry within ourselves. The audience recognises those questions and, for a few hours, feels less alone. That is what this film seems to have achieved.”
He also noted that while many had written the film off upon release, audiences ultimately embraced it. “Many had declared it dead on arrival. That is often the fate of works that refuse to conform to prevailing fashions. The marketplace is entitled to its verdicts. It speaks the language of numbers, and numbers matter. But audiences possess a mysterious intelligence of their own. Sometimes they recognise authenticity before the experts do. The response to this film suggests that beneath all our cynicism, beneath the noise of our times, there remains a hunger for stories that speak to something deeper than our appetites.”
Bhatt also drew parallels between Main Vaapas Aaunga and his own films, saying they were united by “a shared human thirst.” As he wrote, “It was there in Arth, in a woman’s search for a security that no relationship could permanently provide. It was there in Saaransh, in an ageing couple’s willingness to continue living despite the absence of answers. It was there in Zakhm, in the dream of a compassionate and plural India amidst the fires of sectarian hatred.”
He concluded the note by writing, “Watching Main Vaapas Aaunga, I felt that Imtiaz Ali had once again placed his ear against the chest of that longing and listened carefully. Films will come and go. Trends will come and go. Algorithms will come and go. What remains are works that bear the fingerprints of the human being who made them. Main Vaapas Aaunga bears those fingerprints. And for that reason alone, it deserves to be celebrated.”
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About Main Vaapas Aaunga
Directed by Imtiaz Ali, Main Vaapas Aaunga is a sweeping Partition-era romance starring Naseeruddin Shah, Vedang Raina, Sharvari, Diljit Dosanjh and Rajat Kapoor in key roles. The film’s music has been composed by AR Rahman, with lyrics by Irshad Kamil. According to industry tracker Sacnilk, the film has collected Rs 57.01 crore nett in India by day 18, while its worldwide gross stands at Rs 73.01 crore.