Pakistani filmmaker Umar Nasir Ali praised Imtiaz Ali’s Main Vaapas Aaunga, even as the film continues its theatrical run on a modest note in India. Sharing the film’s poster on Instagram on Monday, Umar called it “a beautiful and deeply emotional film, one that stays with you long after it ends”.
The Partition-set drama stars Diljit Dosanjh, Naseeruddin Shah, Sharvari and Vedang Raina. Directed by Imtiaz Ali, the film explores love, loss, memory, migration and belonging through a story rooted in real-life accounts of people affected by 1947. It centres on a 95-year-old man whose urgent journey to Pakistan is interrupted by a stroke, after which his grandson begins piecing together fragments of a deeply personal story linked to Partition.
In his Instagram post, Umar said his team was especially keen to watch the film because one of their upcoming stories is also set against the backdrop of Partition. He further praised Naseeruddin Shah’s performance and Aarti Bajaj’s editing.
Umar wrote, “What stood out most was the extraordinary performance by Naseeruddin Shah, and the editing by Aarti Bajaj is a masterclass in cinematic storytelling, something every film student can learn from. Needless to say anything about AR Rahman.”
His own Partition project
Umar also spoke about his own work and said Partition has been written about and filmed in many ways over the decades. He wrote, “From Manto, Bhisham Sahni, Intizar Husain, Qurratulain Hyder and Ali Akbar Natiq to generations of filmmakers across the subcontinent, each has found new ways of engaging with its memories, wounds and humanity.”
“Perhaps that is because Partition is simply too vast to be contained within a single story. Each generation returns to it, uncovering new meanings. In many ways, the working title of our own project, Chor Aaye Hum, echoes a similar sentiment of memory, belonging and return. We look forward to sharing our own journey with this subject soon,” he added.
Film’s run at the box office
According to Sacnilk, it earned a nett of Rs 1.25 crore on Day 4, its first Monday, across 2,139 shows. The film had opened with Rs 1.15 crore on Friday, followed by Rs 1.85 crore on Saturday and Rs 2.50 crore on Sunday. Its total India gross stands at Rs 8.10 crore, while its India nett collection is Rs 6.75 crore.
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