When Imtiaz Ali’s Main Vaapas Aaungawasreleased in theatres on June 12, it met with a lukewarm response. With empty theatres and little hype surrounding it, the film managed to earn just over ₹12.25 crore in its first week, according to industry tracker Sacnilk. All of that changed in the subsequent week as the ecoming the highlight of social media feeds, with audiences reacting emotionally to its second half. Soon, the film created an unusual trend of people recording themselves as they cried while watching the climax, a pattern similar to last year’s sleeper hit, Saiyaara. And the resounding tears also brought in numbers as the Imtiaz Ali directorial’s second week collections doubled up.
Both Saiyaara and Main Vaapas Aaunga are intense romantic musicals with the devastating theme of loss and longing at their core. It is love that changes the course of characters’ lives in the films, turning Krish (Ahaan Panday) in Saiyaara into a caregiver while creating a lifelong dent in the lives of Keenu (Vedang Raina) and Jiya (Sharvari Wagh) as they separate during the Partition in Main Vaapas Aaunga. It is the incomplete nature of the love story that spawns emotional reactions among audiences. That is what happened to Mumbai-based content creator and film enthusiast, Pulkit Kochar, when he watched Main Vaapas Aaunga.
Also Read : Main Vaapas Aaunga: Returning to Partition’s lost world
“That incomplete feeling was also seen in Rockstar and Laila Majnu, written by Imtiaz. It feels striking to see that, along with realising that the two got separated for no fault of theirs. It was the country that divided them. That really broke my heart,” says Pulkit while recollecting his experience of watching the film and noting that the performance of Naseeruddin Shah as the older Keenu left a strong impact on him.
“It is also aching to see Naseer’s 95-year-old character turn into an 18-year-old when he sees the first love of his life. That’s what love does to you. Subconsciously, everyone is turning into that young lover while watching the climax of Main Vaapas Aaunga,” he adds.
A still from the film
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But why do some movies invite such intense reactions from audiences? Kartikeya Chauhan, who works as a psychologist in Lucknow, opines that movies work on the principle of resonance. “Movies speak to our own biases as humans. All the genres are actual emotions, thoughts and belief systems that people already have. If someone is going through a tough time in life and they watch a film where a character is winning, they feel good and relieved. This is what cinematic justice is,” he says while giving an example of Hindi movies from the 1970s where the idealistic hero fought against the system and the values of honesty and humanity were upheld in the end. “But in reality, that doesn’t always happen. So, watching it in a film sends a reassuring belief that justice is served,” says Kartikeya.
The case with love stories is similar. “Everyone has gone through heartbreak in their lives. So, when they watch movies where a character is going through something like that, a part of them feels seen, acknowledged and attended to. That’s what leads to crying,” he says.
Garima Dhyani, who also works as a therapist in Bengaluru, feels that the inner architecture of a cinema hall also facilitates that emotional release. “The environment is very dreamlike, with dim lights and no one able to see the other. It becomes a cosy experience. So, a theatre is not really a public place. It’s as if each individual has their own space, and that also makes it easier to engage and be free to express your emotions,” she says.
A still from ‘Main Vaapas Aaunga’
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Every major social media conversation about Main Vaapas Aaunga mentions the act of crying. With before-and-after reels capturing personal reactions of people tearing up during pivotal moments in the film, it has almost become a barometer to judge its impact. Garima feels that documenting everyone’s inner thoughts has become quite accessible in today’s time. “It is like building a sense of solidarity with everybody so that an individual can connect with the collective by participating in these trends. We call that contagion in psychology. This is perhaps like a virtual form of contagion,” she says.
Kartikeya is more sceptical about the crying videos and feels that “everyone is not willing to cry on camera”. “Out of 10 people sharing these videos, six can be real. But the four must’ve been part of the film’s team, which started the trend. They introduced the normalisation of crying on camera and subsequently the fear of missing out,” he shares.
Garima feels that knowing beforehand that a film is emotional creates curiosity in the minds of people. “We call it priming, where people are already geared up for that feeling and want to experience those emotions themselves. It could be one of the forces driving people to watch Main Vaapas Aaunga,” she says.
Pulkit believes that the reaction to the film online has been genuine. “I know people who cried for this movie who don’t cry at movies at all. The marketing team can choose to use those real videos and boost them, but the box office aid is purely due to word of mouth. If a movie affects you so much that you cry watching it, you are bound to recommend it to everyone,” he says.
Commuters drive past a billboard of upcoming Bollywood film ‘Main Vaapas Aaunga’ in Mumbai on June 10, 2026.
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INDRANIL MUKHERJEE
Film exhibitor Vishek Chauhan says that the social media reactions don’t really make an impact on a film’s outcome. “Film consumption is not based on people crying on social media. That is just the outcome of what the film is. The impact that the film is having on people while they are watching and once they tell their friends and relatives about it, that’s the real virality. Not some people touching Imtiaz Ali’s feet in a movie theatre,” Vishek says.
Since last year, there has also been a trend among the audience of watching intense romantic films, as seen in the unprecedented box-office success of Sanam Teri Kasam (2016), which had a re-release last year. Along with that, the reception to Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat and Tere Ishk Mein solidified the pattern further. “The audience wants to watch such musical love stories. The genre is in vogue right now, and that’s what is supporting Main Vaapas Aaunga too,” Vishek says.
Imtiaz Ali
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The film’s success at the box office also means much more to Imtiaz Ali himself, whose films since Rockstarand Highwayhaven’t really enjoyed consistent theatrical pull. Tamashaopened up well but struggled to hold on to it, Jab Harry Met Sejalwas met with polarising reactions upon release and so was Love Aaj Kal 2. His last release, Amar Singh Chamkila, was praised and marked as his return to form, but the film was released directly on Netflix. Which is why the success of Main Vaapas Aaunga also marks a return of Imtiaz at the box office, and the filmmaker seems to be soaking it all in as he is visiting cities, watching the film with teary-eyed audiences and patiently listening to their stories. Keenu’s promise to return to Jiya remained unfulfilled. Imtiaz Ali, however, has found his way back to love.
Published – July 02, 2026 12:01 pm IST
