Imtiaz Ali's 'Main Vapas Aaunga' Garners Acclaim in India and Pakistan for Portraying Human Pain of Partition

• Kaisar Andrabi

Renowned film director Imtiaz Ali's new film 'Main Vapas Aaunga' is being highly appreciated not only in India but also in Pakistan and other countries around the world.

This film is receiving special praise for its emotional story, sensitive subject matter like the partition of India, and excellent acting. Bollywood audiences have always been fans of Imtiaz Ali's storytelling style. But this time, there is a lot of discussion about this film on social media and online platforms in Pakistan as well.

In the opening scene of the film, Naseeruddin Shah is seen writing some Urdu letters with a pen in his hand. From that moment, the audience gets a sense that this story will revolve around the past, memories, and an incomplete love story. The film's title is also shown in Persian and Gurmukhi script in the cinema hall.

This film, made against the backdrop of the partition of India, has once again drawn the attention of audiences in both India and Pakistan to that historical event, which changed the lives of millions of people forever.

• Human Pain of Partition

Pakistani filmmaker Umair Nasir Ali has praised the film, saying that it has presented the human cost and impact of partition with great sensitivity.

He says, 'I have always liked Imtiaz Ali's films. But in my opinion, 'Main Vapas Aaunga' is his best film as a director. It is a very beautiful and creative work. It is an honest film, made with a lot of love and dedication.'

According to Umair, who is also the director of the Pakistani film 'Nayab', the film's editing particularly impressed him.

He said, 'It is not easy to advance two different stories and emotions together throughout the film. But the way editor Aarti Bajaj has handled it is truly commendable. The emotional impact of the film remains until the last scene.'

Although Umair praised all aspects of the film, he said that Naseeruddin Shah's acting impressed him the most.

He said, 'His role in the film is the most difficult. The way Naseeruddin Shah has played that role, I don't think any other actor could have done justice to it.'

• What is the Story?

'Main Vapas Aaunga' grips the audience from the beginning.

This is the story of 95-year-old Ishar Singh Grewal, played by Naseeruddin Shah. He is suffering from paralysis and his memory is gradually weakening.

His grandson Narveer, played by Diljit Dosanjh, returns from England to visit his grandfather.

Amidst Ishar Singh's scattered memories, Narveer finds pages from his life that are connected to Punjab before partition and the city of Sargodha, which is now in Pakistan.

Ishar Singh has only one last wish. He wants to go to Sargodha once again. That city, where he spent his childhood, where some memories, some promises, and an incomplete love story were left behind.

The most special aspect of this film is that Imtiaz Ali does not see the partition of India merely as a political event. He has placed human suffering at its center.

This is why the audience not only watches a historical event but also feels the pain experienced by that generation.

• What did the audience like about the film?

Imtiaz Ali has centered the human aspect of the partition of India in this film. Ikra Mohsin, a 28-year-old from Delhi, says the film made her extremely emotional.

She says, 'What happened in the past, especially being separated from one's own people, perhaps should never have happened.'

She says, 'The best thing for me was that the seeds of hatred sown in the past have not been able to completely separate people of both countries even today. Religion and borders are in their place, but emotional connections are still alive.'

30-year-old Sandeep says, 'I have watched all of Imtiaz Ali's films, and in my opinion, 'Main Vapas Aaunga' is his most mature work to date.'

He further adds, 'The last scene of the film made me completely emotional. When Keenoo asks Mallika for permission to leave, I couldn't hold back my tears. Even after the film ended, its emotions stayed with me for a long time.'

Ali Usman Qasmi from Pakistan wrote on social media X, 'In this era of cinema based on hatred, Imtiaz Ali has shown great courage. The most important aspect of this film is that it reminds us that we cannot make the pain of partition our own experience. We can feel it, we can sympathize with it, but we can never fully understand the experience of the people who went through that pain.'

• Music and Old Memories

'Main Vapas Aaunga' is the story of 95-year-old Ishar Singh Grewal, played by Naseeruddin Shah. According to Umair Nasir Ali, the film's music and the cultural environment it presents are also very close to reality.

He says, 'I had heard from my grandparents that people were very fond of Western music and dance even at that time. This culture has been presented very naturally in the film.'

Umair himself has been making a film based on the memories of the partition of India for the past few years. The name of his film, inspired by Gulzar's famous poem, is 'Chhod Aaye Hum Woh Galiyan'.

According to him, just as Imtiaz Ali has tried to connect the past with the present audience and today's socio-political situation in 'Main Vapas Aaunga', he also wants to add some new dimensions to his own film.

To briefly explain the film and its story, Umair quoted a verse from the famous Pakistani poet Ahmed Faraz:

'Suna hai uske shabistaan se muttasil hai bahisht,

Maqeen udhar ke bhi jalwe idhar ke dekhte hain .'

(This means: It is said that paradise is adjacent to his abode. Those who live there also gaze at the sights here.)

BBC Hindi