Kunal Kohli hails ‘Main Vaapas Aaunga’ (Image Credits IMDb and Instagram)
Filmmaker Kunal Kohli is back with another heartfelt review and this time it’s for Imtiaz Ali directed Partition drama, ‘Main Vaapas Aaunga’ that has emerged as a surprise sleeper hit at the box office. The film has been winning praise from both audiences and the industry for its performances and craft, and Kohli’s latest review adds to the growing chorus with the director going as far as to call it Imtiaz Ali’s ‘finest work’ yet.
Kunal Kohli says ‘Main Vaapas Aaunga’ is Imtiaz Ali’s ‘best film’
Sharing a video on Instagram, Kunal Kohli opened up about the film’s deeply personal resonance with him. He said, “I just saw ‘Main Vaapas Aaunga’ and the film has left a huge impact on me. My bua (Aunt) and dad used to often speak about Partition and a lot of it was in this film. They would talk about the horrors and after-effects of it. And of course, there were relatives who never spoke about it, which is also shown in the film. The love story is truly so innocent, pure and beautiful. This is Imtiaz’s finest work. So beautifully he has shown the love, the news back then – the news was so slow, things travelled so slowly. Whereas today, news and information travel so fast. In that time, they had to go through this huge process of Partition, finding out what happened to people, making decisions, never forgiving yourself or rather people never forgiving you for.” Kohli continued to praise the writing and the ensemble cast, saying, “The nuances and layers that Imtiaz has brought into the film with his writing. The performance of every single person – how do you single out any one actor? Naseer, who has given some of Indian cinema’s finest performances, has again done so. It would rank as one of Naseer’s finest performances of his career; he was that good. Rajat Kapoor – what a brilliant performance, and so wonderfully he has spoken about the differences in the family. Not all of us were Sooraj Barjatya-type families. We all have problems in our families, things you don’t forgive or understand your parents for. And that is what has been brought out so beautifully by Imtiaz and all the actors in family.”
Kunal Kohli praises the cast featuring Naseeruddin Shah, Rajat Kapoor, Diljit Dosanjh, Vedang Raina and Sharvari
Kohli went on to single out the ensemble’s performances, saying, “Rajat Kapoor especially brought out the angst against his father and slowly he changed and tried to understand him. Also Diljit – what a performer; the layers he brings to his performance. Sharvari, Vedan – beautiful. Everybody has done a great job.”
The scenes that hit Kunal Kohli the most
Without revealing major spoilers, Kohli pointed to two specific scenes that left a lasting impression on him, one of which, he says, will stay with him as a nightmare. On the first scene, he shared a personal family connection to the moment, “One of the scenes that hit me the most – without a spoiler – I had heard another version of it which my bua (aunt) and grandparents had told me. The women in the train used to take poison; when people came to attack, they would take the poison and kill themselves. But in this film, the way the scene has been portrayed by the grandmother, it shakes you to the core. It’s going to give me nightmares; it hits hard.”On the second scene, involving Diljit Dosanjh’s character confronting his father, Kohli said, “Another was when Diljit keeps asking his father, ‘Tell us what happened to the women.’ And he says, ‘All you are going to take out of it is hatred between two religions and two communities,’ and I don’t think that it was about that. And there are so many more dialogues that were casually thrown in but meant a lot. Definitely the film deserves a second and third watch. I am going to take my daughter – she’s just 15, but I want her to see the film and understand what happened. It still gave me the truth despite having heard these stories from my grandparents.”Kohli wrapped up his review with unreserved praise for the director, saying, “It’s important for everyone to watch this film, to understand the romance and the news of that time. Imtiaz, hats off – love you, what a film you have made. This is your best film.”
About ‘Main Vaapas Aaunga’
‘Main Vaapas Aaunga’ follows the journey of a 95-year-old man who suffers a stroke while attempting to travel to Pakistan. As fragments of his memory begin returning, his grandson slowly uncovers the story of a life that existed before Partition, revealing long-buried relationships, heartbreak and the lasting impact of history. Directed by Imtiaz Ali, the film marks the filmmaker’s fifth collaboration with composer AR Rahman, following their previous work together on ‘Rockstar’, ‘Highway’, ‘Tamasha’ and ‘Amar Singh Chamkila’. The film stars Diljit Dosanjh as Nirvair Singh, Naseeruddin Shah as Ishar Singh, Vedang Raina as Keenu/Ishar Singh Grewal and Sharvari as Afsana/Jiya. The supporting cast features Anjana Sukhani, Banita Sandhu, Sanjay Suri, Rajat Kapoor and Nikhat Khan.According to Sacnilk, the film has minted Rs 51.51 crore domestic net with the worldwide gross collection standing at Rs. 77.64 crore. Go to Source
