Imtiaz Ali thanks audiences as ‘Main Vaapas Aaunga’ completes 50 days in theatres

Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali has thanked audiences for supporting Main Vaapas Aaunga, which has completed 50 days in theatres. The Diljit Dosanjh-starrer has earned Rs 99.21 crore worldwide, driven by positive reviews and strong word of mouth despite a slow opening

Mumbai: Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali on Wednesday expressed gratitude to audiences for embracing his latest film “Main Vaapas Aaunga” and generating extraordinary word of mouth for the film, which has completed 50 days in theatres.

Starring Diljit Dosanjh, Naseeruddin Shah, Sharvari and Vedang Raina, the film was released on June 12 and had a modest start at the box office in its opening week but positive reviews and a strong word of mouth helped the film grow steadily.

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“50 days in cinemas!! This is a rare feat for any film. ‘Main Vaapas Aaunga’ achieves this today and my first thought is of gratitude towards the audience – the good people that watch cinema, who invested emotionally in the film and convinced others to watch it, who created the extraordinary word of mouth – for no reason except that they liked the film. May the tribe increase!

“The positive reaction of the audience to MVA is a beacon of hope for all contemporary filmmakers. The love that the audience has shown us will always be in my heart and inspire me to make better and more entertaining cinema in its service,” the filmmaker said in a statement.

The film, which is currently in its eighth week, has grossed Rs 99.21 crore at the global box office so far, as per a trade tracking website Sacnilk.

“Main Vaapas Aaunga”, which has music by AR Rahman and lyrics by Irshad Kamil, is a Partition-era romantic drama that unfolds across two timelines.

It is set in present day India and told through the ramblings of a 95-year-old man old man. His grandson finally pieces together the puzzle to draw a picture of Partition, trauma and love that could never be.

Ali thanked the cast and crew, exhibitors and distributors for backing the film despite its slow start at the box office.

“And finally, congratulations to the entire Hindi film industry for the footfalls we are receiving this year at the theatres. Now the impetus is on us filmmakers to make wonderful films for the audience that seems keen to visit theatres for it,” he added.

According to the makers, the film was initially released in 59 countries across 804 screens before expanding to 15 more European territories.

“Main Vaapas Aaunga” also performed strongly in cities such as Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kolkata, apart from the traditional Hindi-speaking markets.

It is produced by Birla Studios & Applause Entertainment and Mohit Choudhary & Shibasish Sarkar of Window Seat Films.