Jun 26, 2026 6:27pm IST
Imtiaz Ali on Box Office Turnaround of ‘Main Vaapas Aaunga’: ‘There Is a Difference Between the Stock Exchange and Film Industry’ (EXCLUSIVE)
After a modest opening, Imtiaz Ali’s “Main Vaapas Aaunga” has steadily gained momentum through strong word of mouth, questioning the fixation with opening-day numbers. In this conversation with Variety India, Ali reflects on the film's box-office turnaround, why he believes audiences are evolving and how “Main Vaapas Aaunga,” which stars Naseeruddin Shah, Vedang Raina, Sharvari and Diljit Dosanjh, has lived up to its own title.
What has happened with 'Main Vaapas Aaunga' is pretty rare in today's times, when movies leave theatres within a few days. What do you make of this surprising turnaround?
I can't say I was expecting it because there was no case that I have seen before that could tell me that maybe this would happen. This has not happened in any of my films. My movies have turned around, but they have taken longer to turn around (smiles). Sometimes, movies like “Rockstar” or “Tamasha” have found an audience or the love in the hearts of people a little after they were taken off theaters. They did their numbers, but then ultimately, the number of people who liked these movies, liked them after watching them on digital platforms. And even with “Jab We Met,” I feel it was television that gave the final, the big thumping thumbs up to that. But with “Main Vaapas Aaunga,” people are going to the theaters while the movie is in theaters. That is very unique for me. And I'm really overwhelmed and surprised.
Have you been seeing the reels where people are saying that, for once, people are watching an Imtiaz Ali movie while it's still in theatres, instead of calling it a masterpiece years later?
That is so extremely heartwarming for me.
We keep saying that people today want instant gratification, but do you think that may not be the case?
If there are reels saying that finally an Imtiaz Ali film is being given the love while the movie is in the theaters, then it is the younger generation that is responsible for making it happen. Also, from going to theaters and meeting the audience, I have realized that after COVID-19 and over the years, their appreciation for the visual medium has developed. Now they get everything very quickly. Nobody has told me samajh mein nahi aaya (We can't understand this). And with all its subtleties, everybody has got everything. Every time I go to the theater, and I see that scene where Naseer touches his beard, there is laughter, there is a titter in the theater. So, I know that it is not like they are missing the subtlety. There is an improvement in the way people are now consuming media. So I feel very thankful about it.
Does the industry, including the distribution and exhibition system, need to be more patient with certain films? Everyone is constantly looking at the first-day figures. Is that taking something away from movie-making as well as from movie-watching?
I think so. Shekhar Kapoor put out a tweet saying thanks for reminding us that cinema viewing is not only about opening-day numbers. It can be assumed that the audience is intelligent enough to understand what cinema they want to watch and keep it in theaters. They have shown that there are other ways of calculating what a movie can do in theaters. There is a difference between the stock exchange and the film industry. This is something that the audience has told us.
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People from the industry, from Shekhar Kapoor and Anurag Kashyap to Ayushmann Khurrana and Alia Bhatt, have all shown support for the film. Is it fair to say that good cinema always brings people from the industry together?
Yes, it does. I can't say that my cinema is good cinema. But what I feel is that a lot of people are seeing their own battles, their own victory in the victory of "Main Vaapas Aaunga." Anurag, Alia and Ayushman, all with A's somehow. But there are other people, too, who are seeing their own victory.
All of us believe that the audience is not dumb. Make good cinema and the audience will like it. We have put our lives into that belief, and then to be told in a board meeting, "Boss, this doesn't work. You might as well do this calculation and put this and do that. This is what is working and that is what is working.” And we are sitting over there feeling dumb, though we have been here for a while. We are here for a reason. Now, when I look at the audience's faces in the theatre, I realize nobody can tell me what is an audience and what is not. The filmmaker and the audience can have their own personal connect and then everything will be okay. I feel there is a lot of solidarity between directors in this industry.
You've been interacting with audiences in theatres across the country. Was this always part of the marketing plan?
Actually, I have had this habit of going and watching the film, parts of it, seeing audience reaction in all my movies. Starting with “Socha Na Tha,” 20 people came to watch it. I went and saw how they were reacting. I have been doing that, but it's never been recorded and put out there because social media wasn't really there at that time, and we never tried to post it. But now this observation is also finding a platform.
Did the audience's response reveal interpretations of the movie that surprised you?
Yes, many reactions were unique and told me new things. For instance, young people saying, “Thank you for letting us know what has happened in our country in the recent past and that this kind of love is possible in this world.” A lot of young people have also associated with the journey of Nirvair, that is Diljit Dosanjh. And the overwhelming response towards Naseer's performance… We all knew that he's a great actor. But this overwhelming love for him is really unprecedented. I did not expect it.
Have you thought about how the film's box office performance, in a way, is a reflection of its title, ‘Main Vaapas Aaunga?’
Only today, honestly. Because today I am thinking that it’s like the box office is saying, “Main Vaapas Aaunga.” Because where we started and where we are and where we are going, it’s just like a journey that we couldn't have predicted.
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