Imtiaz Ali’s eagerly awaited partition movie, Main Vaapas Aaunga, featuring Diljit Dosanjh, Sharvari, and Vedang Raina, has failed to make a mark at the Indian box office during its opening day. While the much-hyped movie received rave reviews from critics and was generating positive talk in the industry before its commercial release, the film grossed a disappointing Rs 1.15 crore net on the first day of release in the Indian market.
Main Vaapas Aaunga Box Office Collection Day 1
According to the movie trade monitoring website Sacnilk, Main Vaapas Aaunga was screened at 2,302 shows throughout the country, but it did not manage to make a mark among masses on a working Friday, thereby registering an extremely poor average occupancy of just 11%.As far as the comparison with Imtiaz Ali’s own movies is concerned, Main Vaapas Aaunga stands out as one of the worst-ever performers for the filmmaker in terms of opening figures. This movie falls way behind his earlier release Love Aaj Kal 2 (starring Kartik Aaryan), which garnered a huge amount of Rs 12.40 crore in one day, albeit largely under the heavy criticism of the film critics.
What is the plot of Main Vaapas Aaunga?
A joint effort between Imtiaz Ali and Nayanika Mahtani, Main Vaapas Aaunga moves away from loud and high-stakes nationalism and towards the more human side of life by presenting an intergenerational story based on trauma that continues to exist within the hearts of people. Main Vaapas Aaunga narrates the story of a 95-year-old Sikh male character who, upon suffering from a stroke attack, finds himself bedridden while experiencing dementia.
In the midst of the trauma of losing consciousness and slipping in and out of reality, the old man keeps repeating parts of the lost past and makes efforts to make his way back home to Sargodha (now Pakistan). His London-born grandchild (played by Diljit Dosanjh), who visits him, helps him piece together his fragmented memory. The movie then shifts gears into a past life storyline of Keenu, played by Vedang Raina, and a girl he fell in love with before partition named Afsana (Sharvari Wagh).
Could Good Reviews Bring About a Weekend Resurgence?
The first-day box office numbers might not look too good, but what saves the movie from total disaster is its brilliant review score. Critics have hailed the excellent work of craftsmanship that revolves around A.R. Rahman’s songs and lyrics written by Irshad Kamil. They’ve also appreciated Naseeruddin Shah’s outstanding acting.
According to industry veterans such as Ekta Kapoor and even the first-time viewers, it’s a timeless lesson on love set against a historical backdrop. Given the fact that multiplex crowds tend to be very sensitive to reviews regarding emotional movies, the trade believes the turnout will be much better on the coming weekend evenings.
Olivia Sarkar is a Senior Content Producer on the Entertainment and Lifestyle desk with 6 years of experience. In 6 years, she worked with ANI, IANS, Zee News. Known for covering trends and engaging storytelling, she covers a wide spectrum of topics including entertainment news, fashion, fitness, health, food, travel, astrology. From major film announcements to industry controversies. Throughout her career, she has interviewed several notable personalities such as Femina Miss India World 2022 Sini Shetty, Miss World 2024 USA contestant Victoria DiSorbo, Miss France 2020 Clémence Botino.Her interview portfolio also includes celebrities like Milind Soman, Tiger Shroff, and Vikrant Massey, along with acclaimed singers Shubha Mudgal and Padma Shri awardee Dr. Jaspinder Narula. Beyond work, Olivia enjoys exploring new food joints, being wanderlust, and writing poetry. You can reach her out on X: @OliviaSarkar11
