‘Main Vaapas Aaunga’ had a slow start. But the film found its footing through word of mouth and has been picking up at the box office since. Director Imtiaz Ali is now talking about it openly, and he had a few things to say.
The film stars Sharvari and Vedang Raina alongside Naseeruddin Shah. Since the release, audiences and critics have been comparing the two younger actors. Some have preferred Vedang’s work. Others have leaned toward Sharvari.
Imtiaz was asked about this in a conversation with NDTV. He did not entertain the comparison at all.
“Acting is not like boxing. It’s not a competition. People act with each other, and not against each other. Both the actors are being praised. Some have liked Vedang’s work more, some have liked Sharvari more. But as a director, the scenes were really good when these two were together. I haven’t seen a better team of co-actors in my career. Sharvari and Vedang have been there for each other as a team,” he said.
That is a strong statement from a director who has worked with some of the biggest names in Hindi cinema.
The ‘Gadar’ and ‘Lagaan’ comparison
Imtiaz also drew a direct line between ‘Main Vaapas Aaunga’ and two of the most celebrated films in Bollywood history.
“There’s something magical in it. In a way, Main Vaapas Aaunga is the child of Gadar and Lagaan. This has the same period and history that those two films have. I congratulate the makers and the teams of both Gadar and Lagaan,” he said.
The comparison holds up on paper. ‘Gadar’ is set around the 1947 Partition and the communal violence that followed. ‘Lagaan’ is set in 1893 during British colonial rule in India. ‘Main Vaapas Aaunga’ operates in similar historical territory, drawing from the same period and the same emotional landscape of India under pressure.