Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali is currently busy promoting his upcoming film Main Vaapas Aaunga. The film, which also stars Diljit Dosanjh and Vedang Raina, is set against the backdrop of the 1947 Partition. Recently, to promote the film, Imtiaz visited the Attari-Wagah Border in Punjab along with the film’s music composer AR Rahman.
Pakistani fan rushes to see Imtiaz, Rahman
The event was titled Jai Ho – A Musical Salute to the Bravehearts and featured Rahman’s first-ever live performance at the border during the Beating Retreat Ceremony. However, it wasn’t just Indians at the border who flocked to see Rahman and Imtiaz. Pakistani fans also documented on social media how they travelled to the border to catch a glimpse of the filmmaker and the celebrated music composer.
A Pakistani fan shared his experience on Instagram. He wrote, “As most Lahori lives 20km from India. So do I. On a Sunday afternoon, those 20km become 20 mins from Gulberg. 20 mins were enough to ponder over an Instagram reel that you saw of Imtiaz Ali saying he will be at the border along with AR Rahman and team? Those 20 mins were long enough to remind you how these two artists have shaped your art for all these years. I hadn’t been to the border since 2004. Even as a young man I hated every part of that border because borders are only nice when they are friendly and open. This time, my sentiments were the same. Still Don’t love over the top patriotism shouting for the love of your land forgetting that on the other side too; it’s Punjab. Similar faces, similar language, similar everything.”
Pakistani fan shows admiration for Imtiaz
Talking about his experience of seeing Imtiaz, he wrote, “I rushed to the border and a friend got me access to zero point. A point where Indians and Pakistanis can meet, talk, greet but cannot touch. As I got there I saw curly white hair, without wasting a second I screamed. IMTIAAAAZZZ. IMTIAAAAZZZ. I think he turned around in Panic.”
He added, “I started my monologue telling him how much I loved him. He kept smiling and saying thank you, thanks so much. I told him how much he’s celebrated on this side of the border and how his music, cinema, story telling has shaped a generation of filmmakers. He said he will come one day inshallah. That day, we shall wait for inshallah. The finale I told him ‘Mai Vaapis Aunga’ that’s when the entire Indian side cheered, smiled and clapped and for a brief second the gates had abolished, the borders were friendly and art had won.”
About Main Vaapas Aaunga
Main Vaapas Aaunga is set during the 1947 Partition era. The film’s official synopsis reads, “A story of love, longing, and belonging rooted in Partition-era migration. Examines memory, nostalgia, and emotional ties to home and loved ones, exploring how the past shapes identity and sustains the human spirit across generations.”
The film stars Vedang Raina, Diljit Dosanjh, Sharvari, and Naseeruddin Shah in lead roles. It is slated to hit theatres on June 12.