Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Anupama Chopra sits down with Imtiaz Ali, Vedang Raina and Sharvari for InFocus, as the three open up about Main Vaapas Aaunga — Imtiaz's Partition-era love story drawn almost entirely from real stories of people who lived through 1947, starring Diljit Dosanjh and Naseeruddin Shah alongside Vedang and Sharvari, with music by A.R. Rahman, lyrics by Irshad Kamil, cinematography by Sylvester Fonseca, and a theatrical release on June 12, 2026. Imtiaz explains why, 78 years on, he wanted to tell not the horror of Partition but the love people carried across the border — the dolls left in trunks, the trees remembered, the girl glimpsed once — and how the film's tender central love story between Jiya and Keenu sits inside that larger ache of memory.
In a wide-ranging conversation, the three unpack Imtiaz's way of filling actors up with thoughts rather than directing the shot, the day a sleeping Naseeruddin Shah took mid-take instructions on the climax, Sharvari's first-day shoot opposite him, and why working with Diljit on this film felt nothing like Amar Singh Chamkila — as if the previous film never happened. Vedang reflects on his "every film is the last chance" mindset and his peace with not being seen at events, Sharvari talks about the noise around young actors today, and Imtiaz returns again and again to the music — how "Kya Kamaal Hai" arrived from Rahman and Irshad Kamil unprompted, and how a song called "Maskara" carries the surprisingly westernised flavour of 1940s Lahore and Sialkot into the soundtrack.
00:00 Introduction
02:00 Imtiaz on partition love stories
08:34 Kya Kamaal Hai and Imtiaz's directing method
14:51 Directing Naseeruddin Shah on set
23:28 Love across generations and Tinder times
29:01 Crafting the lens of memory visually
34:40 Vedang on imposter syndrome
42:43 AR Rahman, Irshad Kamil and the music
#MainVaapasAaunga #ImtiazAli #InFocus
Anupama Chopra sits down with Imtiaz Ali, Vedang Raina and Sharvari for InFocus, as the three open up about Main Vaapas Aaunga — Imtiaz's Partition-era love story drawn almost entirely from real stories of people who lived through 1947, starring Diljit Dosanjh and Naseeruddin Shah alongside Vedang and Sharvari, with music by A.R. Rahman, lyrics by Irshad Kamil, cinematography by Sylvester Fonseca, and a theatrical release on June 12, 2026. Imtiaz explains why, 78 years on, he wanted to tell not the horror of Partition but the love people carried across the border — the dolls left in trunks, the trees remembered, the girl glimpsed once — and how the film's tender central love story between Jiya and Keenu sits inside that larger ache of memory.
In a wide-ranging conversation, the three unpack Imtiaz's way of filling actors up with thoughts rather than directing the shot, the day a sleeping Naseeruddin Shah took mid-take instructions on the climax, Sharvari's first-day shoot opposite him, and why working with Diljit on this film felt nothing like Amar Singh Chamkila — as if the previous film never happened. Vedang reflects on his "every film is the last chance" mindset and his peace with not being seen at events, Sharvari talks about the noise around young actors today, and Imtiaz returns again and again to the music — how "Kya Kamaal Hai" arrived from Rahman and Irshad Kamil unprompted, and how a song called "Maskara" carries the surprisingly westernised flavour of 1940s Lahore and Sialkot into the soundtrack.
00:00 Introduction
02:00 Imtiaz on partition love stories
08:34 Kya Kamaal Hai and Imtiaz's directing method
14:51 Directing Naseeruddin Shah on set
23:28 Love across generations and Tinder times
29:01 Crafting the lens of memory visually
34:40 Vedang on imposter syndrome
42:43 AR Rahman, Irshad Kamil and the music
#MainVaapasAaunga #ImtiazAli #InFocus
