A 95-year-old man, his body failing but his mind locked in the past, tries to crawl out of a hospital bed, his destination, a home swallowed by borders seventy-eight years ago. This is how Imtiaz Ali’s Main Vaapas Aaunga announces itself: not as a love story, but as a geological wound refusing to heal.
Join HereNaseeruddin Shah Carries a Cinema of Decay and Longing
Watching Naseeruddin Shah as Ishar Singh Grewal is like watching a man become a monument to what time cannot erase. His dementia is not played for pathos but as a messy, frantic reality, the way he tries to leave the hospital bed in the opening scene feels physically uncomfortable to watch. He balances the fractured memories of the past with the sterile present, delivering the emotional weight of a promise that outlives its maker.
The climax, where he learns Afsana spent her life waiting, is less a performance than an elegy. You don’t just see grief; you see a man being hollowed out by it.
Imtiaz Ali’s Screenplay Weaves, Then Unravels
Ali’s direction returns to his old-school romance signature with an assured hand, using non-linear storytelling to refract memory across two timelines. As noted by Filmyfly, the visual language is clear: warm, soft light for the undivided Punjab in 1947, cold and clinical for the hospital present, a textbook craft choice that pays off.
But the screenplay has a structural crease. The transitions between present and flashback in the middle act feel abrupt, as if the editing room ran out of patience before the audience does. The first half sets up the mystery with brisk pacing; the second half slows to a deliberate, sometimes frustrating, crawl.
The Genre-Core: Romance Built on a Fault Line
As a romantic drama, Main Vaapas Aaunga stakes everything on a single promise, “Main vaapas aaunga”, and lets it hang over every frame. The flashback sequence of Young Ishar and Afsana’s first meeting in pre-Partition Punjab is a masterclass in restraint: soft lighting, near-silence, and two faces discovering gravity. It is the best scene in the film.
But the genre-core here is also about trauma. The Partition is not a backdrop; it is the villain that never appears, only acts through chaotic migration scenes and a silence that follows. Music, composed by AR Rahman and written by Irshad Kamil, bridges the gap between the living and the dead. The background score feels less like accompaniment and more like a character narrating from inside the grief.
Where the film falters is in its pacing. The middle act, caught between the flashback’s vibrancy and the present’s decay, loses its rhythmic pulse. The romance demands slow burn; the drama demands momentum. Ali cannot fully marry the two here.
Vedang Raina and Sharvari Illuminate the Flashback
Vedang Raina as young Ishar captures the breathless innocence of first love without ever overplaying it. His chemistry with Sharvari’s Afsana is the film’s emotional anchor, their scenes together have an authenticity that carries the entire flashback arc. Sharvari, too, brings a quiet gravity to a role that could have been one-note.
Diljit Dosanjh as the grandson Nirvair plays the empathetic caregiver with restraint, never stealing focus from Shah. He is the audience’s entry point into the mystery, and his investigation into the past is handled with a detective’s patience. The supporting cast, Rajat Kapoor, Sanjay Suri, Anjana Sukhani, Kumud Mishra, have limited screen time and even less character development. Their casting signals intent (experienced ensemble) but the script leaves them thin.
Banita Sandhu and Danish Pandor exist mostly in the margins. I wish the script had given them more to work with; the film feels lonely in its second half because only three characters are fully formed.
An Ending That Divides and Defines
The film’s critics have pointed to its emotional heaviness and the difficult ending, Afsana dies waiting, Ishar must live with that knowing. With a 92% Rotten Tomatoes score, the critical consensus is clear: the craft outweighs the structural flaws. Pacing issues aside, this is Imtiaz Ali at his most confident and most somber, asking if love can survive borders, time, and even death.
If you love romantic dramas that prioritize ache over action, Main Vaapas Aaunga will sit with you for days. If you dislike slow, sad endings, step away. For everyone else, watch it on a big screen where AR Rahman’s music and the visual contrast between the vibrant past and the sterile present can truly land.
For more evocative storytelling, you can browse more Hindi Drama reviews across our site.
In a year crowded with loud spectacles, Main Vaapas Aaunga is a quieter, craft-led return for Ali, earning a firm 3.5 out of 5, not his finest, but a poignant reminder that some promises are worth the long road.
For an even richer exploration of ensemble romance that balances love with structural clarity, see our take on Cocktail 2 review.
If supernatural storytelling with a familiar genre frame appeals to you, our review of Naina verdict offers a sharp contrast.
Ankit Jaiswal is the Chief Author, covering Indian cinema and OTT releases with honest, no-filler criticism. An SEO strategist by background, he brings a research-driven approach to film writing, cutting through hype to tell you exactly what's worth your time.
