film maker Kunal Kohli Back with another honest review and this is it for this time Imtiaz Ali Directed partition drama, ‘Maya Vapas Aunga’ which emerged as a surprise hit at the box office. The film won praise from both the audience and the industry for its performance and craft, and Kohli’s latest review has added to the growing chorus of the director going so far as to call it Imtiaz Ali’s ‘masterpiece’.
Kunal Kohli says ‘Maya Vapas Aunga’ is Imtiaz Ali’s ‘best film’
Sharing a video on Instagram, Kunal Kohli opened up about the film’s deep personal resonance with him. He said, “I just watched ‘My Vaps Aunga’ and the film had a huge impact on me. My bua (aunt) and father used to talk about partition and this film had a lot of that. They used to talk about its horrors and after effects. And of course, there were relatives who never talked about it, which is also shown in the film. The love story is really very innocent, pure and beautiful. This is Imtiaz’s best work. He showed love so beautifully, news was so slow back then, things traveled so slowly. Where today news and information travel so fast. At that time, they had to go through this huge process of separation, to find out what happened to people, to decide, never forgive themselves or rather people will never forgive you.”Kohli went on to praise the writing and the ensemble cast, saying, “The nuances and layers that Imtiaz brings to the film with his writing. Every single person’s performance – how do you single out an actor? Naseer, who has given some of the best performances in Indian cinema, has done it again. It will rank as one of Naseer; he was a good performance by Rajpo. What a great performance, and so wonderfully he spoke about the differences in family.” We were not all Suraj Barjati type families. We all have problems in our families, things that you don’t forgive or understand your parents. And that’s what Imtiaz and all the actors in the family convey so beautifully.”
Kunal Kohli praised the performance Nasiruddin Shah Rajat Kapoor, Diljit Dosanjh , Bedang Raina And Sharvari
Kohli singled out the team’s performance, saying, “Rajat Kapoor especially had a grudge against his father and gradually he changed and tried to understand him. Also Diljit – what a performer; The layers she brings to her performance. Sharvari, Bedan- Sundari. Everyone did a great job.”
The scenes that hurt Kunal Kohli the most
Without revealing major spoilers, Kohli pointed to two specific scenes that left a lasting impression on him, one of which, he says, will stay with him like a nightmare. In the first scene, she shares a personal family connection to this moment, “One scene that hit me the most – without any spoilers – I heard another version of it that my bua (aunt) and grandparents told me. Women used to eat poison in trains; People used to commit suicide by consuming poison when they came to attack. But the way Dadi portrays the scene in this film will move you. It’s going to give me nightmares; It hits hard.”In the second scene, Diljit Dosanjh’s character confronting his father, Kohli said, “Another one was when Diljit asks his father, ‘Tell us what happened to the women.’ And he says, ‘What you’re going to find is hatred between two religions and two communities,’ and I don’t think it was about that. And there are many other dialogues that were casually thrown in but meant a lot. The film definitely deserves a second and third watch. I’m going to take my daughter – she’s only 15, but I want her to see the film and understand what happened. It gave me the truth despite hearing these stories from my grandparents.”Kohli concluded his review by praising the director unreservedly, saying, “This film is important for everyone to watch, to understand the romance and the news of the time. Hats off to Imtiaz – love you, what a film you have made. This is your best film.”
About ‘May Vapas Aunga’
‘Maya Vapas Aunga’ follows the journey of a 95-year-old man who suffers a stroke while trying to travel to Pakistan. As pieces of her memory begin to return, her grandson slowly uncovers the story of a life that preceded partition, revealing long-buried relationships, heartbreak and the lasting effects of history. Directed by Imtiaz Ali, the film marks the filmmaker’s fifth collaboration with composer AR Rahman, following their previous works in ‘Rockstar’, ‘Highway’, ‘Tamasha’ and ‘Amar Singh Chamkila’. The film stars Diljit Dosanjh as Nirbhair Singh, Naseeruddin Shah as Ishar Singh, Vedang Raina as Kinu/Ishar Singh Grewal and Sharbari as Afsana/Zia. The supporting cast includes Anjana Sukhni, Banita Sandhu, Sanjay Suri, Rajat Kapoor and Nikhat Khan.According to Saknilk, the film made a domestic net of Rs 51.51 crore and the worldwide total collection stood at Rs. 77.64 crores.
