Imtiaz Ali On Why Main Vaapas Aunga Found A Second Life | The Media Room | The Core

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The Core

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Imtiaz Ali on why Main Vaapas Aunga found a second life is at the heart of this episode of The Media Room by The Core. Speaking with Vanita Kohli-Khandekar, the filmmaker reflects on how Main Vaapas Aunga, also searched as Main Wapas Aunga, went from a quiet opening to an audience-led comeback in theatres.

Why did audiences take charge of the film’s publicity? What does this say about Bollywood, Indian cinema, film marketing, box office success and the future of the big screen?

From Jab We Met, Rockstar and Tamasha to Amar Singh Chamkila and Main Vaapas Aunga, Imtiaz Ali has built films around love, longing, memory, music, migration and emotional storytelling. In this conversation, he opens up about why this film’s journey feels different, why cinema halls still matter, and why good storytelling can still cut through short-form content, social media noise and endless entertainment choices.

The discussion also explores the business of Bollywood, audience behaviour after Covid, why traditional film marketing often fails, and how theatres create a rare sense of community in an increasingly lonely world.

Imtiaz Ali also speaks about working with A R Rahman, Irshad Kamil and Mohit Chauhan, the emotional pull of Punjab and Partition, the making of Amar Singh Chamkila, and India’s untapped global soft power through Bollywood, music, cinema, culture and storytelling.

Watch this episode for a thoughtful and deeply human conversation on Imtiaz Ali, Main Vaapas Aunga, Bollywood’s future, Indian cinema, film marketing, audience behaviour, theatres, storytelling, soft power and why the big screen is far from finished.

#ImtiazAli #MainVaapasAunga #Bollywood #IndianCinema #TheMediaRoom #TheCore

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