Imtiaz Ali says he almost fell off his chair after receiving a thank you message from Naseeruddin Shah following the release of “Main Vaapas Aaunga", which features the actor as a 95-year-old remembering his past.
Ali said he and Shah have been in touch since the film released in theatres last week and the veteran actor has been checking on the response with him.
“Naseer is always in touch with me. He said, ‘How is the film doing? I said, ‘Don’t worry. It will pick up. It is doing well’. I asked him to come to the theatre (for a visit). He said, ‘You go,’ because he can’t bring himself to go to the theatre, he will be overwhelmed.
“I told him: ‘People are praising your part a lot. I hope you got a whiff.’ He said, ‘Yes, a lot of people have been messaging me, lots and lots of messages and phone calls.’ And very sweetly, he thanked me. I fell off my chair. Naseeruddin Shah can’t be thanking anybody for giving him a role," Ali told PTI in an interview.
The director is happy that he formed such a connection with Shah during the filming of the film, which looks at the tragedy of Partition through a man recalling his past.
Shah’s performance as a dementia-addled man unable to let go of a promise he made to his first love before Partition has received a lot of love from both critics and the audiences.
Actor Vedang Raina plays the younger version of the character who falls for his college mate, Jiya (Afsana), and they hope for a future together even as the murmurs of Partition grow louder around them.
Ali said Raina, who has been a huge of fan of “Rockstar", believes “Main Vaapas Aaunga" is his best work.
“He said, ‘Now that I have seen the film 2-3 times, I can see a lot of things that you have done without me having realised earlier, and now I can confidently say that this is your best film’. He just sent me this message…
“He (Raina) is a ‘Rockstar’ fan as a musician. So, for him to say that is almost betraying ‘Rockstar’, it is a big deal."
Sharvari, who celebrated her birthday on Monday, spoke to Ali when she saw the rough cuts of the movie. She told him she was moved by Diljit Dosanjh’s performance.
“At the time, her feedback was, ‘How does Diljit do it? How can he be so disarming and so real?'"
Produced by Birla Studios and Applause Entertainment in association with Window Seat Films, “Main Vaapas Aaunga" is currently running in theatres.
