New Delhi:
Main Vaapas Aaunga, directed by Imtiaz Ali, opened in theatres on June 12 but witnessed a slow start at the box office. According to a Sacnilk report, the film collected Rs 1.15 crore nett in India across 2,302 shows on Friday. This brings the total India gross collections to Rs 1.38 crore.
The overall occupancy rate for the movie was 12.22%. The day started 5.92% in the morning and rose to 10.77% in the afternoon. The evening shows had an occupancy of 10.85%, while the night shows peaked at 18.23%.
Region-wise, Chennai emerged as the top-performing centre with 7 shows and an overall occupancy of 33%, followed by Hyderabad, which recorded 14.5% occupancy across 40 shows. Surat remained at the bottom with 3.5% occupancy rate across 59 shows.
Main Vaapas Aaunga follows a bedridden elderly man, played by Naseeruddin Shah, who is desperate to return to his ancestral home in Sargodha (now in Pakistan). The actor portrays the deeply demanding role of a patient battling Alzheimer’s and dementia. Director Imtiaz Ali revealed just how physically and emotionally taxing the performance was for the 75-year-old veteran star.
“One thing which was very challenging is the fact that Naseer, such a profound actor, had to be bedridden for almost the entire film,” he said.
Imtiaz Ali said that Naseeruddin Shah went through an intensive transformation before shooting began. To play a character older than himself, he spent hours each day in makeup and prosthetics.
“He would come and take three hours to get ready because he’s playing older than his age. There were all of these things that would be stuck to his body because he’s a patient, the ECG leads would be stuck to his chest, and his hair would have to be shaved off,” he added.
Main Vaapas Aaunga also features Diljit Dosanjh, Vedang Raina and Sharvari Wagh in leading roles. Spanning from the 1947 Partition era to modern times, the film explores profound themes of love, displacement, memory and trauma.
