After a gap of six years away from theatres, filmmaker Imtiaz Ali has returned with his latest release Main Vaapas Aaunga, a partition-era romantic drama featuring Naseeruddin Shah, Diljit Dosanjh, Sharvari, and Vedang Raina in pivotal roles. Although the film has been widely appreciated by critics and early viewers for its emotional depth and storytelling, its box office start has remained relatively subdued. As per trade tracking portal Sacnilk, the film registered a net opening of ₹1.15 crore on Day 1, while its gross collection stood at approximately ₹1.38 crore.
On its first day in cinemas, the film was showcased across nearly 2,302 screenings nationwide and managed an overall occupancy of 12.22%. The opening trend showed gradual growth through the day, beginning with 5.92% occupancy in morning shows, which improved to 10.77% in the afternoon, remained steady at 10.85% during evening slots, and reached its highest point of 18.23% during night shows. Regionally, Delhi-NCR emerged as the strongest market with around 308 shows and an occupancy of 13%, while Mumbai followed closely with 235 screenings and 11% occupancy.
When compared with Imtiaz Ali’s earlier theatrical outings, Main Vaapas Aaunga marks one of his weakest openings to date. His previous film Love Aaj Kal (starring Kartik Aaryan and Sara Ali Khan) had debuted at around ₹12.4 crore, while Jab Harry Met Sejal, featuring Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma, opened significantly higher at ₹15.25 crore. Even earlier titles like Tamasha (₹10.95 crore), Rockstar (₹10.6 crore), and Highway (₹3.4 crore) had managed stronger first-day numbers, highlighting the current film’s relatively modest start.
The film also lags behind several of its lead cast members’ recent theatrical performances. Diljit Dosanjh’s previous release Border 2 had opened on a massive scale at ₹30 crore, while Sharvari’s Vedaa recorded ₹6.3 crore on its opening day. Vedang Raina’s Jigra also performed better with ₹4.55 crore on Day 1, all comfortably ahead of Main Vaapas Aaunga. Among recent romantic dramas, the film trails titles such as Chand Mera Dil (₹3 crore) and Do Deewane Seher Mein (₹1.25 crore), though it closely matches the opening figure of Ek Din, which also collected ₹1.15 crore.
Despite a slow start, the film now faces an important weekend ahead, especially with multiple new releases competing for audience attention, including Governor and Bharat Bhagya Vidhata. Trade analysts suggest that word of mouth could play a decisive role in determining whether the film manages to build momentum in the coming days or remains limited to a modest theatrical run.