Imtiaz Ali: One who forgets history, is condemned to repeat it

Mumbai, April 21 (IANS) Indian auteur Imtiaz Ali, who is gearing up for the release of his upcoming film ‘Main Vapas Aaunga’, believes that one should learn from history to not repeat the same mistakes.

The director spoke with IANS during the promotions of ‘Main Vapas Aaunga’, and shared that given human beings and the world is cyclical in nature, there’s a certain inevitability to the scheme of things. The auteur said that in such a scenario, one must remember the past and not forget it.

He told IANS, “There is an inevitability. As someone says that if one who forgets history, he is condemned to repeat it. And so one must take lessons and be better, hopefully. And oftentimes, one is not, unfortunately. If battles happen again and again, if the same cruelty of history happens cyclically, then people like you and me also arise and put some honey into the bitterness”.

He further mentioned, “That is our job as artistes. To bring hope, point towards the silver lining when there are clouds. So this is also our attempt. And how do we do it? We do it by talking about stories, which connect you to your own heart, the stories that open your heart. But a film is a film, a story is a story. Similarly, ‘Main Vapas Aaunga’ is a simple story of partition time, remembered 78 years later”.

‘Main Vapas Aaunga’ marks the filmmaker’s 2nd collaboration with Diljit Dosanjh, and is set in the era after the Partition of India, which is the largest mass migration in human history. The event, which led to the carving out of Pakistan from India, led to displacement of an estimated 14 to 18 million people.

The film is produced by Sameer Nair and Deepak Segal of Applause Entertainment, along with Mohit Choudhary and Shibasish Sarkar of Window Seat Films. It is set to release in cinemas on June 12, 2026.

–IANS

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