I guess I may be the only exception who did not watch Dhurandhar (The Expert), a 2025 Hindi film, which broke multiple records and reportedly grossed a revenue of Rs. 1000/- Crore worldwide. Why ? Because I know what a spy thriller will be all about in the context of two neighbouring countries that have nurtured a quaint love hate relation since their births.
But I watched Main Vaapas Aaunga (I Will Come Back) on Netflix. Against the backdrop of a Partition ravaged Punjab is the story of the budding romance between Keenu and Jiya belonging to two different communities – romance which is under the constant threat of being nipped at the bud by the blood thirsty communal rioters. To assuage Jiya’s fear that she may have to be estranged from her lover anytime soon Keenu makes a promise that even if circumstances force him to leave the land where he belongs he will soon come back to reclaim not only his sweetheart but also the life he has known.
Keenu keeps his promise and returns after six years to find that his dream of being reunited with Jiya can never transpire into reality. He returns heartbroken, rebuilds his life from scratch in a country where he feels alienated and secretly keeps pining for Jiya. In his ripe old age, in the throes of fast encroaching dementia, post repeated strokes, he keeps mumbling about a curse on his family and an unfinished job that he has to finish.
Main Vaapas Aaunga effectively relives the anarchy and trauma of the Partition. More importantly it showcases how political decisions upend the lives of the common people. The belongingness one has towards one’s roots cannot be altered overnight by the drawing of a man made line (The Radcliffe Line) which may determine the geographical boundaries of two countries but cannot be driven through people’s hearts.
Keenu’s “flashbulb memories” on deathbed compellingly reinforce the futility of all the havoc that terror and war mongers wreak. The movie ends on a kaleidoscopic sweep of all the recent terrorist attacks, human exodus across borders and survival of human spirit in refugee camps world over delivering once again the pressing need of converging collective will towards building rather than breaking – an imperative that a narrative founded on excessively gory and violence ridden saga of espionage may never have been able to put across.
Trivia I : “The Partition of India in August 1947 split British India into two independent countries, India and Pakistan (which later split into Pakistan and Bangladesh) causing a massive humanitarian crisis, mass migration, leading to displacement of 12 to 20 million people and an estimated death toll between 200,000 and 2 million due to widespread communal violence. Millions of Hindus and Sikhs moved toward India, while millions of Muslims crossed into West and East Pakistan. Riots, massacres, and brutal attacks targeted refugee trains and walking columns (kafilas). Tens of thousands of women faced abduction, assault, and forced separation or conversion. Delhi, Punjab, and West Bengal are a few cities/states that struggled for decades to house and integrate millions of destitutes. Resultant generational trauma, border fencing, and strained diplomatic relations continue to affect South Asian politics.” (Wikipedia)
Trivia II : Sir Cyril Radcliffe, a lawyer by profession, had never set foot in India prior to his arrival on July 8, 1947. He was chosen to chair the boundary commissions specifically for his complete lack of prior connection to the subcontinent. He drew the Radcliffe Line using maps and census data, left almost immediately after finishing, and never returned. He arrived on 8th July 1947 and was given a brief window of roughly five weeks to divide the provinces of Punjab and Bengal. He left India shortly after completing the boundary award and never visited the region again. (Wikipedia)
