Imtiaz AliThe coming-of-age drama ‘Main Vaapas Aaunga’ has won wide acclaim for its sensitive portrayal of Partition and the possibility of reconciliation. At the heart of the story is 95-year-old Ishwar (Naseeruddin Shah), who wants to revisit his hometown of Sargodha in present-day Pakistan, a decision that leaves his family, especially his grandson Nirvair (Diljit Dosanjh), puzzled. As the film continues to strike a chord with audiences, co-writer Nayanika Mahtani has reflected on her deeply personal roots and the ideas that shaped her narrative.Nayanika recalled how her collaboration with Imtiaz Ali began unexpectedly in Mussoorie. He met the filmmaker there and gave him a copy of his novel Across The Line, which also explored the partition. Coincidentally, Imtiaz was working on a story around the same historical fact and asked him to write 20-30 pages on the subject. After reading his work, he simply told her, “We’re on our way.”The opportunity was especially meaningful for Nayanika because she wanted to tell a story of Partition free from divisive narratives. “I was, of course, excited to tell a Partition story, and that too with the sensitivity that Imtiaz brings to it, because I was very clear that I didn’t want to tell a story where there was the ‘other’ or the ‘otherness’. I’d rather not tell a story than tell that kind of story,” he said.For the writer, Main Vaapas Aaunga is also rooted in family history. All four of his grandparents immigrated from what is now Pakistan, and his maternal grandmother hails from Sargodha, the very central city of the film. Recalling her grandmother’s memories, Nayanika said, “Whenever my nani spoke of Sargodha, she only spoke of happy memories. There was never bitterness. There was never rancor. And imagine how many reasons she had to be bitter.“He shared that his paternal grandparents, who hailed from Lahore and Rawalpindi, carried similar memories. Rather than resentment, they recalled friendships that transcended religion. “His best friends remained Muslims. I have never seen an ounce of rancor in that generation. So, when we were telling this story, even Imtiaz had the same sensibility, that there was no otherness,” he added.Nayanika also believes that the emotional wounds carried by many who lived through partition remained largely unspoken. Referring to Ishwar’s character in the film, he explained, “Ishar Grewal is not a nice man. He is a bitter man. But look why it happened. And that’s where the closure comes in, because we only judged them by what we saw, but there was something they didn’t talk about.”Expanding on that thought, he said: “There was something that was never mentioned. A lot of them dealt with PTSD. But nobody was going to talk about it, because Independence coincided with partition, and that took center stage. So you weren’t allowed to be unhappy. But imagine on that eve of independence, every year, what they would have thought”.Nayanika also revealed that she and Imtiaz Ali were determined to portray the suffering experienced on both sides of the border, rather than presenting a one-sided account. “One thing, both Imtiaz and I were very (confident). I said to him, ‘We have to have a scene where we see Muslims being killed.’ So that scene on the train where Keenu’s hat falls off, and the scene when the train reaches Lahore station, and Afzal finds his whole family dead. So we see both sides and there is a balanced view. Otherwise, it can be rage bait,” he argued.