Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali’s Main Vaapas Aaunga, which released in theatres on June 12, is gaining momentum at the box office on the back of positive word-of-mouth. However, the film faces criticism from a section of social media users who have labelled it “anti-national”.

Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman has now reacted to one such claim, appearing to dismiss the criticism with humour.

Rahman recently responded to a satirical Instagram post that questioned whether the film was “anti-national” for portraying Pakistan without the usual depiction of terrorists or spies.

The headline of the post read: “Anti-National? Movie dares to show Pakistan without terrorists and secret agents”.

The post carried a satirical caption that read: “The man who was excited to watch an Indian spy exact revenge on Pakistan, and who, toward the very end of the movie, says, Mein Vaapas Aaunga, was disappointed that the movie had nothing to do with terrorists and spies. Though touched by the heartfelt drama, he was confused about how Pakistan can neither have terrorists nor spies, given that’s all they seem to have in other movies. He later mentioned in an interview that this was something completely new, and he walked away with the perspective that there can be normal humans in Pakistan.”

Rahman shared a screenshot of the post on his Instagram Stories and added a laughing emoji.

Main Vaapas Aaunga marks the fifth collaboration between Rahman and filmmaker Imtiaz Ali following their work on Rockstar, Highway, Tamasha and Amar Singh Chamkila. Rahman also teamed up with lyricist Irshad Kamil for the film’s soundtrack, which features songs including Kya Kamaal Hai, Maskara and Ishq Mastana.

Set against the backdrop of the Partition of India, the film stars Diljit Dosanjh, Naseeruddin Shah, Sharvari and Vedang Raina. The story explores themes of love, loss, memory, migration and belonging, drawing inspiration from real-life accounts of people affected by the 1947 Partition.

At the box office, the film opened to a modest Rs 1.15 crore nett on its first day. However, positive audience response helped improve collections in the following days. The film earned Rs 1.25 crore nett on its first Monday, surpassing its opening-day figures.

According to industry tracker Sacnilk, Main Vaapas Aaunga collected Rs 1.51 crore nett on its sixth day, taking its total India nett collection to Rs 9.81 crore.