'Dhurandhar' brought people closer to cinemas,' says Imtiaz Ali as he applauds Ranveer Singh’s action thriller

As filmmaker Imtiaz Ali prepares for the release of his upcoming film 'Main Vapas Aaunga', he has weighed in on the blockbuster runs of 'Dhurandhar' and 'Saiyaara' and what their success means for Indian cinema. The filmmaker also said that the success of recent films is a clear sign that audiences are eager to return to theaters when the content is worth their time and money.Speaking to IANS during promotions of 'Main Vapas Aaunga', Imtiaz Ali dismissed the notion that one genre's success hurts another, saying, "I don't feel that the working of a certain type of film excludes the working of any other type of film. I've seen all my life, people say, 'Love stories are working, so the action films won't work'. It's not like that. When 'Sholay' was about to release, people were saying 'Sholay' won't work. But, look what that film has turned out to be. The same doubts people had about 'Dhurandhar' when it was about to release."Imtiaz also pointed to the surprise success of Mohit Suri's 'Saiyaara', a love story featuring new faces, as further proof that audiences have no fixed formula. He said, "People were like, love stories won't work. Love stories are not working, that too with new people, but then there's 'Saiyaara'. So the point is, people want to watch good cinema. And when any good cinema works, every filmmaker is internally very happy."The director expressed genuine happiness over every recent theatrical success, adding, "'Dhurandhar' brought people closer to the theater, and I'm very glad about that. And 'Saiyaara' did the same, and so many films did the same. And I'm very glad for all of the films that succeeded."Imtiaz Ali's 'Main Vapas Aaunga' is set to release in cinemas on June 12, 2026. The filmmaker last directed Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra's 'Amar Singh Chamkila'.