Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali has pushed back against the longstanding perception that Bollywood is an unsupportive, cutthroat industry, pointing to Alia Bhatt‘s unprompted promotion of his upcoming film ‘Main Vaapas Aaunga’ as proof of the genuine warmth that exists within the film fraternity. His comments come ahead of the film’s June 12 theatrical release.

Imtiaz Ali defends Bollywood after Alia Bhatt’s video

Imtiaz Ali and Alia Bhatt previously collaborated on ‘Highway’ (2014), widely regarded as a career-defining film for the actress. Recently, Alia created a reel using a song from ‘Main Vaapas Aaunga’, an act the director described as both spontaneous and meaningful.Speaking to Free Press Journal, Imtiaz said, “Itne hum log mean hai hie nahi (We are not actually that mean). Look at what she has done. She had no reason to do it. It’s not like she simply forwarded something. She genuinely did something because she felt like it.”The ‘Tamasha’ director went on to describe the film industry as a surrogate family bound together by shared ambition and mutual affection. He said, “All of us are part of this surrogate family situation. We are all drifters and dreamers who want to make great films, want our films to succeed, and also want others to thrive and prosper. We want to show love to each other as well. What Alia has done is actually representative of how the film industry really is. There is a lot of love that people have for one another.”The warmth has not been limited to Alia alone. Actress Sharvari, who stars in the film, previously shared that Alia supported her during the shoot and remained available on calls even while working abroad.

More about ‘Main Vaapas Aaunga’

Set against the backdrop of the Partition era, ‘Main Vaapas Aaunga’ marks Imtiaz Ali’s second collaboration with Diljit Dosanjh after the critically acclaimed ‘Amar Singh Chamkila’. The film also stars Naseeruddin Shah, Sharvari, and Vedang Raina.It releases in cinemas on June 12, 2026, where it will face competition from Kangana Ranaut‘s ‘Bharat Bhhagya Vidhaata’ and Manoj Bajpayee’s ‘Governor: The Silent Saviour’.