# Main Vaapas Aaunga actor hits back at anti-national tag 2026-08-19T21:25:00+00:00 | Entertainment | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Harshul Kaul, one of the leads in Imtiaz Ali's film Main Vaapas Aaunga, has responded to criticism that the movie is anti-national. In an exclusive interview with India TV, the actor questioned the label, saying: "How is this anti-national?" The film, which also stars Vedang Raina, opened slowly at the box office but gained momentum through word of mouth, completing 50 days in theatres. While many audiences praised the film, a section accused it of being anti-national, prompting Kaul's rebuttal. Kaul did not elaborate on the specific scenes or themes that drew the accusation. The film follows the friendship between two characters, with Kaul drawing a parallel to the bond between Jai and Veeru from Sholay. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The anti-national charge against a mainstream Hindi film is not new, similar accusations have been levelled at movies such as Padmaavat and Kabir Singh, often triggering online boycotts. For a mid-budget film like Main Vaapas Aaunga, which depends on sustained word of mouth, such a label can hit ticket sales hard. The 50-day theatrical run suggests the film did recover costs, but the controversy may have limited its potential in smaller centres. The next test for the film will be its performance on OTT, where a polarised response can still affect viewership numbers. ## Coverage - indiatvnews.com Reports the actor's response without editorialising, frames the anti-national accusation as a claim by 'a section of the audience'. This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Harshul Kaul, Imtiaz Ali, Main Vaapas Aaunga, Vedang Raina Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/main-vaapas-aaunga-actor-hits-back-at-anti-national-tag/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/main-vaapas-aaunga-actor-hits-back-at-anti-national-tag/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/