This Tuesday marks director Imtiaz Ali's birthday. Many of his fans, well-wishers and industry colleagues are wishing the filmmaker on his birthday. The latest to do so is director Anurag Kashyap.

Taking to Instagram, Anurag described Amar Singh Chamkila and Main Vaapas Aaunga as Imtiaz Ali's first and second film, respectively. For the unversed, Imtiaz made his directorial debut with 2005's Socha Na Tha, starring Abhay Deol and Ayesha Takia. Since then, Imtiaz has made critically appreciated and/or commercially successful films, including titles such as Jab We Met (2007), Love Aaj Kal (2009), and Rockstar (2011), among others. All of his films until Jab Harry Met Sejal (2017) were well received, and 2020's Love Aaj Kal, a spiritual successor to his own 2009 film, proved another rare blip in his career.

After the failure of Love Aaj Kal, a film that he himself has disowned, Imtiaz made a grand comeback in 2024 with Amar Singh Chamkila. While the film, starring Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra, has its detractors, it is largely well received by critics and proved a commercial success, ranking at the top of Netflix's global streaming charts at the time of its release.

While the film is yet to rake in big money at the box office, Main Vaapas Aaunga has opened to positive reviews from critics and viewers. Perhaps this perception around Imtiaz's comeback explains why Anurag calls it his sophomore directorial venture. "Go watch it and I love you Muttonkhor. Keep inspiring and breaking our hearts," Anurag wrote about the film and its director.

"Aur mere humdumon ko chori karna band karo , human bhi kaam karna hai," Anurag added before wishing Imtiaz a happy birthday. "Kudos to your partners in this heartbreaking crime," he signed off, alluding to the experience of watching Main Vaapas Aaunga.