Ajit Rai

The Hindi film 'Tanvi the Great' directed by Indian actor Anupam Kher had its grand premiere last night at the Olympia Theater of the Film Bazaar of the Cannes Film Festival. Anupam Kher, Ian Glen, Boman Irani, Pallavi Joshi, Arvind Swami, Karan Tacker, and Shubhangi Dutt play lead roles in this film.

Cannes Diary

On this occasion, all the main actors of this film were present, along with Anupam Kher. After the premiere of the film, Anupam Kher, Boman Irani, Pallavi Joshi, and Shubhangi Dutt interacted with the audience. Anupam Kher said that it took him two years to write the script of this film.

He said that the idea of ​​making this film came when he met his brother's daughter, who was suffering from autism. This is a congenital disease that prevents children from developing naturally. About one percent of the world's population suffers from this disease.

Tanvi (Shubhangi Dutt) is a 17-year-old girl who wants to become a singer, though she has autism. Her father, Captain Samar Pratap Raina (Karan Tacker), is on his way to join his place of posting - the Bana Post, the last military post in Siachen- is killed in a landmine blast.

Poster of Hindi film Tanvi the great

He is travelling to Saichen in a Truck along with Major Kailash Srinivasan (Arvind Swamy), when a landmine attack happens. He lays down his life while saving his colleague.

Tanvi's mother, Vidya Raina (Pallavi Joshi), is an autism disorder specialist in Delhi. She always encourages Tanvi. 

She bags a fellowship from the World Autism Foundation of America on autism disorder. She is supposed to join a research team under the guidance of the foundation's president, Michael Simon (Ian Glen); She

wonders where to leave Tanvi, who cannot even tie her shoelaces.

She takes Tanvi to her grandfather, Colonel Pratap Raina (Anupam Kher), a retired soldier, and leads a lonely life in a military cantonment high in the Himalayan hills after the death of his wife.

Anupam Kher, Boman Irani and other cast of Tanvi the Great i at Cannes, France

Tanvi is admitted to Raja Saheb's (Boman Irani) music school. Everything was going well till the day she found a pen drive in her father's locked room. It has a message for her: He dreamt of his daughter saluting the tricolour at Bana Post in Siachen.

Her life begins to change. She wants to join the Indian Army to fulfill her martyred father's unfulfilled dream, which is her family's profession. The problem is that there is no law to recruit people with autism into the army. 

From here, two journeys run parallel. Tanvi, who has autism disorder, overcomes her physical weaknesses with hard work and determination to join the Indian Army; on the other hand, Cpl Singh lays the foundation of a new relationship with his grandfather.

Two different people slowly try to understand each other. This is the most beautiful aspect of the film. Tanvi joins Major Kailash Srinivasan's training academy for clearing the SSB exam after leaving the music school.

Srinivas is the same officer whom her father saved while laying down his life in the landmine blast. Impressed by Tanvi's loyalty, honesty, and

Anupam Kher's film confronts many more questions through this story. A dialogue "I am different but not less" is meaningfully repeated in the film. That is, the opposite of normal is not abnormal, it is different.

In America, Tanvi's mother Vidya Raina concludes in her research that such children can be made capable of leading a normal life with practice and good care. There is a Brigadier Sharma (Jackie Shroff) in the film whose social influencer son considers army job as foolish and a loss-making deal.

Anupam Kher at the cannes Film festival

Anupam Kher's success lies in the fact that he has kept the film focused on human relationships while avoiding glorification and praise of the Indian Army. He has not let the film go astray. As a director, he has imaginatively filmed the songs.

The choreography of one song is very good and attractive - "Sena ki jai, jai ho jaaye." An attempt has been made in the script to create humor by mispronunciation of Hindi language.

Anupam Kher has avoided unnecessary sets and frills. He has always focused himself on the script. A tree has been planted in the courtyard of the house in memory of Tanvi's father Captain Samar Pratap Raina, which gives the characters of the film space and opportunity to walk through the lanes of memories.

This heartwarming story has been kept away from violence and noise. Tanvi loses in the final round of the Army's SSB exam, but she succeeds in fulfilling her martyred father's dream as a civilian.

In a touching scene during training, she disobeys the orders of Major Kailash Srinivasan and saves the life of her music guru Raja Saheb. She also suffers the punishment of being expelled from the academy.

Anupam Kher has got excellent work done from his actors. Even in guest roles, South Indian actors Nasir (Brig. K.N. Rao) and Jackie Shroff (Brig. Joshi) have done a good job. 

ALSO READ: Why Pakistan ups its ante against India after each IMF loan

Anupam Kher is a great actor. Pallavi Joshi also impresses. But the best work has been done by Shubhangi Dutt (Tanvi), although this is her first film.