The starcast of Tanvi (The Great)
Anupam Kher as the grumpy grandfather coming to terms with Tanvi’s autism gives the movie a strong emotional core. The scene where Tanvi finally addresses him as dadu instead of colonel Pratap Raina is very heartfelt moving the viewers. In the title role Shubhangi Dutt delivers an authentic performance making a promising debut.
Starcast: Shubhangi Dutt, Anupam Kher, Pallavi Joshi, Jackie Shroff, Aravind Swamy etc
Direction, story and producer: Anupam Kher
Genre: Drama
Additional writers: Ankur Suman and Abhishek Dixit
Production Companies: Anupam Kher Studio and NDFC
Music: M M Keeravani
Cinematography: Keiko Nakahara
Running time: 2 hours and 30 minutes
In the last few years there has been an increase in the trend of Hindi movies dealing with the topic of differently abled. Whether it is Tushar Hiranandani’s Srikanth with Rajkummar Rao as the visually impaired businessman, Kabir Khan’s Chandu Champion about a paralympic champion. This year the Aamir Khan produced Sitaare Zameen Par was an earnest attempt at normalizing people with down syndrome and autism challenging our general perception of normal. A common core point of all these movies is being different doesn’t make you a lesser person. This section are also capable of doing brilliant things.
Anupam Kher’s second directorial after a long gap pretty much follows the formula of the ones mentioned above. It makes a strong case for inclusivity even though excessive cinematic liberties does somewhat hamper the experience. A tighter second half would have definitely justified the title even more. The story of Tanvi (The Great) begins with Vidya Raina (Pallavi Joshi) she has worked a lot on the topic of autism; Vidya Raina is invited to a conference in United States. Vidya Raina is a single mother, as a result she takes her daughter to Lansdowne in Uttarakhand. Anupam Kher is Tanvi’s grandfather and retired Colonel Raina. Tanvi’s dynamics with her grandfather isn’t so great. Additionally, Colonel Raina has a hard work in wrapping his head around the concept of autism. The movie focuses on how the two gradually develop a bond and Tanvi’s desire to join the army in order to fulfill her father’s dream of saluting the Indian flag at Siachen Glacier.
A strong aspect of Tanvi (The Great) is the evolving relationship between the granddaughter and the grandfather. How the two learn to co-exist with each other particularly Colonel Raina gives the movie some of its best moments. The gradual transformation of Colonel Raina from his initial resistance to eventually admiring the fighting spirit of Tanvi is a delight to watch.
Shubhangi Dutt and Anupam Kher
Anupam Kher along his writers also do a fine job in creating the right emotional core. There is a specific reason for Tanvi’s desire to join the army, it’s not about killing the enemy in a war. It’s more about fulfilling her father’s wish and this has come out in an impactful manner.
The portions of Tanvi going through the hard grill of military training in spite of physical challenges has been both well written and enacted. Particular mention must be made of Aravind Swamy playing Tanvi’s mentor cum coach Major Srinivasan. He plays a hardened military man who is both strict as well as supportive. Major Srinivasan’s connection with Tanvi’s late father and how this leads to an emotional bond has also come out well.
The movie has numerous familiar faces in the supporting cast apart from Anupam Kher and they all do well within their respective roles. Aravind Swamy though shines the brightest followed by a dashing Jackie Shroff in the role of a senior army man Brigadier Joshi. Tanvi’s exchanges with Brigadier Joshi specifically the portion of her affectionally calling him Tiger is nice to watch. Jackie Shroff brings in a certain warmth. The same applies to Boman Irani as music teacher Raza, as Tanvi’s confidante the actor brings in his usual finesse. Pallavi Joshi as the single mother is good too but her track needed better writing. The portions of Vidya Raina in US and the angle of her autism project feels somewhat superficial not adding much to the proceedings.
Shubhangi Dutt and Boman Irani
Infact the movie’s second half could have done with far more crispness. A feeling of restlessness creeps in. Also, the journey of Tanvi in the latter half resembles more of a masala Hindi movie undoing the nuanced first half. There is a certain sense of repetitiveness with the same point being hammered in.
Technically speaking Tanvi (The Great) is a visual treat. Cinematographer Keiko Nakahara captures the hilly terrains of Lansdowne and the misty mornings beautifully through this lens. MM Keeravani’s songs are also tuneful with Man Chala Manwa and O Mera Manmohana standing out.
It goes without saying that Tanvi (The Great) is largely reliant on the performances of Shubhangi Dutt and Anupam Kher, both are first rate in their respective parts. Shubhangi is terrific in capturing the fighting spirit, she nails the different shades of her character from a certain innocence to becoming an idol. Anupam Kher as the grandfather is also terrific delivering one of his better performances. He brings in an emotional resonance as a disgruntled old man whose outlook undergoes a significant change.
Final word: Tanvi (The Great) doesn’t match the qualities of its protagonist completely. Nevertheless, for those who like optimistic stories with a message the movie makes for a good watch.
