We saw ‘The Vaccine War’ yesterday with a group of office friends. Since everyone has been affected in some way or the other in those two to three tragic years when the Corona virus had invaded lives, there was some curiosity on what to expect from the film. Some were aware it had received mixed reviews but were later moved to find many in the sparsely filled PVR cinema hall, vociferously clapping and cheering with fervour for all the good work shown in the two hours and forty minutes of screen time.
We’ve all gone through the vaccination process in three phases, post the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2000 and it was done very efficiently on a very large scale. But how did we actually manage to get the vaccine ? The film is based on the book ‘Going Viral’ by Prof Balram Bhargava, who headed the ICMR in the critical years. We all truly felt that the herculean job in making a ‘vaccine’ indigenously in just about seven months, is well depicted given the complexity of the subject and must have involved intense study, research and interactions with those who’d worked tirelessly in a race against time !
It’s an awe-inspiring film with an interesting cast that etches out the professional and the personal lives of the women scientists who turn out to be the real heroes though they were under the tutelage of the unstoppable Dr.Bhargava and Nana is in his elements in that super role. Veteran Pallavi Joshi, replete with ‘South Indian-ised ’ Hindi, Girija Oak, Nivedita Bhattacharya & others are perfect with their effortless sincerity and grace. The background score is hauntingly sombre and at times, unnerving in this grim context.
However, two cameos caught attention for personal reasons. Vrinda, plays a small role which requires her to emote more than speak and she does it perfectly. She happens to be the talented actress daughter of our close friends, Reema and actor, Raju Kher Sir.
Other cameo (as the husband of one of the scientists) is nicely underplayed by Ashish Kapoor, who belongs to our hometown, Lucknow and is the son of one our old friends.
Talented Raima Sen, gets to represent the ‘baddie’ Indian media, as so called science’ reporter, responsible (in cahoots with foreign press and ‘videshi’ elements against our national interests) for all the hurdles in this slightly overblown ‘war’ that seems to lack overall objectivity in depicting the lockdown and pandemic horrors in the ‘Covid’ years !
That said, the film should be seen for the courage and grit of our medical teams and our brilliant scientists working on developing the vaccine with a zen-like attitude and 70% of whom were women with simple lives and families ! That’s so laudable by any yardstick !
Working on Living 