‘Tanvi the Great’ – Daringly Inspiring Film

If one were to rephrase the classic Shelly lines ‘Our sweetest movies are those that tell us happy ways how the human spirit uplifts and inspires’. With Anupam Kher, the creator of the film and young Shubhangi creating screen magic, watching ‘Tanvi the Great’ is quite an exhilarating experience ! Transcending the ordinary story-telling of mundane lives devoid of challenges, is a story of an extraordinary journey of an autistic girl who, as the film audaciously reveals to us, is ‘different but no less’ in daring to live her dream, notwithstanding the certain obstacles on the way.

As one of the principal protagonists is veteran thespian,  Anupam Kher, as the proud but lonely, grief-stricken army Colonel reprising the powerful intensity of his iconic role in his first film ‘Saaransh’. Faced with unexpected challenges thrown by his autistic grand-daughter, singer extraordinaire, recalcitrant in her thinking that disrupts his orderly life. His emotions range  from sheer desperation to gradual realization that there are greater things at stake than tradition & pride. He must fight the system for what he believes in & for his grand-daughter to realize her dreams. Truly, Anupam Kher is India’s ‘De-Niro’ ! 

There is an ensemble cast of talented actors who play the supporting roles, led by Pallavi Joshi, playing Tanvi’s mother who poignantly displays sensitivity to her daughter with matured understanding of autism and it’s special needs. Jackie Shroff, Arvind Swami and Boman Irani are actors who’ve honed their craft and leave impact even in cameos. But the film entirely belongs to ‘Shubangi’ who plays the title role of ‘Tanvi’ with the astute finesse of a seasoned actor. She lends great credibility to the character that has so many diverse shades & mixed emotions with eventual shift towards greater self-reliance.

Other high points of the film include its stunning cinematography, the beautiful locales.  a vibrant music score and pithy dialogues with humour & character. Asking ‘Permission to hug’ from someone close to you is endearing. Big message – to understand austistic people don’t try to manage them, let’s try to discover how they feel and think differently. There’s also the message of patriotism and love for our armed forces, that’s so inspiring. 

Tandra and I were privileged to witness this beautiful, thought-provoking film at it’s star-studded Premiere at the Neeta Ambani Cultural Centre at BKC yesterday. For Tandra it was a wonderful reunion of school friends arranged by the ever thoughtful Reema and Raju Kher and for us spouses, it was gift wrapped into watching, interacting, clicking pics with beautiful super stars and actors who had descended on the red carpet. What a ‘Great’ evening !