News India Times

www.newsindiatimes.com – that’s all you need to know News India Times September 22, 2023 27 Entertainment A s is the convention on such occa- sions, the trailer was shown twice, and then a relaxed Vicky Kaushal, attired in cool casuals and with a fuzz that spoke of either some indulgent catching up with ‘me’ time or a get-up for a film to come, engaged the media for a few minutes of informal chat, peppered with guffaws. At Yash Raj Films’ preview hall, the trailer of the social comedy, The Great Indian Family (TGIF), was shown to the media. Written and directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya with music by Pritam (he returns to the YRF fold after Dhoom:3 a decade back!) and lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya, the film also stars Manushi Chhillar, Manoj Pahwa, Kumud Mishra, Sadiya Siddiqui, Alka Amin, Srishti Dixit, Bhuvan Arora, Ashutosh Ujjwal, Bharti Perwani and others. Vicky Kaushal formally released the trailer and feels the movie is a celebra- tion of the spirit of Indian joint families. He said, “TGIF is a simple, small-town story that will touch your hearts. Set in the heartland of India, it is a story about the unbreakable bond that family mem- bers share between each other. It shows how situations can test that bond fiercely and how powerful that emotional chord actually is, between every member of an Indian family.” He adds, “Our joint families are truly unique because of the personalities they inhabit. They can be a huge strength when the going gets tough and they can also be quite dysfunctional at the same time. I hope everyone connects to this emotion and gives us a lot of love on September 22.” He added, “I am not the hero of the film. The story and the Indian family are!” Vicky plays Bhajan Kumar, the young member of the family who is the uncrowned king of devotional songs in small-town Balrampur, a city in Uttar Pradesh. In a relaxed chat, Vicky revealed that such a film was necessary after a stress- ful work experience like Sardar Udham, which obviously meant that the film was shot before his last release, Zara Hatke Zara Bachke, which was also a light film. In a purely fictional film, unlike Sardar Udham and his forthcoming biopic, Sam Bahadur, it was possible to give inputs and broaden the scope of his characters and unwind. He was happy, however, that today the people want to know which film is coming up next on the big screen, instead of the indifference to movies that they had been showing for a good while now. The recent spate of successes has been refreshing, he stated. Vicky Kaushal Launches Trailer Of The Great Indian Family By RajivVijayakar Yash Raj Films’ latest offering, The Great Indian Family, opens on August 22. Photo:Yash Raj Films T he VaccineWar, called “India’s first bio-science cinematic endeavor,” releases on September 28. At the trailer launch of the film on September 12 at the Cinepolis, we not only got a glimpse of the electric trailer, but a peak into how the film has already been received in USA, along with the much-publicized performance of a song at Times Square, with a seven- minute video. Later, writer-director Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri made several potent and cogent remarks. For one, he said that this film was 100 percent true, as stated in the film’s post- er, which was a legal requisite for the censors in India. In The Kashmir Files, he had taken liberties by integrating several characters into one, though every incident shown in that film had been real. He also emphasized that his movies were of the kind seen before the NRI culture took over Indian filmmakers’ psyches. “My film is about real-life superheroes and, in this case, women-power. It is the kind of cinema we used to make about the common man and his heroic activi- ties, which was then loved a lot. This time, even the nega- tive journalist I have shown is for real, as are the scientists who raced against time to make the vaccine. The other detractors are also real people. I will not take names, but everyone knows who the enemies of our nation are.” The tag-line of the film is that “India can do it!” and a guest of honor at the trailer launch was Dr. Balram Bhar- gava, a cardiologist, medical educationist and innovator who is currently serving as the Chief of Cardiothoracic Centre, AIIMS, New Delhi. It was this real-life superhero who had spearheaded the mission. The film showcases the dedication of Dr. Bhargava and his largely-female team of scientists who worked against time to develop the indigenous vaccine that saved live not only in India but also globally. The vaccine was developed by Bharat Biotech in partnership with the Indian Council of Medical Research – National Institute of Virology. The film does not talk about Covid per se but only about the passion and challenges faced by the ingenious scientists. In a reply to a question put forward by newsin- diatimes.com , Dr. Bhargava agreed that the political will was there “from an immensely-supportive leadership” to achieve this impossible-seeming feat. Dr. Bhargava also praised Nana Patekar, who plays his character. Vivek added that Nana was the only choice for the role as he had the necessary power in his persona to essay Dr. Bhargava and had never given a mediocre per- formance in his entire career. Nana, however, had been apprehensive that he could not have said the consider- able English needed for the character, but surrendered to his director. “Whatever good is there in my performance is due to Vivek, and if anything is lacking, it is my fault!” Nana stated. Nana made a general comment about movies today and stated that if only bad movies or bad songs are made, sooner or later, people begin to call it good cinema or music. But there is a difference, he stressed. And it’s time that people were exposed to something genuinely good. He took a jibe at a recent blockbuster as a film that was being liked because of this false parameter. And he obvi- ously could not have meant Gadar 2 as he has been the narrator in it! The launch was also attended by producer and actress Pallavi Joshi, Vivek’s wife, and a bevy of actors who play the scientists besides her—Girija Oak, Nivedita Bhat- tacharya and Sapthami Gowda, besides Mohan Kapur. Anupam Kher, as the Prime Minister, and Raima Sen play key roles. Udaysingh Mohite is the cinematographer and the music is by Rohit Sharma. Tapan Jyoti Dutta is the music producer and background music composer. Edit- ing is by Shankh Rajadhyaksha. Girija Oak, stated Pallavi, was the only one of the team who had actually studied Bio-Science herself and so helped the team with the pronunciation of the technical terms. As a parting shot, Vivek stressed that few parents encouraged their children to take up the field of Virol- ogy, which was a key necessity, instead of just standard careers. By RajivVijayakar The Vaccine War A Tribute To Real Superheroes, Says Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri The Vaccine War trailer launch was also graced by the real-life superhero, Dr. Balram Bhargava (fourth from left). Photo:RajivVijayakar