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Movie Name: Tanvi the Great
Directed by: Anupam Kher
Starring: Anupam Kher, Shubhangi Dutt, Iain Glen, Boman Irani, Jackie Shroff, Arvind Swami, Pallavi Joshi, Karan Tacker, Nassar
Genre: Drama
Running Time: 160 Minutes
Release Date: 18 July, 2025
Rating:
Production Companies: Anupam Kher Studio, NFDC
Budget: ₹– crore
Tanvi Raina, a woman with autism learns of her deceased Indian Army father’s dream to salute the flag at Siachen Glacier. Despite barriers facing those with autism in military service, she resolves to complete his mission.
Tanvi the Great: Movie Overview
Tanvi The Great is an upcoming Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Anupam Kher. Produced by Anupam Kher Studio and NFDC. The film stars Anupam Kher and Iain Glen.
The film will be screened at 2025 Marché du Film.
Anupam Kher announced the film through a social media post on the occasion of his 69th birthday on 7 March 2024. It was also said that the shooting of the film will start on the day of Maha Shivratri i.e. 8 March.
Movie Trailer:
#OfficialTrailer
Movie Review:
Anupam Kher delivers a hefty dose of hope
Formulated to raise awareness about autism and respect for the armed forces, the message-heavy film is different but doesn’t reach the heights it promises
About an autistic girl struggling to find her way in a judgmental world, with a spring in her gingerly steps, Tanvi The Great carries the soul of Anupam Kher’s popular play, Kuchh Bhi Ho Sakta Hai (Anything can happen). It cocks a snook at the cynics and naysayers who question the flight of the dreamers. Surrounded by a supportive mother Vidya (Pallavi Joshi), an autism expert, and a grumpy grandfather, Pratap Raina (Kher), who doesn’t understand her condition, the socially awkward Tanvi Raina (debutante Shubhangi Dutt) finds the purpose of her life when she discovers that her soldier father, Samar (Karan Tacker), made the supreme sacrifice for the country.
She steps out of the poetic space that her grandfather envisaged for her under the shadow of his friend Raja Sahab (Boman Irani) and resolves to fulfil her father’s wish by joining the armed forces. But the rules don’t allow an autistic person to enter the troops. Baffled by her guts, the grandfather, who also served in the army, tries to dissuade her but gradually finds that she is different but no less, and is fit to carry forward the family tradition when Major Srinivasan (Arvind Swamy makes a stock character functional) agrees to give shape to Tanvi’s dream. Nursing a guilt, in Tanvi’s dream, Srinivasan sees an opportunity to redeem himself.
Like Kher, the film wears its heart on its sleeve, and the theme offers an interesting battle between one’s will and worth. The story has several strands that reveal the warp and weft of the human spirit and its frailties, but the film stays sweet and safe. Kher and his co-writers treat the subject gently and sensitively, but the possibilities on paper don’t consistently translate to the screen. Some moments feel genuine, but then some passages seem contrived or laboured. Tanvi’s uniqueness either becomes a fodder to evoke humour or an opportunity to put a halo behind her head.
The film, made in collaboration with the NFDC, finds the writers keen on crafting a series of creative responses to a list of FAQs on autism and the Indian armed forces, with a pen that bleeds. There are portions where the writing and form acquire the edifying tone of a public service advertisement. Before the conflict escalates or an obstacle becomes a problem, Kher devises a solution with the background score screaming ‘heartfelt.’
While MM Keeravani’s music and Keiko Nakahara’s cinematography are designed to provide a soothing contrast to the emotional outbursts, the quality of the special effects in the climax undermines the emotional swell.
Shubhangi makes the stiff and exaggerated body language of Tanvi largely believable. As every autistic person is unique, writers have the liberty to set the contours of Tanvi’s character and her journey, but her struggle with her grandfather when her mother leaves them for work feels sanitised. The mess seems dressed up, very much like Pallavi and Jackie Shroff’s performance.
It goes without saying that Kher is a better actor than director. Amidst all the superficiality, Kher shines as he digs deep to internalise the layers of his character. Much like Aamir Khan’s character in Sitaare Zameen Par, Kher’s character undergoes a transformation in his perception of disability and shows us how to evoke tears without drawing attention to it. He is the reason that you remain invested in Tanvi The Great even when the screenplay turns into a tepid visual essay.
