After premiering at the Cannes Film Festival, Tanvi The Great has now released in theatres in India. Produced and directed by Anupam Kher, the movie marks the debut of Shubhangi Dutt. After its screening, the movie received good reviews, but can this patriotic film manage to impress the masses? Read our Tanvi The Great movie review to know.

Tanvi The Great movie review: The plot

Tanvi The Great follows the life of Tanvi (Shubhangi Dutt), a 21-year-old autistic girl. She shifts to Lansdowne to stay with her grandfather (Anupam Kher), who is retired from the Indian Army, as her mother (Pallavi Joshi) has to go to New York for nine months for work. But Tanvi’s grandfather doesn’t know how to interact with her. Initially, Tanvi starts to learn music from Raza Saab (Boman Irani), but she soon loses interest in music when she discovers her late father’s (Karan Tacker) dream. Tanvi’s father, Captain Samar Pratap Raina, wanted to salute the Indian Flag from the Bana Post of Siachen. And then begins her struggle to get into the Indian Army. There is one obstacle after another, beginning with her grandfather rejecting this idea completely. 

What we didn’t love about Tanvi The Great

There are only a handful (or perhaps fewer) of movies that focus on differently-abled people. So, the standards for this movie weren’t sky high. But somehow, Tanvi The Great manages to be messy. The story that starts with Tanvi and her different tendencies as an autistic person soon forgets all about her to focus solely on nationalism.

The movie brings patriotism to places where it isn’t needed. So much so that in the second half of the film, there are instances where Tanvi loses all the traits that show she’s autistic. She becomes a whole different person, barely recognisable. Why? Just because she started preparing to join the army. The makers focused so much on sentimentality that they forgot to add nuance and logic.

Although the movie is based on a new concept, its execution is subpar. Tanvi The Great is 2 hours and 30 minutes long, which doesn’t help. There’s not a single instance in the film that brings it back to life. In the process of talking about the struggles of autistic people, the makers somehow demean them.

What we loved about the movie

Led by Anupam Kher and Shubhangi Dutt, the cast of Tanvi The Great includes veteran actors like Boman Irani and Jackie Shroff. The movie also features Karan Tacker, Pallavi Joshi, Arvind Swami, Nassar, and Iain Glen. What is good about the movie is the cast. Debutant Shubhangi Dutt makes an impressive debut playing the role of an autistic girl. But no matter how strong the lead actor and supporting cast are, they cannot rescue a straying, unfocused storyline.

Overall, Tanvi The Great is painfully dull and long. From the story to the execution, there is very little that impresses in the movie. And unlike a good patriotic movie, Tanvi The Great doesn’t stir up any emotions.

Can you watch Tanvi The Great with your family? Yes, you can watch it with your family.

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