- Release Date: 28/09/2023
- Cast: Nana Patekar, Pallavi Joshi, Raima Sen, Girija Oak, Nivedita Bhattacharya
- Director: Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri
There isn’t anything more uplifting and inspiring than deriving a sense of accomplishment and victory from the nation’s collective achievements. This is, after a rags-to-riches story, the most captivating theme that a film can have for me. Couple that with the COVID-19 pandemic, which still remains the most difficult time in my life ever, and the story of finding its vaccine, we have a film that was bound to be one of the most exciting and undeniably inspiring films I could wholeheartedly enjoy without any reservations.
Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri, since ‘The Tashkent Files’, has been making important films with impeccable research and attention to detail. These are two elements that once again serve him well in building a story that is not only captivating and fascinating but is also dripping with every possible human emotion that can contribute to and justify a feeling of pride for the nation and its people. India is its people, and in their success and achievements, the nation thrives. The story of India making its first and most crucial vaccine was one of the most satisfying and uplifting stories that Indian cinema could bring to its audiences this year.
‘The Vaccine War’ is based on the book ‘Going Viral: Making of Covaxin,’ written by Balram Bhargava, who was the Director-General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) during the period of the pandemic and the manufacture of the vaccine. It was under his leadership that numerous Indian agencies like the National Institute of Virology and companies like Bharat Biotech collaborated to manufacture India’s first indigenous vaccine.
With the pandemic wreaking havoc and bringing the nation and its resources to its knees, Bhargava and his team had one of the toughest challenges on their hands. Their mission was not only to successfully create the vaccine but also to somehow fend off foreign intervention and efforts to undermine and sabotage the reputation and efficacy of the vaccine. These foreign companies saw India as their largest market and were willing to do anything to sabotage the production of an indigenous Indian vaccine. Assisting the foreign companies were a large number of Indian individuals who prioritized their personal gains over national interests.
I was absolutely floored by the technicalities and technical jargon that the film throws at us and is still successful in remaining intelligible. The story and the screenplay are structured in such a way that it keeps the proceedings lucid enough to convey the technicalities to the audiences in a manner where they might not understand the entire quantum of the elements shown or discussed but are still able to decipher and relate to the challenge and the difficulty that the situation posed for the characters. The dialogue in a film of this nature, which comes from the Indian film industry, is generally simplified to resonate with the simplest of audiences. That is not the case here because the film is primarily based on the book and remains largely faithful to it. However, the interactions are built up so wonderfully, and the dialogues are so crisp and effective that I was intrigued by the screenplay and the drama from start to finish.
A large portion of the credit for the film being so captivating has to be given to its principal cast. Nana Patekar leads from the front and delivers a performance that is easily one of his best in recent times. He is able to bring his own sensibility and mannerisms into what was rumoured to be the way of life and approach to man management of Dr Balram Bhargava. Patekar infuses the character with his own brand of charm, drama, intrigue, and outbursts. By doing that, he not only makes the character his own but also adds elements to it that we associate with Patekar’s stellar acting. Interestingly, this doesn’t feel forced as we hardly know how the real character was, and also because Patekar remains grounded and realistic in his expression of some of the bizarre actions and emotions. When all of this is delivered as a nuanced performance, complementing a story where the importance of his character is paramount, it all feels interesting and intriguing.
Pallavi Joshi as the head of NIV was terrific. She plays a character who is sensitive and unashamed about expressing her emotions. She is someone who gets happy quickly but is also just as easily disillusioned and frustrated. Pallavi Joshi is able to bring this fiery and emotional nature of the character out wonderfully. Her rendition feels authentic and gives the right vibes at the right moments. She is also given the opportunity to pit the dynamics of her character against that of Patekar’s Balram Bhargava, who is a polar opposite to her. Their numerous conflicts and arguments are some of the high points of the film as they not only underline the criticality of the work that each and every one of them was entrusted to pull off but also wonderfully document the toll it was taking on them all. Pallavi Joshi has made a tremendous transition from playing a strictly hateful communist villain in ‘The Kashmir Files’ to one of the most endearing and lovable characters in this film. This just goes on to show us her range and acting prowess that unfortunately still remains untapped and unused in the Indian filmscape.
Raima Sen’s character is an amalgamation of a large number of different characters who were questioning and trying to discredit ICMR’s efforts in manufacturing the vaccine. If one looks closely, one can see references to different things that were done by different people in real life tailored into one cohesive act of villainy that, by the end of the film, is used to not only discredit and reveal the true faces of the people who wanted to belittle their own nation for a few dollars but is also used to comprehensively answer all the ill-advised and insufficient allegations that they were levelling against ICMR. Sen is extremely successful in making the audience hate her character and underlines some of the key aspects of the nature of the people who are still very active and are tirelessly trying their best to discredit the ruling party in whatever they do. Sadly, in the process of doing that, they are also undermining some of the most notable achievements of the nation that we as citizens should be proud of.
Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri’s direction is spot on. The best aspect of his direction is his handling of key scenes and moments in the story that delve into human nature and emotions. There is a scene where Nana Patekar and another character interact with their face masks on. The scene is so wonderfully directed, and Agnihotri is able to extract such nuanced performances from the two actors in this scene that it becomes even more poignant. Their eyes speak, and even though we are unable to see their faces completely, their emotions and grief make their way to us. This is because of the performances and also how effectively this scene is envisioned, shot, and edited. Similar moments can be seen peppered all throughout the film, adding to the intrigue of the story and the drama. Agnihotri proved with ‘The Kashmir Files’ that he can challenge all pre-established notions about how to make a film interesting, intriguing, and impactful, and he does so here again. This time with his use of technicalities and jargon while still being able to keep the proceedings breezy and engaging.
More than anything else, ‘The Vaccine War’ instils a sense of pride and accomplishment in the hearts of its viewers. It is able to do so by presenting the facts. That is something that makes this film even more endearing and results in the feeling of accomplishment and achievement feeling sweeter. The film emphasises a segment of the Covid warriors that many of us might not have known and, for once, glorifies the true heroes of the nation rather than thugs, gangsters, murderers, and rapists in the name of entertainment.
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I didn’t know that 70% of virologists in NIV are women, and the vaccine that flows through my veins was a result of these women’s untiring efforts. This effort not only pushed their families to the brink of breaking but also took an enormous toll on their lives and mental well-being. ‘The Vaccine War’ is a heartfelt salute and homage to these brave men and women of ICMR, NIV, and every other body that contributed to the creation of the first Indian indigenous vaccine. This is the kind of film that we deserve in times when we make heroes out of villains, and it should be at the top of the watchlist for every Indian cinemagoer.
Rating: 3.5/5 (3.5 out of 5 Stars)
The views expressed in this article are that of the reviewer and do not reflect EastMojo’s position.
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