Portraying some of the most influential figures who are alive or from the past, biographical films have carved a niche for themselves in Bollywood. With films such as 12th Fail,
Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story, Sam Bahadur, Lion Gandhi, Dangal, Seven Years in Tibet, Shershaah and many more; Main Atal Hoon is the latest one to join in the niche. Hollywood too has many popular biopics such as Oppenheimer, Napolean, The Crown, The Boys in the Boat, Priscilla, etc.
Essaying the titular role of the former Prime Minister – Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Pankaj Tripathi has done a fabulous role portraying the extraordinary life and political journey of the 10th Prime minister, delving into the multifaceted persona of the former Prime Minister. Having an oratorial skill, Tripathi has done a magnificent job holding the audience in thrall. The film which was released on 19th January 2024 had me running to the theatre on 23rd January at Metro INOX Cinemas, Marine Lines.
Right from his early childhood when he is seen participating in an Elocution competition, we are taken on a long journey of how Vajpayee leads India during some of the most challenging times, including the Kargil War with Pakistan and the Pokhran Nuclear tests.
Every character that has been portrayed throughout the film has done a monumental task essaying their roles whether it was Piyush Mishra as Krishna Bihari Vajpayee (Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s father), Raja Rameshkumar Sevak as L. K. Advani, Payal Nair as Indira Gandhi, Pramod Pathak as Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, Pramod Pathak as Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, Haresh Khatri as Jawaharlal Nehru, Salim Mulla as A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, Gauri Sukhtankar as Sushma Swaraj, Sapna Yadav as Kamala Nehru, Eklakh Khan as Jayaprakash Narayan, Rajesh Khatri as Morarji Desai.
While the majority of the film was shot in Mumbai, it was also shot in Lucknow as well.
This film was directed by Ravi Jadhav after the release of the biographical drama series – Taali: Bajaungi Nahi, Bajwaungi. It has been produced by Vinod Bhanushali, Sandeep Singh and Kamlesh Bhanushali.
At a budget of 20 Crores, this film I would rate this film as above average with exceptional soundtracks – Desh Pehle, Ram Dhun, Hindu Tan Man and Aankaha.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee shows how the power of poetry can be transformational in one’s career. I feel proud that I am also a poet!
What’s your take on this Biopic? Is it a HIT or a FLOP?
1 Comment
Interesting to know the life of poets