‘Tanvi the Great’ Movie Review: Anupam Kher’s Well-Intentioned Drama Is Let Down by His Clumsy Storytelling (LatestLY Exclusive)

Tanvi The Great Movie Review: Anupam Kher returns to direction with Tanvi The Great, a supposedly aspirational tale about an autistic girl who fights the odds to achieve the impossible. Newcomer Shubhangi Dutt plays the titular role, while Kher, unlike in his directorial debut Om Jai Jagdish, doesn’t remain solely behind the camera. He casts himself in a parallel lead, attempting to balance a story of a grandfather-granddaughter bond with a larger narrative about triumphing over adversity. ‘Tanvi the Great’: Debutante Shubhangi Dutt Was ‘Nervous, Awestruck and Starstruck’ Working With Anupam Kher, Boman Irani, Pallavi Joshi and Jackie Shroff.

But does Kher pull off this balancing act? Has he evolved as a filmmaker since the rawness evident in his 2002 debut? Sadly, the answer to both is - not quite.

'Tanvi The Great' Movie Review - The Plot

Tanvi is an autistic girl in her 20s who lives with her widowed mother Vidya (Pallavi Joshi) in Delhi. Her father (Karan Tacker), a captain in the Indian Army, was martyred in the Kargil War when she was seven. Vidya, an expert on autism, is invited to a nine-month-long programme in New York. Unable to take Tanvi along, she sends her to stay with her paternal grandfather, retired Colonel Pratap Raina (Anupam Kher), a lonely widower, who resides near an army training base in Lansdowne. The plan is for Tanvi to learn Hindustani classical music from a local guru (Boman Irani).

Watch the Trailer of 'Tanvi The Great':

Tanvi and Pratap don’t take to each other easily. He struggles to understand his granddaughter’s different needs and rigid routines. The turning point comes when Tanvi stumbles upon old video footage of her father and discovers his unfulfilled dream - to salute the Indian flag in Siachen. Determined to honour his wish, she sets her sights on joining the Indian Army.

'Tanvi The Great' Movie Review - A Potentially Stirring Premise Let Down by Over-Sentimentality

There’s undeniably a moving core to Tanvi The Great. An underdog story interwoven with themes of patriotism and familial bonding - on paper, it has all the makings of a heart-tugging drama that could resonate with India's current nationalist fervour. Kher’s intentions are noble, and the film does have a soft, pleasing tone that invites empathy for Tanvi and her quiet world in the hills of Lansdowne.

However, the film’s emotional beats are drowned in schmaltz and simplistic writing. The tribute to the Indian Army in the second half is so overbearing that it distracts from Tanvi’s personal journey. The storytelling falters in several key areas - its biggest misstep being how unconvincing some major plot decisions are.

'Tanvi The Great' Movie Review - Gaps in Logic, Gaps in Writing

The film never satisfactorily explains why Vidya wouldn’t take Tanvi along to New York for such a long stretch, offering a flimsy excuse that she can learn music locally instead. New York, which certainly has a large Indian diaspora, doesn’t have music teachers?

Boman Irani’s guru, presumably pivotal to this decision, barely gets any screen time to make it convincing. Meanwhile, Vidya’s work abroad is vaguely portrayed; we never really understand what groundbreaking research she’s doing except stating that autistic children are different from each other - a statement that’s both obvious and reductive.

Even Tanvi’s core motivation - to fulfil her father’s dream - feels forced. The video scene where he shares this desire with his wife of bed is oddly staged. Why would anyone record such a private conversation? Unless, if you want to cheekily put it, this was a prelude to a sex tape interrupted by the call of duty.

A subtler, more powerful script might have saved that revelation for later - perhaps during Tanvi’s recruitment interview - to maximise its emotional impact.

'Tanvi The Great' Movie Review - Poor Pacing and Unrefined Direction

The screenplay, co-written by Kher and two others, struggles with pacing and tonal consistency. Much is made of Pratap's influence on Tanvi, but the changes in her character seem to stem from her own decisions, not his. Ironically, it’s Arvind Swami’s character, Major Srinivasan, who seems to have a more meaningful impact on Tanvi’s growth, but his role gets sidelined just when it starts to matter.

A key dramatic sequence where Tanvi defies his orders to rescue someone is staged with such awkwardness, it robs the scene of any real weight. Everyone stands frozen to allow our heroine her 'moment,' and the supposedly viral video capturing it is bizarrely edited with overhead, zoom and tracking shots - implausible if it’s meant to be smartphone footage. Delhi CM Rekha Gupta Praises Anupam Kher’s ‘Tanvi the Great’, Says ‘Very Important for Children To Watch This Movie.

Even the final triumphant moment - Tanvi climbing a peak to honour her father - is undone by dodgy VFX and logistical implausibility. Since when did the army let civilians, let alone an autistic girl, summit Siachen without training or acclimatisation?

Some of the patriotic messaging feels shoehorned. Pratap converses with his ex-colleague's influencer grandson (which means he has to talk in an annoying manner and has to be selfie-obsessed) about continuing his family's tradition of military service. The young man dismisses the idea of following tradition - a valid perspective - but then immediately undermines his own argument by citing the Kapoor acting dynasty's popularity. This clumsy comparison not only contradicts his anti-tradition stance but feels like a forced attempt to inject patriotism into the scene. Once again, we're left with Kher’s awkward struggle to blend storytelling with messaging.

'Tanvi The Great' Movie Review - The Performances

In this post-Sitaare Zameen Par era, questions of representation become unavoidable. Shubhangi Dutt demonstrates a clear commitment to her role, but her portrayal of autism is not entirely consistent. One particularly jarring scene sees her abruptly abandon childlike mannerisms to appear suddenly composed - a shift that exposes the film's lack of directorial vision for the character's development while also romanticising her autism.

That said, when measured against the low bar set by Aamir Khan's performances in Dhoom 3 and Laal Singh Chaddha (able-bodied actors playing neurodivergent characters), one might argue Ms Dutt has delivered a relatively commendable performance.

Anupam Kher proves more compelling as an actor than a filmmaker here, particularly during the emotionally charged interview scene. Arvind Swami delivers the standout supporting performance, bringing both gravitas and authenticity to his role. The ensemble cast - including Pallavi Joshi, Boman Irani, Jackie Shroff, Karan Tacker and Nasser - all turn in competent performances.

However, Game of Thrones' Iain Glen feels underutilised as the head of Vidya's New York programme; his role proves largely inconsequential, a problem compounded by the awkward Hindi dubbing over his original English dialogue in the version I viewed.

MM Keeravani’s score lends the film a soothing quality even if it doesn’t elevate the script.

'Tanvi The Great' Movie Review - Final Thoughts

At its core, Tanvi The Great is a well-intentioned film that aims to uplift and inspire - but it's weighed down by a heavy hand, jarring tonal shifts, and filmmaking that never quite rises to the promise of its premise. Anupam Kher has his heart in the right place, but the execution lacks finesse and emotional honesty. What could have been a stirring underdog tale is lost in syrupy sentiment, weak scripting, and dramatic choices that feel more manipulative than moving. Tanvi might be great, but she deserves a film that doesn't so much grate.

(The opinions expressed in the above article are of the author and do not reflect the stand or position of LatestLY.)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 18, 2025 09:01 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).