As India readies itself for the marvel of Chandrayan 2, this Independence Day the country will relive the incredibly unbelievable story of how a team of Indian scientists cracked the country’s first-ever interplanetary mission in the Vidya Balan and Akshay Kumar starrer Mission Mangal that releases on Independence Day. Given the theme of courage, the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne will host the official Australian premiere of the film on Independence Day at HOYTS Chadstone in Melbourne which will incidentally be the first festival premiere for the film.
The sci-fi is a celebration of the indomitable human spirit, woman power and patriotic fervour, all rolled in one. Kumar, himself, has gone on record to call it the most moving film of his career. Loosely based on the story of the scientists at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), who contributed to the Mars Orbiter Mission in 2014, the film is making waves already before release. The stellar cast headlined by Kumar and Balan also stars Sonakshi Sinha, Nithya Menon, Taapsee Pannu and Sharman Joshi. Designed as a commercial potboiler, the film is an inspiring story that will resonate with the Indian audiences overseas.
The festival screening is expected to have a solid turnout of Indians looking for a special way to celebrate their I-day in a foreign land. It is unusual for a commercial film of this scale to premiere at a festival on the eve of its domestic release but IFFM was steadfast in their commitment to bringing heartwarming stories to the Australian audience.
Image Source: Instagram/akshaykumar