Anupam Kher To NDTV: "Tanvi The Great Is My Autistic Niece's Story"

Veteran actor Anupam Kher is returning to direction with Tanvi The Great, 23 years after his directorial debut Om Jai Jagadish. Starring debutante Shubhangi Dutt in the titular role, the Hindi film is slated to be released in theatres on Friday (July 18).

In an interview with NDTV, Anupam Kher shared Tanvi The Great is a personal story as it draws inspiration from his maternal niece named Tanvi who has autism.

"This is a personal story. Tanvi is my maternal niece who is autistic. I was once here in Gurugram to attend my cousin's wedding. Tanvi was 13 at the time. People were singing and dancing, they were having a lot of fun.

"But Tanvi was standing all alone and looking at a mountain. I asked her, 'Tanvi, what are you doing?' And she said, 'I'm looking at my world'. That was a very heavy statement. I didn't understand what her world was or maybe she wasn't able to make me understand what she was trying to say. That's how the seed of the story took root," the actor-filmmaker said.

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Anupam Kher, who has co-written the film along with Ankur Suman and Abhishek Dixit, said Tanvi The Great is an entertaining film with great music.

"We don't have tears in our eyes when we watch the film... It's not the tragic story of an autistic girl but because through her we get to witness goodness, honesty, and joy," he added.

The film, produced by Anupam Kher Studios in collaboration with the National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC), has music by Oscar winner MM Keeravaani and lyrics by Kausar Munir.

Tanvi The Great also stars Anupam Kher, Boman Irani, Jackie Shroff, Arvind Swami, Pallavi Joshi, Karan Tacker, Nassar, and Iain Glen of Game of Thrones fame.

Also Read | Anupam Kher To NDTV On Diljit Dosanjh: "Can't See My Sister's Sindoor Destroyed For Art, I'm Not That Great"