Veteran actor Anupam Kher’s latest directorial venture, Tanvi the Great, hit the theatres today, July 18, 2025, after receiving a 7-minute standing ovation at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. This film marks Kher’s return to the director’s chair after two decades, with a soulful story of a neurodivergent protagonist. It also marks the acting debut of Shubhangi Dutt, who plays the titular character, ‘Tanvi’, a 21-year-old autistic woman who dreams of saluting the national flag at Siachen Glacier one day.
While the premise is intriguing and the film tackles an important subject, does Tanvi the Great ultimately manage to leave a lasting impact? Well, the answer is both ‘Yes’ and ‘No’!
Tanvi the Great: A daughter chasing her father’s unfulfilled dream
Tanvi The Great follows ‘Tanvi’ (Shubhangi Dutt), a 21-year-old autistic girl raised by her mother, ‘Vidya’ (Pallavi Joshi), and grandfather, ‘Colonel Raina’ (Anupam Kher). After her father, ‘Capt. Samar Raina’ (Karan Tacker), loses his life to a mine blast, ‘Tanvi’ discovers his one unfulfilled dream: to salute the national flag of Siachen. And thus begins her quest to make the dream come true as she gradually navigates the lands to reach her destination. Along the way, ‘Tanvi’ receives support from ‘Brigadier Joshi’ (Jackie Shroff) and others, facing internal and external hurdles due to her neurodivergent condition.
