Sanchita
The Vaccine War Movie Review; Read FULL –
Rating: 3.5/5
Director: Vivek Agnihotri
Cast: Nana Patekar, Pallavi Joshi, Raima Sen, Girija Oak, Nivedita Bhattacharya
Runtime: 2h 41m
Storyline:
The Vaccine War is inspired by true events and is based on the book ‘Going Viral’ by Balram Bhargava, who was the former Director General – Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
The movie follows the journey of the ICMR members as they struggle hard to deal with the pandemic and race against time to create India’s indigenous COVID-19 vaccine ‘Covaxin’.
It establishes the chain of events that followed the outbreak of the virus and even alludes to the possibility of a conspiracy of biological warfare. The first half focuses on the scientists’ tireless struggles and sacrifices in making the Covaxin, while the latter focuses on the role of the media in shaping and skewing the narrative and the info war.
The Vaccine War Movie Review:
The Vaccine War is an important and must-watch film – highlighting the resilience, perseverance and innovation of India’s scientific community.
It is technically very sound – the makers don’t dumb down the jargon but nor do they make it so dense as to be incomprehensible. The medical drama is immaculate and engaging albeit quite tiresome in length. The challenges faced by the scientists make for some riveting, poignant scenes.
The Vaccine War Movie Review:
But when it tries to draw attention to the political issues and the role of media in creating panic and suspicion about the Indian vaccine – it is where the film starts feeling ham-handed and insincere, and a tad bit too preachy.
Nana Patekar has an arresting screen presence as the authoritative, hyper-competent Balram. He does not miss a beat and delivers an effective performance. Girija Oak and Nivideta Bhattacharya also win you over with their utterly earnest and sincere acting. Anupam Kher has a limited role but the veteran actor still manages to leave his mark.
Raima Sen gives a menacing performance as the nefarious journalist in cahoots with the international pharma lobbies. While the way the role is written may be unsubtle and in-your-face, Raima completely owns the character and is unabashed in her portrayal.
Hit Or Miss:
It is an important movie that deserves to be watched on the big screen. A tribute to the resilient spirit of India.
(Also Read: Fukrey 3 Movie Review)
