The trailer for Akshay Kumar-starrer Mission Mangal is out, and let’s just say it doesn’t beat around the bush. A ‘based-on-true-events’ story around the lives of five women who played a significant role in ISRO’s Mangalyaan mission, is carefully laid under the umbrella of Akshay Kumar’s stardom. And it’s most apparent in the way Kumar announces ‘Duniya se kaho, COPY THAT!’ towards the end of the trailer. Never mind that he’s playing an ISRO scientist, he is a hero who needs his dhamaakedar punchline.
Interestingly, Kumar co-stars with Vidya Balan – an actor who has shouldered 100-crore films on her own, who plays a scientist too. However, when it comes to demonstrating a simple scientific concept by frying puris, it will be Kumar who does the ‘explaining’ while Balan plays second fiddle by frying the puris. Taapsee Pannu, Sonakshi Sinha, Nithya Menen and Kirti Kulhari might be all competent actors in their own right, but they need the man-saviour to do all the heavy-lifting.
The Mission Mangal trailer is reminiscent of the Hollywood film, Hidden Figures, that also followed the journey of three African-American women and their invaluable contribution to America’s space-race with the Soviet Union in the early ’60s. Even that film, which (to a large extent) sugar-coated its racial commentary, seemed far more sincere and genuine about leaving the centre-stage to the three women. In Mission Mangal, the stage strictly belongs to Akshay Kumar.
It’s still quite early to judge the film by its trailer alone. But all we’re trying to say is – don’t be surprised if the film cuts to black with Akshay Kumar chanting ‘Vande Mataram’ and all the five women becoming silhouettes. It’s Independence Day after all.
Watch the Mission Mangal trailer here:
Bonus fact: the film’s been written by Sajid-Farhad, whose primary collaborators include Sajid Khan, David Dhawan and Rohit Shetty. So… that explains it?
