A war you didn’t know you fought. And won.|Sep. 28, 2023|India|160 Min.|Not Rated
Genre: Bollywood;Drama;Thriller
Description: The Vaccine War is a 2023 Indian Hindi-language medical docudrama directed by Vivek Agnihotri and produced by Pallavi Joshi. The film narrates the journey of Covaxin’s development during the COVID-19 pandemic in India, highlighting the contributions of the scientists involved in this crucial task. It is inspired by the book “Going Viral” written by Professor Balram Bhargava of the Indian Council of Medical Research.
The cast includes Nana Patekar, Pallavi Joshi, Raima Sen, Anupam Kher, Girija Oak, Nivedita Bhattacharya, Sapthami Gowda, and Mohan Kapur. The film premiered in theaters on September 28, 2023, and received mixed reviews from critics, ultimately struggling at the box office.
The narrative follows scientists at an Indian biomedical lab working tirelessly to develop a homegrown vaccine amid the ongoing pandemic. Dr. Balram Bhargava, the Director General of ICMR, leads the vaccine development initiative. A specialized committee is formed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, ICMR, and Bharat Biotech. The scientific team, which includes bioengineers and infectious disease experts, utilizes the SARS-CoV-2 strain retrieved from travelers in New Delhi to create the BBV152 vaccine. They complete a series of trials, demonstrating the vaccine’s efficacy in animal studies.
The film was heavily marketed as “India’s first bio-science film” and aimed to be released in multiple Indian languages, including Hindi, English, Bengali, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Punjabi, Malayalam, Gujarati, and Bhojpuri. The official trailer was unveiled on September 12, 2023, leading up to its theatrical release.
Cast director: Vivek Agnihotri
Cast actor: Nana Patekar, Pallavi Joshi, Sapthami Gowda, Raima Sen, Girija Oak, Mohan Kapur, Nivedita Bhattacharya, Anupam Kher, Aanchal Dwivedi, Arvind Paswan
Original name: The Vaccine War