India’s first space film Mission Mangal has received a unanimous thumbs up from the Indian media. The film that is based on India’s first interplanetary mission – the Mars Orbiter Mission – has opened to glowing reviews, with film buffs branding the film as the best film of 2019, with some critics even calling it Akshay Kumar’s best film to date! The film has received rave reviews for the incredible performances by the entire cast and the brilliant direction by debutant Jagan Shakti. The climax of the film has found a special mention with the gripping screenplay grabbing eyeballs. Some critics have even predicted that the film has the potential to be Akshay Kumar’s highest grossing film so far. The film has patriotic undertones as it narrates a tale of ordinary people doing extraordinary things making the nation proud.

After tales of heroism that were untold such as in films ‘Airlift’, ‘Rustom’ and ‘Kesari’, extending his fem-force messaging in films such as ‘Toilet Ek Prem Katha’ and ‘Pad Man’, in ‘Mission Mangal‘, Akshay Kumar celebrates the power of women scientist and their achievements.

Announcing the failed launch of GSLV-F06 on December 25, 2010, due to a small mistake by Project Director Tara Shinde, Rakesh Dhawan, a fellow scientist working with her, takes the blame for her, in the opening scene. As a result, he is relocated to work on Mangalyaan as punishment. The MoM (Mars Orbiter Mission) is thought of as an impossible mission by his coworkers due its aim of reaching Mars with its tight budget.

Vidya Balan, who is the Project Director is always bubbling with energy and ideas and she is the one to life up Akshay Kumar’s spirits with crazy ideas. Her motto is simply “Anything is possible.” The temporary scrapping of the then Chandrayan 2 mission takes Vidya Balan to experience a Eureka moment.   Mocked upon by their over-ambitious dreams, Akshay Kumar and Vidya Balan are assigned a team of juniors comprising rookie scientists Sonakshi Sinha, Taapsee Pannu and Nithya Menon.  The hardships faced by Akshay Kumar and his team and how they chose to overcome it is the crux of the story.

The MoM satellite is finally launched on PSLV on November 5, 2013, and is named Mangalyaan (Sanskrit: Mars-Craft) and is successfully inserted into Earth’s orbit. Scientist Rakesh Dhawan (Akshay Kumar) and his team celebrates the successful launch. After spending 298-day transit to Mars, MoM satellite is inserted into Mars orbit on 24 September 2014, making India the  4th country  in the world to do so and the first country to do it in the first attempt.

Akshay Kumar,  says that the film is the story of ISRO’s women scientists. The actor says, “Be it making a home or launching a successful space mission, women know it all! Celebrating the power of women scientists: #MissionMangal is their story!”

‘Mission Mangal’ is  an  inspiring tale of never giving up,  to dream big and achieve the impossible. The film has been directed by Jagan Shakti and produced by Fox Star Studios.