Educator, author and philanthropist Sudha Murty hailed The Vaccine War directed by Vivek Agnihotri. Agnihotri and his wife Pallavi Joshi hosted the wife of billionaire Narayana Murthy for a special screening.
The director shared a video of Sudha Murty, where she can be heard saying, “I understand the role of a woman because she is a mother, she is a wife, and she is also a career person. It is very hard to balance your family and your work. But some people are fortunate. In my case, my parents stayed upstairs, and I stayed downstairs, which is why I could do better. And all these women (in The Vaccine War) did not have that,”
“Behind every successful woman, there is an understanding man, otherwise she cannot do it,” she added.
She also said, “For a common person, they will not understand what is Covaxin, but this movie really shows the effort and the selfless work that all scientists did so that we all can live in a democratic India, happily and healthily. That is a very important message, I realised."
She further said that with the film, Vivek Agnihotri has shown that 'the real wealth is in your confidence'. She also asked Indians to 'unleash their potential'; "Be proud that you are Indian. Be proud that you are Bhartiya."
“Many people say, 'We can't do'. But we can do (pointing to the film's poster). Not only in the medical field but in any field. You should believe in yourself – the beauty in not in the dress or the money or the makeup. Your beauty is in your courage, in your confidence…” Murty went on.
'The Vaccine War' is based on the true story of how Dr Balram Bhargava, the Former Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research in partnership with Bharat Biotech developed the vaccine to fight Covid-19. In the movie, Nana Patekar plays the role of Dr Balram and Pallavi Joshi plays his second-in-command. The movie also stars Anupam Kher and Raima Sen.
Vivek Agnihotri has been criticised for making films that push contentious narratives like The Tashkent Files (2019) and The Kashmir Files (2022).