Mission Mangal
A film about India's first Mars mission.
Mission Mangal is a 2019 Indian drama film directed by Jagan Shakti and produced by Fox Star Studios, Cape of Good Films, Hope Productions, Aruna Bhatia and Anil Naidu. Loosely based on the lives of scientists at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) who contributed to India's first interplanetary expedition, the Mars Orbiter Mission, the film features an ensemble cast including Akshay Kumar, Vidya Balan, Sonakshi Sinha, Taapsee Pannu, Nithya Menen, Kirti Kulhari, and Sharman Joshi. It was theatrically released on 15 August 2019, India's Independence Day, and became a major commercial success.
- Release date
- 15 August 2019
- Director
- Jagan Shakti
- Producers
- Fox Star Studios, Cape of Good Films, Hope Productions, Aruna Bhatia, Anil Naidu
- Lead cast
- Akshay Kumar, Vidya Balan, Sonakshi Sinha, Taapsee Pannu, Nithya Menen, Kirti Kulhari, Sharman Joshi
- Box office
- ₹291.59 crore worldwide
- Genre
- Drama
- Language
- Hindi
Lore & Background
The film's plot follows scientists at ISRO after the failed launch of GSLV-F06 on 25 December 2010. Project Director Tara Shinde (Vidya Balan) makes a miscalculation, and fellow scientist Rakesh Dhawan (Akshay Kumar) takes the blame, leading to both being assigned to the Mars Orbiter Mission. The mission is considered impossible due to its tight budget and the limitations of the PSLV rocket, which has a payload of only 1500 kg (the actual PSLV-XL variant used for MOM has a payload capacity of about 1,800 kg to LEO, and the spacecraft mass was 1,337 kg). Tara gets an idea for using minimal fuel after a domestic incident involving puris and a gas shortage. A junior team of scientists, each with personal struggles, is assigned to them. The team overcomes budget cuts, personal challenges, and technical setbacks, ultimately launching the satellite on 5 November 2013. After a 298-day transit, the Mars Orbiter Mission is inserted into Mars orbit on 24 September 2014, making India the fourth country to do so and the first to succeed on its first attempt.
Reader's Guide
Mission Mangal is significant as a mainstream Indian film that dramatizes a landmark achievement in the country's space program. It brought the story of the Mars Orbiter Mission to a wide audience, highlighting the challenges faced by ISRO scientists, including budget constraints and personal sacrifices. The film received positive reviews from critics and was a major commercial success, earning ₹291.59 crore worldwide. At the 65th Filmfare Awards, it received six nominations, including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actress. The film's release on India's Independence Day tied its narrative of national pride to a patriotic context. While loosely based on real events, it served to popularize the scientific and engineering efforts behind India's first interplanetary mission, inspiring public interest in space exploration. Its legacy includes being a notable example of a science-themed commercial film in Indian cinema.
Did You Know?
- The film was announced on 5 November 2018, coinciding with the 2013 launch date of the Mars Orbiter Mission.
- Principal photography began in mid-November 2018.
- A copyright infringement lawsuit was filed against the film's makers by filmmaker Radha Bharadwaj in November 2018.
- The film features a special appearance by Narendra Modi using archive footage.
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