Three minutes into the opening of the ticket bookings at the Jio MAMI Film Festival 2023, writer-lyricist-actor-comedian cum filmmaker Varun Grover’s All India Rank movie tickets were sold out. Touched by the public response, Varun says, “I hope that the film gives people a sense of calm and clarity about their life choices. And I also hope they enjoy it.”
The film is a semi-autobiography set in the 1990s. It tells the story of a 17-year-old Vivek who is sent away from home to prepare for the highly competitive IIT entrance exams. The pre-mobile era is certainly captivating. It gives tribute to the state of indecisiveness by displaying the world of an adolescent driven by love, confusion, joy, and doubt mixed with the constant battle between ambition and mediocrity.
Varun says, “It is at that age when the entire world pretty much becomes your parent if not your own. Expecting a child to make a life decision at the age of 17 is a bit unrealistic. It is fun and okay not to have any plans, be uncertain, and slowly discover the world.” Fear of uncertainty and the unknown is always a great push for creativity. And Varun is no exception. “I like that and feel comfortable being unsure and having self-doubt. It is a great fuel for the mind and heart,” he adds.
The original idea of the film was not about “competitive exams” or “peer pressure” at that age. “It was about the confusion at that age and how it is okay to live with all that confusion,” adds the national award-winning lyricist. The film offers a nostalgic journey to the 1990s with meticulous design by Prachi Deshpande.
