Hrithik Roshan backs 'Pushtaini', Vinod Rawat's bold cinematic debut shot amid lockdown challenges

Bollywood superstar Hrithik Roshan is stepping into a new role as the presenter for "Pushtaini" ("Ancestral"), the feature directorial debut of his acting coach, Vinod Rawat.

Vinod Rawat, known for co-directing the Emmy-nominated Disney+ Hotstar series “Aarya,” has been Hrithik's acting coach since the 2017 film “Kaabil.” In "Pushtaini," Rawat plays Bhuppi, a struggling actor caught in a scandal who returns home to face his past. As he journeys through the mountains, he encounters various strangers, embarking on adventures that change his life.

Hrithik shared a heartfelt post about the film’s journey on social media, saying, 

When @vinraw first spoke to me of 'PUSHTAINI' I couldn’t quite imagine or visualise the film. I remember thinking this is a great germ of an idea but it seemed absurd to me that he would give up everything and put all his finances into executing it. We were in the middle of the lockdown, Vinod told me he’d be shooting the project in his native Uttarakhand, that he would also be directing and acting in the film and as he had little to no funds, his family would be playing all the other characters, I was sure this was going to be an experimental home video at best. Worried, I asked him if I could support him in any way but he seemed clear he wanted to do this himself.

Months passed and I heard Covid had halted the film and he was down to his last Rs. 15,000. But Vinod was determined and said he would continue making the film and if anything went wrong, he would take that as his destiny and stop the project. And then one day just like that he came to me with a complete film. I honestly didn’t know what to expect as I went in to watch but to my utmost surprise and delight the film made me laugh, it made me cry and I came away absolutely awestruck with what this man had achieved singlehandedly, without any help whatsoever. PUSHTAINI had a heart and it had won mine.

I have known Vinod to be an excellent coach but he truly surprised me as an Actor, Director and Producer. How he overcame all his limitations and created this magic was unbelievable to me. I came out inspired and reaffirmed that if you really want to create something, the universe conspires in the most beautiful ways to make it happen. Pushtaini is a testament to this belief and It is a joy for me to able to be a small part of this journey. The past year has been one of incredible achievement for Indian independent cinema at the world stage. My hope is Vinod’s journey will inspire us all to do all we can to support independent filmmakers in the country and create more space for new alternate voices to be heard. With that thought, Its my absolute honour to present the trailer of #Pushtaini, releasing in cinemas on June 21, 2024 ??

"Pushtaini" also features a cameo by Rajkummar Rao. The film, co-written by Rawat and Rita Heer, includes performances by non-professional actors, including members of Rawat’s family. It premiered at the 2023 Mumbai Film Festival and is produced by Lotus Dust Pictures and Rawat’s VinRaw Films.