'Mano Ya Na Mano' Movie Review: Hiten Tejwani & Rajiv Thakur shine in Yogesh Pagare's fast-paced & engrossing sci-fi drama

Star cast: Hiten Tejwani, Rajiv Thakur, Shikhaa Malhotra, Nihar Thakkar, Pournima Navani, Hansi Shrivastava, Sanjeev Shuba Srikar

Director: Yogesh Pagare

In a world obsessed with proof, Mano Ya Na Mano – Anything Is Possible dares to ask a simple yet unsettling question: What if someone told you they have been alive for 14,000 years? The film opens at a casual house gathering, where friends meet to celebrate history professor Manav Kumar’s (Hiten Tejwani) farewell and Vansh Mehta’s (Rajiv Thakur) birthday. Laughter, music, and conversations fill the room — until Manav reveals a truth (or myth?) that flips the evening upside down: He claims he stopped ageing at 40 and has lived on Earth for 14,000 years.

Shock. Disbelief. Nervous laughter.

Is Manav joking? Is he hallucinating? Or is he really an eternal wanderer — a “Chiranjeevi” who has seen centuries unfold? The film thrives on this question, letting tension build through debates, emotions, and logic-driven arguments. Instead of loud drama, the film delivers intellectual thrill, proving that sometimes a conversation can be more gripping than any action sequence.

Hiten Tejwani is the anchor of the film — calm, controlled, and emotionally layered. His performance is compelling enough to make you question Manav’s truth. Rajiv Thakur surprises with a nuanced and grounded performance, showing that he is equally skilled in intense roles. The supporting cast — Hansi Shrivastava, Pournima Navani, Nihar Thakkar, and Shikhaa Malhotra — adds charm and authenticity. Shikhaa’s innocent screen presence softens the film’s heavy philosophical beats.

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Director Yogesh Pagare deserves special applause. Though officially adapted from the Hollywood cult classic The Man from Earth, Yogesh reshapes the narrative to resonate with Indian emotions and sensibilities. Making an entire film in one single location is a bold move, but what’s bolder is keeping the audience engaged purely through dialogues, performances, and silence. The writing is crisp, the conversations are sharp, and the film never loses pace despite its minimalist setup.

With a runtime of just 1 hour and 11 minutes, Mano Ya Na Mano – Anything Is Possible proves that you don’t need large sets or extravagant effects to create impact — sometimes, all it takes is a room, a story that challenges belief, and actors who can hold that tension.

In the end, Director Yogesh Pagare sets a new benchmark for one-location filmmaking — extracting some of the finest performances from his cast and turning an unbelievable concept into an entertaining, thought-provoking cinematic experience. He is undeniably the winner here — making the impossible feel believable.

Rating: 3 (out of 5 stars)

Mano Ya Na Mano is playing in cinemas