Mission Mangal trailer: Akshay Kumar, Vidya Balan, Sonakshi Sinha, Taapsee Pannu lead this inspiring story

The trailer of the highly-anticipated space drama Mission Mangal was released on Thursday. It is a retelling of India’s first ever mission to Mars, starring Taapsee Pannu, Vidya Balan, Sonakshi Sinha, Nithya Menen, Kirti Kulhari with Akshay Kumar, HG Dattatreya and Sharman Joshi.

Kumar plays scientist Rakesh Dhawan, who, along with Balan’s Tara Shinde, assembles a team of scientists from different backgrounds to send a satellite to Mars. Despite facing skepticism from their higher-ups and lack of funding, they manage to successfully execute the mission. “Aaj tak duniya mei aisa koi desh nahi hai jo pehli hi koshish mei Mars t_ak pohonch paya_ (There is no country in the world that has reached Mars in its first attempt),” he can be seen telling his senior in the trailer.

Balan, in an Instagram post, revealed the duties each character will be carrying out in the team.

The film is directed by Jagan Shakti, and produced by Cape of Good Films and Fox Star Studios. R Balki, who directed Kumar in Padman, is also a producer on Mission Mangal.

While talking about the female-dominated cast, Akshay had said  to Press Trust of India they are the real heroes of Mission Mangal, “The script demands them to be ahead. They are the real heroes. I am supposed to be behind them even though I am producing it. I am very happy to see these five girls, who are very big in their own way, and are not bothered that there are five of them in the film, come together.”

Mission Mangal is scheduled to release on 15 August and will clash with John Abraham’s Batla House.

Watch the trailer here.