Actor Hrithik Roshan on Monday dropped the first trailer of his acting coach Vinod Rawat’s debut feature film Pushtaini, recalling how he was fascinated by the idea when Vinod first narrated the story to him.

Sharing the trailer on Instagram, Hrithik recollected how he could not initially visualise the film, though he was fascinated with its narrative.

“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,” wrote Hrithik on Monday as he went on to applaud Vinod’s perseverance, determination and dedication in the face of all challenges.

The Fighter actor recalled that Vinod was on the brink of bankruptcy during the COVID-19 pandemic when he started filming the movie in his hometown in Uttarakhand, determined to finish it despite having only Rs 15,000 left. Due to financial constraints, he took on the roles of director, actor, and producer, with his family members playing various characters in the film.

“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,” added Hrithik.

The 50-year-old actor was astonished when Vinod came to him with the finished film. Hrithik also revealed that watching Pushtaini had been an overwhelming experience for him. “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 single-handedly, without any help whatsoever. Pushtaini had a heart and it had won mine,” he recounted.

“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,” wrote Hrithik, expressing his belief in Pushtaini’s powerful storyline and Vinod’s inspirational journey to leave an indelible mark in the field of independent cinema.

“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 be able to be a small part of this journey. The past year has been one of incredible achievements 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,” the actor signed off.

Vinod plays Buppi, a struggling actor, in Pushtaini. The trailer also features Rajkummar Rao.

Presented by Hrithik, Pushtaini is slated to arrive in cinemas on June 21.