Hrithik Roshan took to Instagram on Monday to share the trailer of the independent film, Pushtaini. He serves as the presenter of the film, which marks the directorial debut of acting coach Vinod Rawat, who also plays the lead role in it. Vinod has been the acting coach of Hrithik since Kaabil (2017) and has also directed some episodes of the web-series Aarya (2020).

The trailer gives a glimpse into the film where Vinod plays a struggling actor who feels he is not competent enough. He is caught in the middle of a scandal which changes things for him as he is forced to go back to his home and fetch money to resolve the issue. Travelling to the mountains, he connects to his roots as he meets strangers. The film also stars Rajkummar Rao in a cameo, playing himself.

Hrithik wrote a long note in his caption as he shared the trailer. He talked about the journey of Vinod in making the film on a shoestring budget. “When Vinod 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,” he said.

He added how he offered to help Vinod but he wanted to make it on his own. Hrithik said, “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.”

Hrithik also shared his experience of watching the film for the first time as it left him surprised. He said, “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.”

The film had its premiere at MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2023. It is produced by Vinod Rawat and Ankit Gandhi and will be released in theatres across India on June 21 by Shiladitya Bora’s Platoon Distribution.