From a Small Town in Haryana to Outer Space; National Geographic to Tell The Story of India’s Mega Icon: Astronaut Kalpana Chawla

For over 131 years, National Geographic has been bringing forth immersive and credible storytelling from the field of science, exploration, and adventure. Continuing with its rich legacy, the brand today announced Kalpana Chawla as one of the five icons to be featured in the new season of its unique format series - Mega Icons. The new season was unveiled amidst great fanfare at the 21st Jio Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image (MAMI) Mumbai Film Festival.

With a documentary exploring Kalpana’s formative years and legacy, National Geographic will pay homage to this Mega Icon who continues to inspire women and dreamers across the world. National Geographic in presence of Kalpana Chawla’s father organized an exclusive screening of the episode based on the Icon’s life journey, which will hit your TV screens soon. The screening, which was held at ECX PVR Andheri, witnessed the presence of Bollywood actress Taapsee Pannu, who interacted with Kalpana’s father Banarasi Lal Chawla about the Icon’s life journey.

Commenting on Kalpana’s episode, her father Banarasi Lal Chawla said, “Dedication, determination and courage were some of the many innate abilities that Kalpana possessed. Right from her childhood she was curious about the sky and had a dream of flying someday. I still remember the day when I first took her to a flying club and from there, her passion for flying grew only stronger. By the time she reached the 10th standard, she decided to follow a career in the field of Aeronautical Engineering. Today I am struggling with words to explain the wonderful feeling after watching the Mega Icons documentary on her life journey and all the love from the people who have gathered here. I can surely say that she is truly the nation’s daughter.”

Commenting more about the documentary, Pawan Soni, Head – Marketing & Programming, National Geographic India, said, “National Geographic has always been driven by the power of exploration and curiosity to unravel the lesser known stories of the world. Over the 131 years, National Geographic has showcased the many inspiring stories to our discerning viewers and is the perfect platform to bring justice to the story of Kalpana Chawla. Our efforts of giving viewers unprecedented access to personalities and places make our Mega Icons series unique and we are sure that the upcoming episode on Kalpana Chawla will be able to give viewers an incredible perspective into the Icon’s life”

Using cinematic recreations, along with intimate interviews with Kalpana’s parents and close ones, the episode will reveal the little-known facts about the formative years of the Mega Icon. The brand will share further information on Icons that are being featured in the second season of Mega Icons over the coming weeks.

Taapsee Pannu & Banarsi Lal Chawla

Taapsee Pannu & Banarsi Lal Chawla

Taapsee Pannu & Banarsi Lal Chawla

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Tags: Bollywood, Bollywood News, Bollywood Updates, Television, Telly News, National Geographic, Kalpana Chawla, Taapsee Pannu