Aug 12, 2016 04:32 PM
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One of the landmark legal cases of India has to be the Nanavati Case. Several years ago, a film based on this sensational incident was made called Yeh Rastey Hain Pyar Ke(1963) but after that, hardly any film has even touched this case. Pooja Bhatt announced Love Affair but it’s been more than year and the film has still not gone on floors. Neeraj Pandey and Tinu Desai finally take the initiative and come up with Rustom. Viewers expecting a realistic fare would be in for a disappointment as the film is quite filmy and dramatic. But these are also the reasons why the film works big time!
The story of the movie: The year is 1959. Commander Rustom Pavri(Akshay Kumar) is back home in Bombay from his six month duty almost a week in advance. His plans to surprise his wife Cynthia(Ileana DCruz) goes awry when he realizes that she is having an affair with the millionaire Vikram Makhija(Arjan Bajwa). Rustom kills Vikram and then even surrenders. What seems like an open and shut case turns into something else altogether. Vikram’s sister Priti(Esha Gupta) wants to see Rustom hanged while Cynthia, apologetic about what she did, is ready to go to any length to save him.
Rustom is almost 150 minutes long but is very engaging. Not much time is wasted in establishing the setting and the characters. The courtroom drama takes it’s time to unveil however. But even before that, there’s enough happening in the movie to keep one engrossed. The interesting bit is how people come out to support Rustom or Vikram because they belonged to their community. The track of Erach Billimoria(Kumud Mishra) is very interesting and explains how media can play a crucial role in shaping public opinion. The intermission point is super cool but the real fun begins when the proceedings begin. Its fun to see Rustom defending himself and exposing the lies of the witness. The best portion has to be when Jamnabai(Usha Nadkarni) stands in the witness box and creates madness! See it to believe it! The climax is fine but the film has it’s share of goofs. The entire navy angle could have been better and more convincing. The VFX in some scenes is good but in the rest, very tacky. The first half is nice but when seen in totality, it could have been shorter and more exciting especially when the film goes on a high in the second half.
Performance wise, this is not the best or one of the best performances of Akshay Kumar. He is fine but he has given far more powerful performances in the past(more recently in Airlift). Nevertheless, it’s a performance that will be loved, especially in the second half. And he looks so dapper in that uniform! Ileana DCruz is lovely and it’s a treat to see her on screen after a hiatus. Esha Gupta plays the baddie with panache. She looks super hot in some scenes. Arjan Bawja is rocking as the suave playboy. Usha Nadkarni rocks especially in the courtroom scene. Pavan Raj Malhotra(Vincent Lobo) gives a fine, restrained performance. Kumud Mishra is hilarious and also his character contributes a lot to the film. Anang Desai(judge) is terrific. After Jolly LLB, here’s another character of a judge that will be remembered. Sachin Khedekar(Khangani) leaves a huge mark. Parmeet Sethi, Kanwaljeet and others are fine.
Music makes a limited contribution to the film. The best is surely Rustom Vahi. Surender Sodhi’s background score enhances impact. Priya Suhas’ production design is convincing enough. Ameira Punvani’s costumes have the 50s feel especially the ones worn by Ileana and Esha. Santosh Thundiiayil’s cinematography is fair. Vikram K Rawal’s story is very exciting and inspired from a true story. Screenplay is damn good but could have been better especially in the navy scenes in the second half. Dialogues are simple and sharp. Tinu Suresh Desai’s direction is quite good. This is quite a filmy fare and hence one should not expect realism as such. Even then, the film has its moments that will be loved by even those who like realistic fare. He holds the attention which is a feat since the film is devoid of action and grandness. It could have been better but a fine effort!
Some of the best scenes:
The intro
Rustom reads the letters of Vikram
Rustom kills Vikram
Rustom meets Cynthia in the jail
All scenes of Billimoria
The intermission point
Rustom investigates Rosy and the butler of Vikram
Jamnabai in the witness box
The climax
On the whole, Rustom is a highly entertaining saga. It’s quite filmy and has its unconvincing moments. But it entertains a lot and the courtroom scenes are quite exciting. Akshay Kumar is decent while the supporting actors do a very good job. At the box office, it can work despite competition from Mohenjo Daro thanks to such a great script, reasonable costs and the extended weekend. Go for it and get enlightened about a sensational case that rocked our country in the late 50s!
My rating - 3.5/5!
