Aug 12, 2016 06:56 PM
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Yet another movie based on true events and Akshay Kumar starring in all his glory. Well, the trailers, shout outs, teasers and everything else used for promotion definitely fuelled to know about this case. Director Tinu Suresh Desai has managed to bring this judicial-changing movie with little more conspiracy and less facts.
Rustom is based on a court case fought in 1959 K. M. Nanavati vs State of Maharashtra. The true story is about Naval Commander Kawas Manekshaw Nanavati, belonging to straight class of developing country, who surrenders to police after firing three bullets at his wife’s lover Prem Ahuja.
This movie is spin-off to that case, with Rustom Pavri(Akshay Kumar) a doting husband, Naval Commander, who would never leave his wife Cynthia’s side(Ileana D’Cruz), but only for sake of his duty to return to his first maiden, the ocean. Fortunately, or surprisingly his duty ends a little earlier and he is back onshore. Trailing towards his home eagerly to see his wife, he is met with a more surprising event, love of his life in the arms of Casanova hot-headed millionaire Vikram Makhija(Arjan Bajwa). He takes his service revolver and fires three bullets at his heart, resulting in his death. After surrendering to police and confessing his crime, he begins to fight his own case and pleads non-guilty. Rest of the court drama and twists makes the rest of the story.
This case was the one that actually shifted the judicial system in turmoil and made the jury decision as a void. The man who confessed to be guilty of his crime was released without any scar of humiliation. This made Indian system that can this be possible, if being act under the human emotions and not according to stringent laws, which then fail to be effective anyway.
Director Tinu Desai’s character reveal themselves very obviously, heartbroken navy man, his cheating wife, hot-headed lover, his sister(Esha Gupta), sympathetic officers, blazing media and confused jury. The first half of the movie is literally taking time to build the plot around and making some sense as to what is going to happen, its pace is slow. Rustom is rarely seen in the first half and his presence is fulfilled during the later half, where the movie definitely gets gripping.
This movie is more about relationship drama than it is actually a thriller. Desai take his time courtroom drama that fills the later 80 minutes of the movie. The cross examination is stitched into the script, which definitely kept me glued on my seat.
What this movie lack is that, actually, not lack, it tries to over-compensate. True life events cannot be manipulated with more facts than they already have. The writer Vipul Rawal and director has added more conspiracy to the state-of-factly event. What makes is even more incorrigible, the poor work of CGI used to bring out the 60s era. Even the language used by some of the actors truly made me doubt if we are sticking to the old times or have we travelled back to present.
Akshay Kumar has been made for this role and one can definitely see he has zoned down a notch or two after his Airlift or Baby performance, more of a Special 26 effect. This really gives fine hues to the character of Rustom, sharp, deceptive and secret. Most of the movie is planned around his helm and that’s a good strategy as he knows how to keep the tempo moving.
Ilean D’Cruz plays a dotting wife, sniffles here and there and accomplishes her role with justice. Esha Gupta shares little time on the screen and still manages to play the bitchy sister of Vikram with her low-cut outfits, and managing to hold the cigarette and smoke! Arjan Bajwa has nothing noticing, just his hideous bathrobes borrowed from 50s villain, he needs to step up his game.
If you have not read about this case and want to know more, then movie is in for that thirst. Akshay Kumar definitely works his magic on screen, if it wasn’t for him, this boat with sink without even a flare of SOS.
