2001 was a landmark year in Hindi cinema not only because of the pathbreaking films like Lagaan and Dil Chahta Hai, but it also marked the Hindi film debut of R. Madhavan in Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein. Like many others, I also began to admire him as an actor over the last two decades. After impressing us with some fantastic performances for so many years, our hearts fill with joy to watch the credit: Story-Screenplay-Dialogue&Direction R. Madhavan. The actor’s maiden venture, Rocketry – The Nambi Effect, as a writer-director is more like a passion project. He has gone all out to do justice in the most cinematic manner to the story that needs to be told.
Rocketry – The Nambi Effect is based on the life of the great space engineer Nambi Narayanan who was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India in 2019. Controversy surrounded him in 1994, making life hell for him and his family. This two-line description of the person is enough to tell us what to expect from the film. R. Madhavan goes a step ahead with conceptualising the film and ensures he does not miss out on emotions while telling the story. While proudly sharing the achievements of Mr Narayanan, R. Madhavan ensures the emotional core of the story is intact all the time. It helps the viewers connect with everything that is happening on the screen.
The manner in which we explore Mr Narayanan’s personality in the film shows us the amount of research done. The events from his life that the film focuses on may be few, but the character analysis done in the film is quite wholesome. We pretty much get to know all his traits in the film. He remains to be inspiring throughout, but the film never shies away from showing his flaws. We see Mr Narayanan as stubborn, selfish, ruthless and even heartless at one moment, along with always being confident, smart, passionate and finally vulnerable at the end of the film. Rocketry – The Nambi Effect depicts the personality of Mr Narayanan in the truest form and to the best possible capacity.
R. Madhavan takes a very simplistic approach to the screenplay of Rocketry – The Nambi Effect. Too many instances in the film where the screenplay becomes very predictable. Events like Mr Narayanan working on his thesis from the mentor’s house, correcting an error from the textbook, asking for equipment from the CEO of Rolls Royce for free, helping the French people with a hidden agenda etc are all written in an over simplified manner. The simple screenplay holds back the film from becoming extraordinary. I am glad there is sufficient drama in all these events, and the emotional quotient in them is also taken care of. It saves the writing from going out of hand.
Another thing in Rocketry – The Nambi Effect that bothered me a lot is the evident dubbing. I saw the Hindi version of the film and appreciated the portions that were shot in the language. The artist who dubbed Simran’s lines hasn’t done a good job at all. The voice isn’t in sync at all with the performance. More than half of the portion seems to be shot in English. Every line said by a non-Indian actor in the scene sounded like those decades-old badly dubbed English films which sound atrociously funny now. I couldn’t adjust myself to this aspect of the film at all. This bit was very off in the entire film.
R. Madhavan excellently carries the entire film on his solid shoulders as an actor. Since he helmed Rocketry – The Nambi Effect, he would have had a clear idea of how he would like to portray Mr Narayanan. He is highly effective throughout the film and very effortlessly shows how easily he has lived the character while performing it. The changing appearances, showing the growth of his character, are wonderful. Simran, in a rather short role, is delightful. I wish she had dubbed her Hindi lines in her own voice. Watching the legend Shah Rukh Khan on the big screen is an inexplicable joy. The emotions he brings in his performance make his appearance in this one truly special.
Rocketry – The Nambi Effect looks very good. I instantly fell in love with almost every outdoor location shown in the film, especially the foreign ones. Since the film is set in a particular era and includes technical visuals as well, there is quite a lot of VFX in it. All of it is neatly done, and not a single frame disturbs your eyes because of VFX/CGI. It is refreshing to hear just two songs composed for the entire film. The low number justifies the biopic genre of the film. The background score is also overall appropriate. Special mention to Rocketry Sri Venkatesha Suprabhatam. Listening to it at the beginning of the film feels like the right start to it.
Rocketry – The Nambi Effect is a good film that could have easily been a lot better. It’s an interesting tale of a person who falls prey to patriotism and is labelled as a traitor. The strong dose of emotion in the last half an hour helps us form a better final opinion of the film, but a quick recap of this hundred and fifty-seven minutes makes us repeat, that it is a good film that could have been better. Though the moment from the film that will stay with me the longest is the one where R. Madhavan and Simran are struggling to find an auto after exiting the clinic. After being thrown out of one auto, the top-angle shot shows both these helpless people and the Indian flag. This moment speaks volumes.
meri maaa, CINEMAAA 