Movie Review: Rustom

‘Rustom’, based on an important and interesting court case in 1959- naval officer K. M. Nanavati versus State of Maharashtra could have been a great watch only if it was well directed. But Tinu Suresh Desai who gave us that damp squib ‘1920: London’ earlier this year repeats some similar blunders here. The background score jars just like in his first outing. It’s melodramatic at times and unnecessarily loud. A little subtlety could have left a better impact especially because there was ample scope to make a taut thriller.

Akshay Kumar plays Commander Rustom Pavri, a betrayed husband who shoots his wife’s lover and surrenders himself to the police. What follows is a much hyped court case and the public wants him free. But ‘Rustom’ is not just about a relationship gone awry; there is a twist. The movie begins with the murder and it seems good till you realize nothing much is happening. It does pick up post-interval and manages to keep you engrossed till the end. Were the three shots pre-planned or was it just self-defence? You look forward to know. The court scenes are fun to watch and there is some humour which doesn’t make it boring.

The only thing Parsi about the lead actor and star here is the name- Rustom. Akshay Kumar isn’t very convincing as a Parsi but even then, he comes up with a restrained and watchable performance.
Ileana D’Cruz has nothing much to do here except sob and feel guilty. Esha Gupta snarls and smokes but has hardly two expressions. Arjan Bajwa is okay in a small role. The supporting cast is good.

Co-produced by Neeraj Pandey, ‘Rustom’ is not half as good ‘Special 26’ and ‘Baby’- movies that began exploring Akshay Kumar’s calibre as an actor. It’s somewhere between ‘Airlift’ and ‘Holiday’.

Even then, this is worth a watch for sure and a decent one at that. I was never bored. Just one question- Why did the hero have to wear his navy uniform all the time even when in prison and how come it was always spick and span?

• About the Author

About Abhirup Dhar

I don't watch movies... I live them! Let me introduce myself. Abhirup Dhar was born in Kolkata and is still being brought up in India. A banker by profession, he is filmy to the core and is passionate about reviewing movies and writing. He likes to live on his own… he likes to be blunt, sarcastic, famous, infamous, confident, over-confident, moody at times… he likes to be himself. He is imperfect because perfection is boring. His love for movies dates back to his childhood days when he studied in a boarding school. A three-month Winter Vacation every year… and he made sure he watched as many movies then. Parents thought it was a phase... he knew it was Passion and he knew it back then itself. The craziness to watch movies on the Big Screen began during the last two years of school when he literally bunked to town so that he could catch up with the new Hindi Movie releases. Some thought he was plain crazy. He confirmed it was Passion... yet again. The hard fact is that not always can you walk a path you are passionate about. You have expectations to fulfill and Life to be made. But Life gives you chances and you have to grab them. So... here is he... your friendly critic who will be giving you his Verdict every week so that you can decide which release is worth your moolah and which is not! See you at the Movies! Stay connected at Facebook and Twitter!