The creative team behind Chak De India has delivered another … well … another Chak De India, for lack of a better description ! A non-glamour movie, rooted in reality and earnest as hell – only to have an idealistic & highly improbable ending !!
The simplicity of the visuals is refreshing – the utter lack of polish and style that one associates with Yash Raj productions catches your attention from the word go. There is not a single song picturised in the movie – only a couple of background tracks that do not stand out or distract in anyway. There are two leading ladies but no romance – love is not what this movie is about. What you get in the movie is an inside view of a salesperson’s world - its intense competition, disregard for the consumer, focus on numbers and targets – and the dry humour. How an office party consists of music played on windows media player and whiskey mixed with water at the office water dispenser. And how a loose connection on the motherboard is labelled as a replacement and charged Rs 5,000.
(The story has already been splashed across everywhere – with almost the entire plot unravelled - which I believe was a big disservice to the movie)
Ranbir Kapoor plays Harpreet Singh Bedi, a fresh B.Com graduate with persuasive skills and no academic ambitions to speak of – he graduated with just 39% marks. But he knows whats good for him – sales - and soon bags a job at a computer manufacturing company AYS, as a trainee salesman.
However, the world of sales turns out quite different from his expectations and sticking to principles leads him to a lot of humiliation and ridicule.
How he perseveres in this world without letting go of his ideals is the story to watch
The salesteam leader Nitin gives a great field introduction to the new trainee. With a hint of Roadies’ Raghu in his appearance and a whiplashing tongue, he is played excellently by Naveen Kaushik. Similar praises have to be heaped on Prem Chopra as Harpreet’s doting grandfather and Gauhar Khan as the cynical but ambitious receptionist. Porn-watching tech-support D. Santosh rounds off the excellent cast. Their performance makes you neglect the slightly slow pace of the movie. Newcomer Shazahn Padamsee has almost no role to play though – comes across as a bit of an air-head.
But Ranbir Kapoor cannot be praised enough for his acting skills. While he has performed admirably in collegian and happy-go-lucky roles before, Rocket Singh shows that he is superlative and complete natural in front of the camera in all kind of roles. He is definitely the most exciting actor to have come out of Bollywood since Abhay Deol.
Director Jaideep Sahni continues on his excellent form from Chak De India – but cant deliver an ending as strong as the rest of the movie. Like Chak De India’s over-dramatic ending, Rocket Singh ends up with a over-idealistic climax – which is the setback in what is otherwise a superb movie. But even with this blemish, Rocket Singh is a highly recommended watch for its fresh approach, honest storytelling and superb acting all around.
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