Rustam [2016]
Rustom is inspired by the sensational Nanawati Murder Case that shocked the nation in 1959 & put an abrupt & much needed end to the age old Jury System in India.
Directed by: Tinu Desai
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Illeana D'cruz ,Sachin Khedekar, Pawan Malhotra, Kumud Mishra, Arjan Bajwa, Esha Gupta, Usha Nadkarni, Kanwaljeet Singh, Parmeet Sethi, Brijendra Kala, Anang Desai
Circa 1959, a Senior Naval Officer [Akshay Kumar] brutally murders his wife's alleged lover a high society Playboy. The entire movie chronicles the Officer's legal tussle to prove his innocence & the widespread media coverage that the controversial murder case gains which fuels a more aggressive court room drama.
Director Tinu Desai has managed to create a gripping and interesting storyline in Rustom wherein the court room drama manages to keep the audience interested and involved in the proceedings, but beyond a point it does appear one dimensional and solo tracked with majority of the happenings in the court. With audience at large hungry for entertainment it's possible the masala factor is somewhere missing in the director's shots.
Akshay Kumar in the titular role of Rustom delivers an earnest and impressive performance as the cool headed & intriguing Naval Officer, his acting finesse is well utilised in the court scenes where he is questioning the witnesses. Illeana D'cruz looks like a decorative Barbie Doll & the resemblance is scary as she looks plastic too & her act is disappointing specially in emotional scenes.
One performance that stands out in Rustom is Kumud Mishra's as a fellow Sindhi Newspaper Editor who adds humour to a tense and serious plot. Arjan Bajwa fits the bill as the elite Playboy & Esha Gupta fails to impress inspite of her gorgeous looks & generous cleavage display. The director's portrayal of the public prosecutor [ Khedekar] as a caricature amateurish idiot is extremely disappointing, he is made to appear like a Jester amusing the court.
The music of Rustom by Amit Trivedi/ Arko/ Jeet Ganguly is just about fine with two tracks that sound fresh & appealing including the Title Track "Rustom" & the intoxicating romantic "Tere Bin Yaara" sung by Atif Aslam in his inimitable soothing voice.
Rustom is neither a Thriller nor a revenge drama, it falls in the rare category of a court room drama. The controversial Nanawati Murder Case was adapted twice prior to Rustom, as Yeh Raaste Hain Pyar Ke [1963] with Sunil Dutt & Achanak [1971] with Vinod Khanna. This is a third attempt and to give due credit to the Director it is definitely a good attempt.
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