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[Photo Credit: Facebook/Rustom]
Akshay Kumar takes a break from his usual comedy avatar in his latest release, “Rustom.” Directed by Tinu Suresh Desai, the movie is loosely based on the real-life incident of the iconic K.M. Nanavati vs. State of Maharashtra court case in 1959. Nanavati killed his wife’s lover Prem Abuja and his was the last case to be tried in a jury trial as the government abolished them soon after.
Kumar plays decorated Commander Rustom Pavri, husband to Cynthia Pavri (Ileana D’Cruz). In typical Bollywood style, their love story spans over five minutes of the beautiful opening song “Tere Sang Yaara.” You see their first meeting, their dates, their marriage, and even the beginning of their problems.
The long months Rustom spends on the ship has made Cynthia a lonely woman and she has an affair with their friend Vikram (Arjan Bajwa, “Fashion”). Upon returning home a week earlier than expected, Rustom discovers the affair and the next day, he shoots Vikram. The next day, he coolly surrenders himself to the police. However, when the case goes to trial, he pleads “not guilty” and decides to represent himself without any lawyer.
Esha Gupta plays Preeti Makhija, Vikram’s sister, and she is determined to send Rustom to prison and hires the best lawyer to do the same. Similarly, Cynthia is heartbroken over the failure of her marriage and vows to Rustom she will do all it takes to get him out.
Through a series of witnesses and flashbacks, we understand the full nature of the friendship between the four characters, how the affair between Cynthia and Vikram began, why Rustom did what he did and how he did it, and how his official Navy trip to London a few months before this was the start of it all.
Parallely, as the case goes on, the Parsi community decides to stand up for Rustom and help him by publishing stories in the media that build his character up and get him the public’s support. The trial, therefore, gains a huge following with everyone demanding Rustom’s acquittal.
Overall, the end doesn’t seem as twisted as it could be. It is, after all, a murder trial. The story has great potential to be extremely intriguing and promises a thrilling ride but the corny dialogues and some serious overacting fails to deliver on that promise.
Kumar does the steely, straight-faced character justice. Rustom is a man with a goal in his mind. He knows what he wants and the right ways to get it. It’s a very different role for Kumar but he establishes himself well in it right from the beginning. D’Cruz doesn’t have much to do apart from crying and praying for her husband but a few glimpses of the bold woman we get to see when she stands up for him show her growth in the industry. One scene that stands out between the lead duo is when she is on the stand and Rustom is the one questioning her.
The rest of the cast does not stand up to Kumar even by an inch. Gupta and Bajwa are both trying too hard and as a result, they are unsuccessful in capturing their characters well. As the public prosecutor fighting against Rustom, Sachin Khedeker is way too loud and way too annoying most times.
Pawan Malhotra (“Jab We Met”) and Anang Desai (“Khichdi”) do a decent job as the investigating officer Vincent Lobo and as the judge presiding over the case, respectively. In fact, the latter’s scenes with Khedeker end up providing humor to the trial.
What does stand out in the film is the dedication to showing us the Bombay of the late ‘50s. From the cars to the dresses worn by the ladies, the producers and set designers manage to pull off giving us a real feel of that era.
However, what disappoints in “Rustom” the most is the mockery they have made of such an important trial. From the public prattling around the courtroom without any remote objection from the guards or police to the unbelievable way in which the media “influences” the readers, specifically Kumud Mishra’s Erich Bilimoria, who owns a newspaper and publishes whatever he pleases to support Rustom, makes the whole matter laughable and not suspenseful.
Kumar’s acting might be the saving grace for this film. Despite the cartoonish way the trial proceeds, the movie is still enjoyable and at least we get to see Kumar in a different, solid new light, one in which we cannot wait to see him again.
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