Rustom review: Akshay Kumar brings KM Nanavati back to life

Akshay Kumar in and as Rustom is the biggest attraction in theatres this Independence Day weekend. Here's the Rustom movie review.

Akshay Kumar and Ileana D'Cruz in a still from Rustom
Akshay Kumar and Ileana D'Cruz in a still from Rustom

Akshay Kumar is back with yet another patriotic film, Rustom. After his January 26 Airlift, comes Rustom, the Independence Day treat from Akshay Kumar and director Tinu Suresh Desai. Will the film be able to make an impact on the audience, and recreate the Airlift effect? Here's the Rustom movie review.

Cast: Akshay Kumar, Ileana D'Cruz, Esha Gupta, Kumud Mishra, Pavan Malhotra, Arjan Bajwa, Sachin Khedekar
Direction: Tinu Suresh Desai

Commander Rustom Pavri's (Akshay Kumar) trial is underway in court. Akshay is a vision in white. A decorated Naval officer, Rustom has the charge of killing Vikram Makhija (Arjan Bajwa), his wife's lover on him. Prosecution lawyer Lakshman Khangani (Sachin Khedekar) pulls up Rustom for being in his pristine white uniform all the time. He goes ahead to remind the jury to not be swayed by the uniform, "Uniform ke peechhe chhupa ek criminal hai."

Director Tinu Suresh Desai uses Akshay in the uniform to invoke as much sympathy from the jury on film as his audience off it. He is in his uniform in jail, in court, on his ship, in his house.

Bombay, 1959. Rustom's ship drops anchor a few days before it was supposed to have. The Commander reaches home, picking up flowers for his wife Cynthia (Ileana D'Cruz). Cynthia hasn't been home for the last two days. There's a Whiskey Lullaby-ish feel in the air as the audience prepares themselves to come to terms with Cynthia's affair with Vikram (Arjan Bajwa). Rustom drives to Vikram's home, finding his wife and her lover on the balcony. His eyes do the rest of it.

A still from RustomA still from Rustom

Cynthia gets home to a drunk, angry-yet-calm Rustom; a storm in the offing. Rustom goes to Vikram's place, armed with a pistol from the armoury. Three shots are heard from Vikram's bedroom. The servant runs upstairs to find Rustom standing over a dead Vikram, pistol in hand.

Much like the KM Nanavati case, Rustom then goes to the police station and turns himself in. Senior inspector Lobo is shocked. The case reaches the court. Rustom the film is more a courtroom drama than a thriller.

The film draws heavily from the Nanavati case. Right from people selling the 'Rustom pistol' and the 'Vikram towel - marne pe bhi nahi girte hai' outside the court to the self-defence vs pre-mediated murder arguments. Desai packs in every element possible of the late-50s/early-60s Bombay in Rustom.

ALSO READ: 10 things you need to know about the KM Nanavati case

WATCH: Is Akshay Kumar in Rustom a traitor or a patriot?

Santosh Thundiyil's cinematography and the production design are both winners in Rustom, the Paul Perret watch on Pavri's wrist and his vintage Merc in tow.

Akshay Kumar, the poster boy of patriotism in Bollywood, gets his act right as Rustom Pavri. He plays the Commander to perfection, both as the cuckolded husband to the man defending himself in court. Kumar keeps his performance largely understated, conveying more with his silences than words.

Ileana D'Cruz works well as the guilty wife, but fails to make an impact when she is not silent or not weeping.

Esha Gupta as socialite Preeti Makhija, Vikram's sister, isn't a fleshed out character. Her blood-red lips take away more attention than her acting. The supporting cast comprising Kumud Mishra, Pavan Malhotra, Arjan Bajwa and Sachin Khedekar mostly fit into their roles. There are parts where people overdo their bits though.

The weakest part of Rustom is the treatment of the story. Despite emphasising that the film is a fictionalised account, and doesn't bear any resemblance to anything real, the film is all about the Nanavati case. The tale could have been much better given that this was the last case in the country to be decided by a jury. The trailer promised a lot of that, but the story hardly bothers about it. Desai uses humour to lighten the courtroom proceedings.

Rustom is Akshay KumarRustom is Akshay Kumar's third release this year

The problem with Rustom lies in its twists too. You can put your finger on them much before the twists actually play out in front of you, something which is fatal for a 'crime thriller'. Rustom plays to the gallery, eliciting cheers and applause from the audience who want to see their hero reinstated as a hero. The focus shifts from a wronged husband and his wife's extra-marital affair to something a lot more patriotic. The complete whitewashing of the dressed-in-white hero comes across as forced.

Among the good parts of the film is the number of songs in it. Tere Sang Yaara is a hummable track.

Watch Rustom for Akshay Kumar. He throws his lot behind the man in white. With Independence Day round the corner, not sure anything else would be as appealing as Rustom Pavri in uniform. Like the prosecution lawyer says, "Uniform ka poora istemaal kia hai..."

(The writer tweets as @ananya116.)

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