I went in to watch the movie Rocket Singh with somewhat high expectations. After all, it was written by Jaideep Sahni(Khosla ka Ghosla and Chak De India) and directed by Shimit Amin(Chak De India) and Ranbir was the lead actor, an actor I have liked a lot, particularly in the last 2 movies that I watched in recent months(WUS and APKGK).
And the movie didn’t disappoint.
The story is about a middle class lad, Harpreet Singh Bedi(Ranbir), who barely scraps through his graduation and now is ready to make his career in sales, which he believes is right up his alley, since it involves persuasive skills, which he thinks he has. When he gets his job in a computer selling company, he does learn some sales tactics, but very soon is also shocked and disappointed by the lack of ethics which are inherent to the business. His own attempts at honesty backfire badly resulting in him getting demoted in the office. Instead of losing heart, he resolves that he will beat his employer at their own game, and forms him own “company”, which sells strictly on an ethical basis and ensures integrity in its entire process. Those who join him in this effort include the foul-mouthed yet thoroughly competent receptionist Koena(Gauhar Khan), the tech support guy Giri(D. Santosh) who spends his entire day downloading pornographic pictures, the smart peon Chhotelal Mishra(Mukesh Bhatt) who can also assemble PCs besides getting tea and coffee for everyone and Nitin, Harpreet’s boss with long sideburns and an accomplished salesman.
The story, the script, the acting and the direction in the movie are all oozing with sincerity. The message of the movie is clear and convincing – in these times, honesty will pay, as long as you are clear how to go about it. Ranbir has again acted very well, which means he now has done three good movies in a very short time! I think he has established himself very well in a very short time. The supporting cast have all done an excellent job, including Gauhar Khan, D Santosh, Mukesh Bhatt and Prem Chopra(as Harpreet’s mild-mannered principled middle-class grandfather)
Among the negatives, the movie tends to drag every now and then. Plus, the movie has a documentary-like feel about it very often.
But overall, I liked the movie a lot. Definitely a must-see if one is looking for a sincere slice-of-life movie.