No spice, only bland

It is difficult for a filmmaker to outdo Gulzar in the craft of filmmaking. Technology and cinematography are poor alternatives to a strong script and a sensitivity to deal with a script. Tinu Suresh Desai proves this clearly with ‘Rustom.’ ‘Achanak’ dealt with the Nanavathi episode (with liberties inter alia) starring Vinod Khanna. The film in fact used that incident as a backdrop not so much to deal with the infidelity of the spouse or the dishonesty of a friend as it dealt with the conflict between the callings of the police and the medical doctor.

The third visit to the same story, this time around, also has parallels with Marie Corelli’’s “Vendetta.” A lazy script and a thriller make for bad bed fellows and that exactly is what takes the bite off this film. Also making a 150 minute story, half of which is dedicated to the court scenes may well be trusted with the likes of Alfred Hitchcock, BR Chopra, Govind Nihlani and even Subash Kapoor. So slow is the film that it is more steady than engaging.

Commander Rustom Parvi (Akshay Kumar) returns from his naval duties on the high seas only to realise that his wife Cynthia (Ileana D’Cruz) and friend Vikram Makhija (Arjan Bajwa) are having an affair. He thus plans to kill the paramour and takes a naval pistol and the shoot-out is carried out. He confesses to a police officer Inspector Vincent Lobo (Pavan Malhotra) and surrenders. At the instance of his superior officer Admiral Kamat (Parmeet Sethi), an application is made that he be shifted to naval judicial custody. He refuses the privilege and gains brownie points of not wanting special treatment as a dignitary. Kamat, however, has other reasons.

Vikram Makhija’s sister Preeti (Esha Gupta) a socialite steps in to ensure that the assassin is sentenced. She works with the Public Prosecutor Khangani (Sachin Khedekar) who makes very crude and unprofessional strategies to ensure a sentence. Incidentally the case (historically correct) is tried by a jury. The challenge is therefore to move beyond the law and work on the minds of the laity. The public are hugely in favour of Rustom. He is seen as more wronged than wronging.

The judge Anag Desai (fine performance) will have no nonsense in his court. He is busy sending local journalist Erach Billimoria (Kumud Misra- in a very poor caricature of Karanjia of Blitz) to prison under the contempt of courts powers. At one stage, he also sends an impertinent witness Jamuna Bhai, the maid servant (Usha Nadkarni in a fine cameo) to the gallows. As the public cry and howl in favour of Rustom, the tale slowly, ever so slowly moves on to a finale that invokes neither tension nor curiosity in spite of the fact that the filmmaker tries in a contrived manner to add a naval scandal to the thriller. It falls flat.

What also lets down the film badly is the acting. Most of the actors with crucial parts like Arjan Bajwa, Sachin and Esha Gupta are very contrived and strained. On the other hand, we have the ever reliable Akshay Kumar whose very presence salvages the film. He keeps it all together and wins where others do not even attempt. Paradoxically the film to quote from Rustom Shorab: Yeh kaisi ajab dastan ho rahi hai, batate batate bayan hogayi hai.

Film Name : Rustom

Cast : Akshay Kumar, Ileana D’Cruz and Esha Gupta
Direction : Tinu Desai
Genre : Drama
Likes : Akshay and period detail
Dislikes : Supporting performances and script