Movie Review : Rocket Singh, Salesman of the year

Rating : Good (4/5)
Genre : Drama
Year : 2009
Running time : 2 hours 35 minutes
Director : Shimit Amin
Cast : Ranbir Kapoor, Navin Kaushik, Manish Chaudhari, Prem Chopra, Gauhar Khan, Shazahn Padamsee
Kid rating : PG


ROCKET SINGH : THIS ONE’s ROCKETING SKYWARDS !

On an interview I watched on NDTV, anchor Soniya Singh interviews Ranbir Kapoor, and starts of by saying “Today I have one of the sexiest men in India . . .” and Ranbir responds, “What ! Really ? Are you serious ?” He doesn’t look like he’s joking either. This title has been conferred on one of the most up-and-coming stars of desi cinema, and he himself doesn’t seem to take it very seriously. That’s part of his charm, you could say, and that unselfconscious charm is what works in Rocket Singh – Salesman of the year.

OK, for the uninitiated, Harpreeet Singh Bedi has just graduated from B.com by the skin of his teeth (38.72%), and in the first frame of the film, we see him eyeing his results on the internet, and sighing thankfully. After he relaxes contentedly for a while in his chair, the screensaver takes over; Guru Nanakji’s image flits across the screen fitfully. That sort of sets the tone of the film – a middle-class Sikh “good” boy, brought up by his grand-father (Prem Chopra) and out to make it in the big bad world.

Bedi is Ranbir Kapoor, all bearded up and sporting pink colored turbans. He gets the first job he interviews for, as a salesman in a computer firm. This simple Sikh boy has miles to go before he can land a sale though, since he is quite perturbed by the palm-greasing required in the business. Unfortunately his morals do not match those of his compatriots, and he earns himself a demotion, and a whole lot of ridicule. However there is a breaking point and once he reaches it, our sincere Sardar decides to get even and then some !

“Rocket Singh” is brought to life by an off-beat story, a modern day Panchatantra’s tale on honesty. Jaideep Sahni, the writer (who also wrote Khosla ka ghosla), fleshes in each of the characters in the film beautifully, whether it be the pretty, ambitious receptionist (Gauhar Khan) or the IT support guy Girish Reddy, who speaks in Hyderabadi Hindi. Bedi himself, his grand-father and his friends are realistically wrought. Direction is strong, and although the film is almost entirely shot in office-space, which means enclosed rooms, Shimit Amin manages to keep up the interest with well-paced events and some great, subtle humor. There is attention to details – in one scene, Harpreet’s boss Nitin, getting ready for a bike ride, wears his jacket backwards and attaches clips to the bottom of his trousers – hilarious !

The first half of the film, essentially the setup, is smooth sailing. We so like Harpreet at this point, that we might now forgive him any slip-ups. By the time intermission occurs, Harpreet is well-ensconced on his moral high horse, and we are firmly seated behind him. It’s not that we, in the backs of our minds, are not a little amazed at his total naivete (how did he remain so unaffected by all-pervading corruption ?) but outrage is a powerful thing. How dare this merciless, corrupt world get after this poor little innocent boy ? The wrong-doers surely deserve their come-uppance !

This film is something special, from the time the introductory credits roll (beautifully done to a backdrop of shots showing fixtures in Harpreet’s middle class life) to the portrayal of a rare honesty on celluloid. What make it truly more effective than any ordinary story of goody-2-shoes, was the fact that the film spun off on it’s subject quite naturally ; there were no overt and false-sounding tactics or events used to push the honesty-is-good theme. It just is. It just is because it is the right thing to do. That is what did it for me.

I would have awarded the film a higher rating if not for it’s relatively weak ending. In resolving matters to a satisfactory (commercial ?) end, Sahni slips in one too many preachy dialogues, and weakens the up-till-now strong plot. This is where the film gets a little ham-handed, and I’m inclined to take away some of the brownie points it had so deservedly earned.

All that said, allow me now to slip into adulatory mode. Ranbir Kapoor is the STAR of the film. To all those who say he had it too easy (star son and all) let me tell you that it is not for nothing that he is rising as fast as he is. This one can act, emote, dance, and he does it all well in this film. Harpreet is your average do-no-harm kind of a guy, and when one of the characters tells him that he trusts him, because he’s not a met a deceitful Sardar in is life, we, looking at Harpreet are all so ready to nod our heads in unison.

Also, Harpreet’s bosses – the sideburned Nitin, played by Naveen Kaushik, and the unctuous, wily Puri , played by Manish Chaudhary are fantastic. Gauhar Khan is pretty good as the ambitious receptionist. Shazahn Padamsee has a small role as Harpreet’s love interest, but is unremarkable. And Prem Chopra as the grand-father who has lovingly brought up his grandson to believe in goodness, is pretty nice (like grand-fathers are).

This is a lovely, lovely film. And clean. No double-meaning dialogues, no vulgar innuendoes, no indirect references to the female anatomy. Yes, there are some shots of bikini-clad women (Girish is addicted to porn) , but given that semi-clad women are everywhere thesedays (!!), not particularly injurious to (older) kids. There are also some make-out scenes, but they are quick and not explicit.

Do go see.