When there are two big films releasing in the same week, the comparison between them is inevitable, but between Akshay Kumar’s Rustom and Hrithik Roshan’s Mohen Jo Daro, it’s Rustom that everyone’s been rooting for, but should they?
Well the easy answer is NO.
Directed by Tinu Suresh Desai, Rustom is a film that starts with a bang but ends in a whimper. For a film that revolves around just one single incident, Rustom is painfully long, a dragfest that loses viewer interest due to weak direction and writing, but it is hugely inspired from a real story that of Naval officer KM Nanavati case – who killed his wife’s lover with 3 bullet shots.
Akshay Kumar does a decent job of playing an upright naval officer in conflict with the law but for all the right reasons, Ileana D’Cruz sits pretty with her petite face and frame but doesn’t quite evoke the agony of a woman with needs while Arjan Bajwa justifies his presence as a sexy evil who deserves to die.
Apart from this, there are parts of Rustom that deserve appreciation, among them is Santosh Thundiiayil’s cinematography, and the amazingly real art direction by Vijay Ghodke and Abdul Hamid that brings alive the Mumbai of 1960’s and then there are many funny things like Esha Gupta who stops at nothing when it comes to wearing plunging necklines and pouting even if she’s in a courtroom of 1959. Outside the same courtroom there are junior artists shouting support slogans for film’s protagonist with placards that hilariously read stuff like “Rustom, I want to marry you” and hold your breath for the next one that reads, “Rustom, I want to have your baby”.
Musically, Rustom has just one memorable track by Atif Aslam.
All in all, Rustom is a real story and stays true to that with not so convincing cinematic twists and drama but it doesn’t have what it takes to hold your interest for a full two and half hours.
I am going with 2 stars.
- By Ronak Kotecha
ReviewRon 