Film Rustom is praiseworthy to watch once for its entertainment quotient and Akshay Kumar’s capab !!

Directed by Tinu Suresh Desai, the courtroom drama Rustom is roughly based on the infamous Nanavati trial of 1959, wherein Naval Commander Kawas Manekshaw Nanavati was tried for the murder of Prem Ahuja, his wife's lover. The controversy surrounding this case led to the abolishment of jury hearings in India. In the screenplay by Vipul K Rawal, Akshay Kumar essays Commander Rustom Pavri and Ileana D'Cruz essays the role of his wife Cynthia.

 

When you have Neeraj Pandey producing such a project, one can be assured that it would not be a displeasure. The movie revolves around Commander Rustom Pavri (Akshay Kumar), a respected officer from the Indian Navy, who discovers that his wife Cynthia (Ileana D'Cruz) is having an affair with a serial womanizer Vikram Makhija (Arjan Bajwa). Following the discovery, Rustom barges into Vikram's room and shoots him with his service pistol and surrenders to Inspector Vincent Lobo (Pavan Malhotra).

 

The case seems quite clear-cut, but when the jury trial begins, it becomes quite evident that there is more to the case than what meets the eye, particularly when Rustom pleads 'Not Guilty' to the offence of murder. Did Rustom kill Vikram or is he innocent?

 

Akshay Kumar, who essays the lead character. Akshay Kumar is in top form. Akshay Kumar looks dynamic in his Navy uniform and is dignity personified as the gallant Navy officer, who makes an apology to a female witness before shredding her testimony on cross-examination. It would not be a hyperbole to say that Akshay carries the movie on his capable shoulders.

 

Ileana D'Cruz looks fairly pretty and puts in a good act while Esha Gupta, who plays Vikram's vindictive sister, manages to maintain a surly and petulant expression throughout the movie, irrespective of the situation. Pavan Malhotra is dependable as always while Kumud Mishra as Billimoria (based on Russi Karanjia), the publisher of a Parsi magazine, is a sheer joy to watch.

 

The first half of the film resembles the KM Nanavati case, the second half takes you in unexplored waters (pardon the nautical expression). The second half is an out and out courtroom drama, which demands your total attention as Rustom decides to fight his own case. The courtroom scenes are exciting and amusing in all the right places. The repartee between the judge (Anang Desai) and the prosecution lawyer (Sachin Khedekar) and Billimoria's pranks are sure to produce quite a few laughs.

 

As for the mistakes, the sets come across as too artificial and we feel the makers could have taken extra efforts to give some realism to the look of the movie. Also, the way Rustom defends and exonerates himself in court after coming in possession of evidence from the police locker room seems a bit too easy, which is something of a disappointment. Had it been a challenging task for the polite Rustom to get himself acquitted, the movie would have certainly been more enjoyable, we sense.

 

Overall, film Rustom is praiseworthy to watch once for its entertainment quotient and

Akshay Kumar’s capable act.