Bindu C Blogs Review Of Rukh

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Atanu Mukherjee, a debutant director, through Rukh, showcases his unique style of filmmaking. He has certainly challenged the usual ways of filmmaking and methods of unraveling a suspense film. Beautiful philosophy of life is covered in the film. Life is meant to be an amalgamation of our experiences and relationships in one harmonious, seamless, whole. When someone hurts us, this very cycle is broken and if we need to mend this fracture, we need to learn the art of forgiveness. Forgiveness basically does not mean merely forgiving the person who hurt us but also forgiving ourselves, forgiving even life itself with all its unpredictable, uncertain, bizarre, tough twists and turns. Forgiveness is to unlock oneself from the past as a victim of circumstances, move ahead and take control of life. Another vital point is that our personality gets shaped by the events happening in and around our lives and impact of these events can never be neutral, it either leaves a positive impact or negative impact on us. And this is what happens in the film. There is a reason behind our behaviour, reason behind our personality and attitudes. Although major part of the film is based on a son’s quest to find answers behind his father’s untimely accidental death. The quest was to find the conflicting situations which led to father’s death, but in the process, he comes across and stands face to face with his own inner conflicts. So, basically the film is all about the quest of external as well as internal happenings which affect us in a particular manner and also the course of actions which we choose. It is important to let go of the past, forgive and seek forgiveness, and finally achieve inner harmony and this very philosophy sets the whole premise of Rukh. One of the major challenge with the film is that its pace is too slow for everyone to focus on screen. But if one can sit through, and then for sure is going to enjoy the riveting performances be it that of Manoj Bajpayee, Adarsh Gourav, Smita Tambe, Kumud Mishra, Barat or others as well.

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The film begins on a gloomy note and that sets the whole background of the film. One can assume that what all could be in store in the film as a suspense film. Although the gloom is maintained throughout, which I beleive is obviously done with a purpose, the story unfolds in an unexpected and unpredictable manner. The opening scene has Divakar Mathur (Manoj Bajpayee) and Nandini Mathur (Smita Tambe) being served dinner by Nandini’s mother. There is pin drop silence and sense of gloom prevails, be it in dialogues or be it overall ambience. As an audience, we are unable to figure out the reason - is it due to some differences between couple, or is it due to their fading relationship or is it some professional challenges faced by Divakar (who is into textile business) or is it something to do with their son. Very soon, we find Divakar dead in a car crash. Nandini is quiet, but her mannerisms show that she is sure about the person who is behind Divakar’s accident. Their teenage son Dhruv Mathur (Adarsh Gourav), who is in boarding comes home. He seems to be a detached personality. There comes Robin (Kumud Mishra), friend and business partner of Divakar into the scene, but he is certainly under the radar of doubt. Dhruv finds certain things strange and that is where his exploration journey begins. Through his journey, we get to understand the inside story of various characters, and also introduction of new characters happen - be it Hasan, Shinde, Jayant, Rangarajan, Divakar’s Baba. Dhruv revisits his own pain when he embarks this journey.

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Parallel to the narratives regarding unraveling the truth behind Divakar’s death, Dhruv’s troubled past also unfolds, where the reasons of his being sent to boarding school is shown. His friendships also become part of this story. Along with Dhruv, we as an audience get to know the truth. Dhruv learns about his father’s last days from the perspectives of various other characters.

The game of chess as an analogy of life is a perfect fit in the film.

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If we speak about the performances, these are the major highlights of the film. Manoj Bajpayee astonishes with his performance as always. Give him any role, how beautifully he adapts and absorbs the whole feel of the character and enacts is absolutely awesome. Although the credit line mentions his role to be a special appearance one, it certainly is a longer one, he is the connecting point between all the characters, the story revolves around him. Adarsh Gourav has given a very mature performance, he does not let the character go out of his system at any point of time. Kumud Mishra is another actor who just grows beyond himself and blends himself with the character, here in this film also, he as the wily business partner has done absolute justice to his role. Smita Tambe as Nandini projects the restlessness, regret of being unable to live life, guilt-struck at times because of probably ignoring the cues about Manoj’s character Divakar’s stress.

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Two songs ‘Hai Baaki’ and ‘Khidki’ blends with the screenplay and takes the narration ahead.

Rukh as a film does not try to make any preachy statements, be it about relationship dynamics between couples or between parents-children or be it about any socio-political issues. The film is more about an individual’s quest to get in touch with the inner self, be aware of external and internal happenings, learn the art of forgiveness, and move ahead in life irrespective of the external challenges. The movie’s slow pace may distract you, but stay with the film to explore the theme. Watch it for the riveting performances by Manoj Bajpayee, Adarsh Gourav, Smita Tambe and Kumud Mishra.

Rating: 3.5/5 (Good+)

Cast and Crew Details: Source - Wikipedia Page

Cast: Manoj Bajpayee (Divakar Mathur), Adarsh Gourav (Dhruv Mathur), Smita Tambe (Nandini Mathur), Kumud Mishra (Robin)

Directed by: Atanu Mukherjee

Produced by: Manish Mundra

Written by: Atanu Mukherjee, Akash Mohimen, Vasan Bala (Dialogues)

Music: Amit Trivedi, Anjo John (Background Score)

Cinematography: Puja Gupte

Edited by: Sanglap Bhowmick

Distributed By: Eros International, Drishyam Films

Release Date: 27^th October, 2017

Duration: 1 hour and 47 minutes

Language: Hindi

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it Is Certainly Appreciable That Indian Films Are Choosing Topics Of Social Taboo And Pad Man Is The Latest One Which Talks About Women’s Menstrual Hygiene And Their Need To Use Sanitary Pads. In Our Country, Menstruating Women Are Treated As Outcast On These Days And Barred From Entering Temples And Kitchens, It Is A Matter Of Debate, Since It Deals With Belief System Of Many. So, It Is A Welcome Change, When Efforts Are Being Made To Talk About Such Topics Of Societal Taboo And What Best Media Other Than A Film To Deal With Such Paradigm Shift Needed.

the Real Pad Man Aunachalam Muruganantham (click here To Know The Image Courtesy)

pad Man Is A Film Which Is Inspired From The Life Of arunachalam Muruganantham, A Social Entrepreneur From Coimbatore (tamil Nadu). He Is The Inventor Of Low-cost Sanitary Pad-making Machine. His Innovative Grassroot Mechanisms For Generating Awareness About Traditional Unhygienic Practices Around Menstruation Has Done Wonders For Women In Rural India. He Has Not Commercialized His Mini Machines Which Can Manufacture Sanitary Pads For Less Than A Third Of The Cost Of Commercial Pads, Rather He Has Chosen To Sell It To Self-help Groups Run By Women. As Per Wikipedia, These Mini Machines Have Been Installed In 23 Of 29 States Of India, And He Is Planning To Expand The Production Of These Machines To 106 Nations. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/arunachalam_muruganantham)

the Real Pad Man Arunachalam Muruganantham (click here To Know The Image Courtesy)

along With Many Awards Conferred On Him, He Was Included In Time Magazine’s List Of 100 Most Influential People In The World In 2014 And Also Padma Shri In 2016 By Government Of India.

one Thing Which Is To Be Noted Is That Pad Man, As It Is Claimed By The Makers, Is Not The First Film On Arunachalam. Amit Virmani Has Made A Documentary ‘menstrual Man’, Abhishek Saxena Made phullu (2017) And There Is Another Unreleased Film “i-pad” Made In 2015 By Amit Rai. Twinkle Khanna Had Come Out With ‘the Legend Of Lakshmi Prasad” - A Collection Of Four Stories In 2016, Out Of Which One Story Is “the Sanitary Man Of Sacred Land” On Which Pad Man Is Supposed To Be Based On. Of Course, More The Films On These Subjects, It Is Good So As To Create More And More Awareness Amongst People And Get Rid Of Taboo. So, Pad Man By R. Balki With Akshay Kumar And Radhika Apte In The Lead Is Successful In Creating The Right Buzz.

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r Balki Has Chosen To Give Fictional Names To His Protagonists Akshay Kumar And Radhika Apte And Also He Has Picked Up The Backdrop Of Bhopal Rather Than Coimbatore. R Balki And Swanand Kirkire As Writers Does Mention The Statistics As Well In The Film That Only 12% Of Women In India Use Sanitary Pads. They Have Kept The Tone Of The Film Very Light Without Making It Preachy. Sensibilities Of The Audience Is Taken Into Consideration. The Emotions Of The Females, The Belief System Of Considering Oneself Unsacred During Menstruating Days, Not Entering Kitchen / Temples, The Celebration (almost Like Mini-wedding) When A Girl Matures And The Confusion Of Male Fraternity Are Very Well Captured In The Screenplay. Even The Medical Shop Person Selling The Sanitary Pad As If He Is Selling Something Illegal Is Very Much Relatable. What Could Have Been Avoided In The Film Is The Love Dynamics Explored Between Sonam Kapoor And Akshay Kumar, It Appeared Very Cliché And Displaced.

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lakshmikant Chauhan (akshay) Works In A Welding Factory. His Sharp Eye For Details And Fixing Up Things Is Evident From The Very Beginning Of The Film. He Finds It Very Disturbing When He Sees His Wife Gayathri (radhika Apte) Using Dirty Clothes During Her Periods. In Spite Of Gayathri Asking Lakshmi To Stay Out Of Ladies’ Problems, He Does Try His Hand In Making Sanitary Pads. His Initial Attempts Fail Miserably. What He Finds It Even More Challenging Is To Get The Pad Tested. He Makes Desperate Attempts To Get The Client, Family, Acquaintances Etc. For His Product But In Vain. He Is Branded As Eccentric, Pervert And He Ends Up Risking Everything He Has - His Wife, Family, Home, Village, Social Status Etc. But Nothing Deters Him From Going Ahead With His Experimentation.

it Was A Loner’s Journey For Lakshmi, But His Go-getter Attitude Gives Him Slow Yet Steady Success And That Is How He Invents Low-cost Sanitary Pad-making Machine. another Major Challenge In Front Of Lakshmi Was To Get The Buy-in For The Pads From The Women And That Is When Pari (sonam Kapoor), A Young Talented Tabla Player And Mba Student, Enters The Scene. She Not Only Becomes His First Client But Later On Also Becomes Instrumental In Creating User-base And Roping In Self-help Groups Run By Women.

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the Film Has Many High Points Be It Lakshmi’s Undying Spirit To Not Accept Defeat And Continue With His Experimentation, His Genuine Concern For Wife And Female Hygiene, lakshmi And Gayathri’s Chemistry, Lakshmi’s Efforts In Managing To Get The Things One -by-one To Invent The Low-cost Sanitary Pad Manufacturing Machine, His ‘linglish Speech’ In United Nations, Amitabh Bachchan’s Cameo Etc.

the Cast Of The Film Perfectly Fit Into Their Respective Characters Very Well. Akshay Kumar Is Effortless While Playing Lakshmikant, He Downplays Himself Wherever Required. Radhika Apte Is Gorgeous As Gayathri And She Has Projected The Shame Associated With Even Discussing Menstruation Very Well. Sonam Kapoor As Pari Is Good And Gregarious. The Best Thing Is Writers R Bali And Swanand Kirkire Has Justified The Presence Of Every Character, Even If It Is A Small Role. Rakesh Chaturvedi As Professor Is One Such Character, Though Has A Small Role, He Becomes A Reason For Lakshmi’s Shift In Focus From Making Low-cost Sanitary Pads To Inventing Low-cost Sanitary Pad Making Machine.

rakesh Chaturvedi With Akshay Kumar (click here To Know The Image Courtesy)

balki’s Pad Man Inspired From Arunachalam Muruganantham’s Life Showcases Realistic Performances From Akshay And Radhika And The Film Succeeds In Dealing With A Topic Of Societal Taboo Like Menstrual Hygiene With Very Much Ease And Finesse. It Hits The Bulls Eye As Far As Enhancing Social Consciousness Is Concerned And It Is Bound To Leave The Ripples Of Cultural Transformation For A Very Long Time. Yes, We Can Announce Confidently - India Ke Paas Apna Superhero Pad Man Hai.

rating: 4/5 (very Good)

cast And Crew Details: Source - Wikipedia Page

cast: akshay Kumar (lakshmikant Chauhan), Radhika Apte (gayatri), Sonam Kapoor (pari), Rakesh Chaturvedi (professor), Amitabh Bachchan

directed By: r Balki

produced By: twinkle Khanna, Spe Films India, Kriarj Entertainment, Cape Of Good Films, Hope Productions

written By: R Balki

based On: The Legend Of Lakshmi Prasad By Twinkle Khanna

narrated By: Amitabh Bachchan

music: amit Trivedi

cinematography: pc Sreeram

edited By: chandan Arora

production Company: Columbia Pictures, Hope Productions, Kriarj Entertainment, Mrs. Funnybones Movies