Banner: Yash Raj Films
Genre: Drama/Comedy
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Shazahn Padamsee, Santosh, Gauhar Khan, Prem Chopra
Music: Salim Merchant & Sulaiman Merchant
Cinematography: Vikash Nowlakha Anshum
Editing: Arindam Ghatak
Story - dialogue - screenplay: Jaideep Sahni
Director: Shimit Amin
Producer: Aditya Chopra
Release date: 11 December 2009
Review
Story
Harpreet Singh (Ranbir Kapoor) is just out of college and he joins a computer sales and service company as a trainee. He is pure at heart and wants to be honest in his work. His forthright attitude costs him a lot in his company. He is forced to sit out and do dirty work. His boss believes in bribing and getting sales orders at any cost. Vested by the way his company treats him, Harpreet want to show his entrepreneurial skills. He floats a secret company called ‘Rocket’ and bags orders and wins loyal customers. He uses the resources and employees of the office. The rest of the story is all about what happens when his boss finds out the truth!
Actors:
Ranbir Kapoor comes up with fabulous performance again as an honest guy. It is pretty difficult to express when you have sardarji beard on. Shazahn Padamsee is nice as the love interest of the hero. Gauhar Khan is good as the receptionist. D Santosh fits the bill as the computer assembler. The guy who did the role of boss is adequate though he appeared redundant with his expressions. Prem Chopra is top-rate as the grandfather of hero.
Technical departments:
Story - screenplay – direction: This film comes from Jaideep Sahni - the writer of films like Chak De India and Khosla Ka Ghosla. Hence the story is mostly realistic. This story provides a message that people are more important than the numbers (sales targets). Films like these work if the screenplay is interesting and narration is gripping. Shimit Amin who gave two powerful films like Ab Tak Chappan and Chak De India fails to deliver his third success. Rocket Singh fails due to uninteresting screenplay and unrealistic premise. The ragging of Harmeet Singh in his office looks silly and it’s not convincing at all. The concept of operating new outfit from the same office also sounds brainless as it’s easy to get caught. The climax scene in which hero’s ex-boss returns the company should give the audience the feeling of triumph and it doesn’t because the director failed to get audiences emotionally involved with the story by then.
Other technical departments: Dialogues are witty. Background music by Salim and Sulaiman is adequate. Cinematography is neat. Editing should have been crisp as the entire movie is of 2 and half hours duration (that’s too without any songs).
Analysis: We have seen films like Chak De India and Khosla Ka Ghosla. These films worked because of the gripping screenplay and engaging emotional content. Rocket Singh also offers a similar story and premise. The only difference between earlier films and Rocket Singh is uninteresting screenplay and flat content. Rocket Singh is also narrated at a snail’s pace. On a whole, Rocket Singh runs out of the fuel midway.
