Rustom Movie Review: The Curious Case Of Rustom Pavri

The infamous KM Nanavati case of 1959, wherein an Indian Navy officer had shot his wife's lover to death following a confrontation, has been the inspiration behind two Bollywood movies in the past (Yeh Rastey Hai Pyaar Ke and Achanak) and so, when the trailer of Rustom was unveiled, people were naturally curious to know as to what would the makers offer with this film.

However, when you have Neeraj Pandey producing such a project, one can be rest assured that it would not be a disappointment. The film 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 open-and-shut, but when the jury trial commences, it becomes quite evident that there is more to the case than what meets the eye, especially when Rustom pleads 'Not Guilty' to the offence of murder. Did Rustom kill Vikram or is he innocent?

Akshay Kumar, who plays the lead character, is one of the few actors, who has been consistently impressing us with his roles, be it commercial potboilers or serious subjects and here too, the Khiladi is in top form. Kumar looks dashing in his Navy uniform and is dignity personified as the gallant Navy officer, who apologizes to a female witness before shredding her testimony on cross-examination. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Akshay carries the film on his able shoulders.

Ileana D'Cruz looks quite pretty and puts in a decent performance while Esha Gupta, who plays Vikram's vengeful sister, manages to maintain a surly and petulant expression throughout the film, irrespective of the situation. Pavan Malhotra is dependable as always while Kumud Mishraas Billimoria (based on Russi Karanjia), the publisher of a Parsi tabloid, is a sheer delight to watch.

As for the film, though the first half resembles the KM Nanavati case, the second half takes you in uncharted waters (pardon the nautical expression). The second half is an out and out courtroom thriller, which demands your total attention as Rustom decides to fight his own case. The courtroom scenes are thrilling and humorous in all the right places. The banter between the judge (Anang Desai) and the prosecution lawyer (Sachin Khedekar) and Billimoria's antics are sure to elicit quite a few guffaws.

As for the flaws, the sets come across as too artificial and we feel the makers could have taken extra efforts to lend some authenticity to the look of the film (case in point- 'Detective Byomkesh Bakshy, which was also a period film). 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 letdown. Had it been a challenging task for the noble Rustom to get himself acquitted, the film would have certainly been more entertaining, we feel.

However, all said and done, Rustom is an entertaining fare, even if you have read about the Nanavati case, so don't let that dissuade you from watching the film.