‘Rustom’ movie review: A very interesting concept merged with excellent performances

Directed by: Tinu Suresh Desai
Produced by: Neeraj Pandey, Aruna Bhatia, Nittin Keni, Akash Chawla, Virender Arora, Ishwar Kapoor, Shital Bhatia
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Ileana D’Cruz, Arjan Bajwa, Esha Gupta
Duration: 2 hours 32 minute
Bollywood Bubble Rating: 3.5/5

Akshay Kumar starrer ‘Rustom’ has created a great buzz, thanks to its concept, interesting promos, and lovely songs. Moviegoers have been waiting for the movie ever since the trailer had been launched. The film finally hits the screens tomorrow, and since we got to witness the trial on-screen first hand, let’s see if it does live up to the expectations we had from it or not.

The story of the film goes like this. Rustom Pavri (Akshay Kumar) is a Naval officer. He comes back home and finds out that his wife Cynthia Pavri (Ileana D’Cruz) is having an affair with his friend Vikram Makhija (Arjan Bajwa). Next day, he goes to Vikram’s place and shoots him and later surrenders himself to police. A trial starts where Rustom fights his own case. As the movie moves forwards a lot of secrets get unfolded. Is Rustom innocent or he is guilty? Will he be able to free himself from the allegations of being a murderer? Well, to know the answer of all these questions you need to watch the film.

The story of the film is written by Vipul K Rawal and is very interesting. However, he fails to come up with an engaging screenplay, especially in the first half. The first half is very slow and there are not many twist and turns in it. But, the second half is gripping and the court room sequences are the best part of the movie. The movie is said to be based on the infamous Nanavati murder case. Akshay Kumar in an interview had stated that the movie will leave people thinking and yes that’s what happens here. You will start thinking that was Rustom right, or was he wrong.

Tinu Suresh Desai’s last film ‘1920 London’ failed miserably at the box office and it even failed to impress the critics. But, here he succeeds in narrating this interesting concept. In a period film you have to keep an eye on minute details and ‘Rustom’ is simply perfect in that department. From ceiling fans to cars to dresses to locations, everything used here is of that era (1959) the film is set in. Santosh Thundiyil’s cinematography is up to the mark, but Shree Narayan Singh’s editing could have been better.

While you are watching the film, you simply can’t imagine any other actor as Rustom Pavri because Akshay Kumar is perfect in the role. From talking to walking, he has just nailed it. It is surely an award worthy performance. Ileana D’Cruz comes back on the big screen after two years, and believe us the wait has been worth it. This is her best performance till date. She surely makes us feel the pain Cynthia is going through. Esha Gupta is in a negative character, and is simply mind-blowing. Her expressions, especially the eye expressions are damn impressive. When it comes to supporting actors, it is Usha Nadkarni who steals the show. Watch out for her court sequence. Other actors like Sachin Khedekar, Kumud Mishra and Pawan Malhotra are also quite good in their respective roles.

Overall, ‘Rustom’s interesting concept and fantastic performances make it worth a watch.

Watch the trailer here: