Rocket Singh

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bakulmatiyani
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Rocket Singh

Post by bakulmatiyani »

Rocket Singh

“Pocket mein rocket hai pocket mein”. I have found my self-humming this tune many a time since the last 2 weeks or so. From the time that I saw the first promo I was indeed hooked; Ranbir Kapoor standing against a table and doing a piece to camera about why he is doing a piece to camera. I thought it was the greatest marketing idea since women (trust me I’m not being chauvinistic). There was a certain honesty with which he (ranbir) stood in front of the camera and said ‘I’m here to sell you my film, please buy it’. It instantly brought a smile to my face. The next one with the 39% passing percentage was one step further, this time I laughed out aloud. Come on now you have to give it points for being honest and as it turns out honesty is rather funny to encounter in these times, how else would you explain the audience laughing at H.S. Bedi’s (ranbir’s character) predicament of being honest.

Getting down to the film, ladies and gentlemen here we finally have a film that delivers what it promises. The film manages to keep the audiences’ interest alive throughout the film, which bay the way is not an easy thing to do in a two and a half hour long film that has mostly been shot indoors. The office spaces have shown very well the camera work is in sync with the film at every point in-fact nowhere do the technical aspects of filmmaking become bigger than the film, every technician seems to have played his part very well and it shows on screen.

The film seems to be well written and conceived; the writing is its soul. Even long dialogue by Ranbir about the merits of honesty do not seem cheesy, I would attribute this to good writing, fantastic performance by H.S. Bedi and of course the director’s inputs. The background score adds a layer to the film that has been missing from a lot of Hindi films for quite sometime. The music is also good, all in all there is not much that is wrong with this film, what I would also like to say at this point is that Ranbir really knows how to pick his projects. He has had a great year with all his films doing quite well but nothing beats this one.

Reading this review one might be led to believe that the film is all Ranbir but nothing could be farther from the truth and I hope Ranbir will be the first one to acknowledge this. All the ancillary characters in the film are superb. His two bosses have played their part to perfection. Mishra ji, Koena and Giri are all very good, it is very heartening to see that the maker have not been inclined to ignoring the characters’ around HSB as it is these characters that make HSB the likable character that he is. Another aspect that I must mention here is the performances of the lesser characters such as Wajahat who in his two small scenes seemed as committed to the cause of the film as any of the other cast members. All actors across the board have played their parts with a natural ease that I would like to see more often in Indian films instead of the regular fare of loud, slapstick and crass performances that we have come to call acting. Way to go guys.

Tech checks: not much is wrong with the film but if you hold a gun to my head the only thing that I would be willing to point a finger at is the focus puller. But in a good film that one is enjoying these things are easily ignorable.

My advice to those who don’t read the entire review and want it all in one line “do not miss this film it’s the most honest film I have seen in a long while”

P.S. – Three cheers for Jaideep Sahani, Shimit Ameen and have course Ranbir Kapoor,
kalradipika
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Re: Rocket Singh

Post by kalradipika »

bakul,
I am sorry but i do not share ur views on the film. i unfortunately got bored during the film. i particularly did not like the camera n art n found it very slow.
waiting for more reviews.
bakulmatiyani
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Re: Rocket Singh

Post by bakulmatiyani »

hey i actually thought the camera and art was pretty good cause i dint get bored in a film mostly shot in side rooms most of which was one office and i also didnt get bored i saw it a second time three days later cause some friends dragged me there and didnt get bored. what i must say though is that i loved the performances of all the people even more when i saw it the second time.

What saw wanna watch AVTAR together on I max?
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Paramvir Singh
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Re: Rocket Singh

Post by Paramvir Singh »

i have heard a look of good things about Rocket Singh. Want to see it tonight. I believe its amazing!
Vikram Srivastava
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Re: Rocket Singh

Post by Vikram Srivastava »

Ok.. here are my two bits on Rocket Singh.
This is the closest I have seen a Hindi film come close to 'cinema' in a long long time.
There are no overt sell-out commercial elements.
And though the jury might be out on this one, I thought the film was quite nicely paced. WAY TO GO ARRI! (That's Arindam Ghatak, the editor of the film for you ignoramuses).
The ensemble cast (other than Shazahn), is simply brilliant. A special mention here for Navin Kaushik (simply superb here as Ranbir's anal boss), Mukesh Bhatt (as the extremely endearing 'Cup-Plate') and Gauhar Khan (she's a revelation of sorts, the detailing of her character is super and she seems to have caught the finer nuances of her character very well). Manish Chaudhary (as the head of AYS) and D Santosh (as a porn crazy Hyderabadi software geek) are pretty good too! And it's nice to see Prem Chopra on the big screen after such a long time.
And then there's Ranbir... He plays a true- blue city bred Sardar to the hilt. No half measures here ala Akshay's stereotyped version of a Sikh in Singh is King. He's getting better with every role. The anguish displayed on his face in the restaurant scene is worth a mention.
The other good thing is that this is not a Ranbir film exclusively. It's as if like the Rocket Singh Sales Corporation each of the characters is an equal partner in the screen time as well.
The art direction is pretty decent, the spaces look real (except perhaps Giri's pad!).
The cinematography (especially the lensing) is good too.
As Bakul says, the film kept me engaged all through and never did I ever find it faltering.
In fact I saw 'Paa' just the day before and I in comparison to Rocket I found it pretty sketchy.
So, that's my two pennies worth.
Let's see what the others have to say about the film.
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Paramvir Singh
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Re: Rocket Singh

Post by Paramvir Singh »

great review guys! I am dying to see the film now.

someone we all know, sent me a review saying "its funny how little it takes someone to be happy. reference rocket singh. wont recommend it"

but after Vikram and Bakul's words, will surely check this film out! Arri, you must be proud! We are!
Arindam Ghatak
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Re: Rocket Singh

Post by Arindam Ghatak »

Thanks guys... yeah, am very proud to be a part of Rocket Singh.
Param, please don't listen to anybody; go and watch it... I totally and completely love the film (in all my non-objectivity in this case, ofcourse, but what the heck)... :)
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Paramvir Singh
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Re: Rocket Singh

Post by Paramvir Singh »

saw the film. loved it. recommend it to everyone.

wish more people were making films like this...
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Pooja Sharma
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Re: Rocket Singh

Post by Pooja Sharma »

First I have to lay claim to the message sent to Param...
'someone we all know, sent me a review saying "its funny how little it takes someone to be happy. reference rocket singh. wont recommend it"
The someone we all know is yours truly.

Then I'd congratulate Arri for being a part of a film that seems to be doing very well. For the record, I clapped when your name came up on screen, Arri!! And Mom whistled (not very well, unfortunately) :)

And then I'd like to agree with Dipika... I didn't find the film THAT engaging or THAT great.
It was alright, though the performances were indeed amazing. Padamsee babe is wasted, and Gauhar Khan is a revelation. Most actors have performed very well, including yes, the hero Ranbir, who does seem to choosing diverse roles.
But no, the cinematography isn't great, in fact focus sucks. There's no way the DoP couldn't have made out soft focus in that tele a lens, in some of those shots... The camerawork is average at best, no comparison at all with Paa (in case anyone dared to.) Nor is the art direction that great. Hated the horrible pastel-y Barbie doll colours of Pran's house. Its good in parts though.
And the story wasn't bad, though the film tends to drag... Basically by no means is it a film I'd 'highly recommend'. It isn't bad, and worth a watch.
In fact, again for the record, my parents did enjoy it.
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