Review: 'Rocket Singh' is simple, yet brilliant

 

Film: Rocket Singh – Salesman of the Year (U/A)
Director: Shimit Amin
Writer: Jaideep Sahni
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Shahnaz Padamsee, Gauhar Khan and others
Rating: *** ½

Did you see the initial promos of Rocket Singh – Salesman of the Year? It had a desk and Ranbir sitting on it and talking to you. “Hi, Harpreet Singh Bedi, salesman,” he smiled at you. He then said that he would sell the movie to you – the audience – in 60 seconds flat and went on to tell you how the movie would give you complete value for money. He finished it with the statement – a salesman’s job never ends.

You may have liked the promo, or thought of it as nothing great. But you have to give it to it for being so honest in its approach. Most movie promos aim to attract maximum viewers with shine and sparkle, or shock.

If they manage to hook you, you watch the film and then find out if the film lives up to your expectations or not. Here was a simple ad campaign asking you to give the movie a chance and then to make up your mind about it. The film, itself, is as simple as the ad campaign. But it’s brilliant too. 

Harpreet Singh Bedi, as Ranbir told you in the promos, is not as brilliant a student though. He has just graduated with 38.72 per cent in his final year examinations and while his friends look set to study MBA or join their family businesses, Harpreet chooses to be a salesman. Why? Because he believes he has a talent most people don’t – the power of persuasion.

So at the first job interview he goes to, for a job at a sales company dealing with computers called AYS – At Your Service, Harpreet’s interviewee asks him to mock-sell a pencil to him. “It has multiple uses,” says Harpreet. “You can use it to write, if not you can use it to clean your ears, brush it through your hair, convert a three-pin plug in to a two-pin plug and if you have nothing to do at all, you can simply rotate the pencil on your table for time-pass.”

Harpreet lands the job but goofs up with his very first assignment. The managing director of a company that’s looking to buy a stock of computers from AYS wants a bribe to pass the consignment. Harpreet, offended at the suggestion, complains about the bribe-taking official to the company.

But his boss comes down hard on him in stead, rebuking him for being a fool and not understanding the tricks of the trade. Harpreet also finds out that his company sells computers to clients at inflated prices and doesn’t service them once the computers have been sold, even though they promise to do so at the time of sale.

Harpreet is asked by his boss to stay till his training period ends and then quit. Meanwhile, he’s barred from going to the field to sell any more products and has to stick to his desk.

But Harpreet won’t take things lying down. He’s disgusted with the corrupt dealings of the agency and makes up his mind to do things the right way. He devices a plan to start his own company and personally give better service to customers by selling them computers at a reasonable price and maintain good relations after the sale too.

Four others from AYS – an engineer, a customer handler, a senior salesperson and a peon – also harrowed with the inhuman way the company treats its staff and customers, join Harpreet as partners. Working from the AYS office, Harpreet forms Rocket Sales Corp. What follows is better watched than spoken of.

The film relies on a simple story by Jaideep Sahni and also some really witty writing, by Sahni again, that is really the soul of the film. In fact, the film is one more example of Sahni’s clear emergence as arguably the best writer in Hindi cinema among the current crop.

The guy, who has penned films like Khosla Ka Ghosla and Chak De India in the past, comes up with some really funny dialogues and wacky characters. Whether it’s Harpreet’s mentor-turned-partner Nitin or the peon Mishraji or the porn-loving engineer Giri, Sahni seems to have worked painstakingly on each one of them.

Sahni also sets the mood just right with his lyrics in the only two songs that appear in the film and is ably supported by music directors Salim-Sulaiman. The background score by the duo is apt too. Pocket Main Rocket is sadly missing, even in the end credits.

 Director Shimit Amin doesn’t go overboard with dramatics and relies on subtlety, but doesn’t compromise on storytelling in the process. Yes, the film takes its time to unfold and isn’t ‘racy’ by any standards but that’s only because Amin chooses to stay true to Sahni’s script.

In the bargain, many may feel that Rocket Singh is a bit long but except a few scenes that could have probably been snipped out to make the film leaner, it holds your attention. The corporate jargon used liberally in the film, though, might limit the film’s appeal a great deal.

A special mention has to be made of casting director Abhimanyu Singh. The guy, who was responsible for getting all those wonderful girls in Chak De India, gets it bang on once again. Naveen Kaushik, as Nitin, is very natural and almost takes you by surprise in what is probably his first mainstream film role.

Manish Choudhari, as the boss, is a familiar face on the advertising circuit and performs ably in a decisive role. Gauhar Khan is very good as the sexy and intelligent customer handler Koena and displays decent acting talent.

D Santosh is perfect with his comic timing and one-liners. Prem Chopra is cute as Ranbir’s granddad. Shahzahn Padamsee, as Harpreet’s girlfriend, comes across as very sweet and likeable in her debut attempt. 

The star of the show, once again, is Ranbir Kapoor. In his third author-backed role in as many months, Ranbir is once again the life of the film. In Wake Up Sid, he displayed a charm that endeared him to young audiences and with Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahaani, he wooed the masses.

In Rocket Singh, Ranbir might be considered lucky to have got a role that can be career-defining for many actors. But to his credit, he lives up to the responsibility that comes with being the driving factor of such a beautiful film. His sardar get-up and mannerisms are fresh to watch and the actor must get credit for pulling off Harpreet the way he does.

But the one that deserves kudos the most is the duo of Shimit Amin-Jaideep Sahni. At a time when filmmakers rely on ‘big’ films and opening weekends, the two continue to stick to simple stories with great thought.

Don’t miss this one!