Performances from Taapsee, Priyanshu, and Abhishek are the highlight of Rashmi Rocket

Directed by Akarsh Khurana, Rashmi Rocket features a magnificent cast of Taapsee Pannu, Abhishek Banerjee, Supriya Pathak, Priyanshu Painyuli, and Supriya Pilgaonkar. While the story loosely reminds us of Dutee Chand's story from 2014, it also adds a few layers to what is likely to make it a commercial success. Taapsee plays the titular role with everyone else in just as significant if not leading roles.

Things change for Rashmi at a rather young age during an earthquake in Bhuj, however, her mother is a constant support for her and plays the role model that anyone would need in trying and testing times. With many other factors playing out in her journey, she makes a name for herself at a national level, but her journey ahead is not devoid of struggles, and that is what we see for a better part of the movie.

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Performances

It is pretty safe to say that Taapsee has found a niche for herself and while she does experiment with her roles in certain ways, she also sticks to her niche in certain ways. Taapsee makes you believe and feel for the journey that Rashmi goes through, but the bits where she doesn't impress, the onus lies on the writer in not exploring deeper into the character. Having said that, Taapsee has done her role well.

Priyanshu and Abhishek are two roles that I, as a viewer, absolutely loved watching. While you like Priyanshu's character for obvious reasons, Abhishek's Eshit is also a treat to watch, and apart from the well-written characters that they are, they also have a great sense of timing, making their performances power-packed.

Surpiya Pathak as Taapsee's mother is also a strong female character in the show and one would love to see her take on the screen like she owns it, much like every other time. Supriya Pilgaonkar, is also a character that is likeable and at the same time, does seem fun to watch. Among other performances, there is Varun Badola, Shweta Tripathi, who also play their brief roles well, adding to the story.

The Good

A personal favourite highlight for me are performances by everyone, and that does add to the story, especially in parts where other things might not seem very convincing. The movie tries to be subtle where necessary and does go OTT whenever it needs (barring certain bits). However, for a genre that is crowded with stories of male athletes, it is refreshing to see a story of a female.

It also does, to an extend, give you knowledge and make you aware of a bunch of issues that prevail, the kind that not everyone would understand. While the struggles here are at a bigger level, the issues concerning gender disparity are too many after all, and addressing them is important. 

The background score is also impressive and it does add to the entire vibe of the watching experience with the film being shot and edited just about fine.

The Bad

It must be pointed out how the issue at hand did lose the plot every now and then and it seemed to become a story about something else, and that, we think, is the result of trying to commercialise the movie. However, it was a novel effort and it isn't all that bad after all. 

Though we'd like to for certain things to be different and the issue at hand be highlighted more than women empowerment by and large, they just touch upon it in an attempt to get done with it.

The Verdict

Well, the movie deserves a watch, and the performances must be hailed, and they help it power through, but the writing suffers, and that shows. Overall, the movie is a one-time watch and any affinity to the actors will make you like the movie a little more than otherwise.

Ratings: *** (3/5) stars

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