Rocket Singh- A fresh brand in the market!

Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Shazahn Padamsee, Gauhar Khan and Prem Chopra.

Director: Shimit Amin

Music: Salim-Sulaiman

Rocket Singh- Salesman of the year, is a movie aimed at looking at the young new bright India, which is tired of the coat of corruption and dirty politics that it's been carrying on it for so long.

Rocket Singh is the story of Harpreet Singh Bedi (Ranbir Kapoor). Harpreet is not perfect but he is one of those regular good people we come across in life. He has failed college but is bindaas about it and actually bags a job in sales too!  He enters the dirty corporate world with no idea of the grime hidden under the white collar. Harpreet, after a visit with the client, is awaken with a rude shock to the corruption and bureaucracy among those who call the shots. He is disgusted but determined to prove that somehow, even with the right set of values, business can be done, successfully. So secretly and unsurely he starts with one client Sherena (played by Shahzahn Padamsee who later in the film becomes his love interest) and when that's a hit he can't seem to stop himself.


The thrill of business takes Harpreet places. It makes him get his colleagues involved too. The first one is the computer engineer, who doesn't give a damn if the whole world knows about his obsession with the opposite sex. The second one to get in is the telephone operator  (Gauhar Khan) who is a silent spectator with a lot of cards in her hand. It's her simple gesture of kindness that makes Harpreet realize that he can trust her and also that she is a lady with resources. The third person to get involved is the peon, who like many knows a lot more than what one expects of an office-boy. Purely through his practical experience, he becomes qualified enough to help in assembling computer parts. The fourth addition is the unexpected entry of the shark, the office manager who no one else on the team trusts, however this eclectic team of five with their varied knowledge simply make the business boom. So much so that Rocket Sales Corporation becomes a competition to their mother company AYS. That's when all hell breaks loose and Harpreet's rocket comes crashing down. However, the story does not have a tragic ending. Instead it ends with a good message. "Believe in yourself. Goodness pays."


Harpreet's life is full of stereotypical characters like the friends who are there for you no matter what, shrewd sales manager who has learned to climb the ladder by buttering the boss, the receptionist who is forced to think of herself as the eye-candy, the boss who preaches but does not practice, the fried- haired computer engineer and of course the pushy salesman. All these characters seem to fill the screen and the movie reaches its interval with the proper pace. However, it's after the interval that the movie seems to drag a bit. The time taken for Harpreet's redemption, after he loses in the game of business, seems to take forever.


The chemistry between Harpreet and his grandfather is adorable. But the one between Ranbir and Shazahn is not at all happening.


The movie has a few witty one-liners like- Itna frustrate mat ho ki castrate ho jaye. But comedy and entertainment is not the focus of the film. Even the songs are just about average with only the hook- Pocket mein rocket hain ringing in your ears. Rest of the songs are easily forgotten. Shimit Amin, it seems has taken the Madhur Bhandarkar route. Concentrate on one industry and then wash the dirty laundry on-screen. However, the negativity is quite toned down, more like on the lines of Luck By Chance where reality has been shown. We know it happens in the real world but we also don't like it.


Ranbir Kapoor totally takes the responsibility of the whole film on his shoulders. He slips into his character quite effortlessly. The nervousness and eagerness when you take up a new job is perfectly balanced on his face. The frustrated confusion, anger, Ranbir sure knows how to handle them all. His is a job well done of holding the plot together.


Prem Chopra brings some of the old world charm into the film. He is surely an attraction for the seniors visiting the theatre. His concern for grandkids will be related to by many!


Gauhar Khan sure has come a long way when it comes to acting. It's amazing how she handled the ramp, then the small screen and now the big screen.


Shahzahn Padamsee did not have to strive at all given her character. She is just being herself in the film and that seems to work.


The film may seem a bit dry to those who are looking for typical entertainment. But for the audience that is looking for entertainment in new forms and is not into the mush of romance, the jazz of family drama, the eardrum shattering thunder of action films but is into simply watching movie with no fuss but an underlying message can definitely empty their pocket for this rocket!


Rating: ***


Reporter and Author: Susan Jose