Rashmi Rocket is not based on the life of one person: Director Akarsh Khurana on Taapsee Pannu starrer

Rashmi Rocket has put the discussion of gender testing back on the map after many athletes have had to undergo it for several years now. The film is directed by Akarsh Khurana and features Taapsee Pannu in the titular role of an athlete. The actor is seen as a gifted athlete who faces discrimination for not being conventional 'feminine'. Now during an interaction with PTI, Akarsh spoke at length about making Rashmi Rocket and how it's a dramatised version of the struggles of women athletes.

The original screenplay of the film is by Nanda Periyasamy and talking about the story, Akarsh told the media agency, "It is not based on the life of one person. It is inspired by the struggles of various female athletes, Indian and international."

The filmmaker revealed the interesting thing is that where there's a situation like gender testing, the awareness about it is only restricted to a couple of high-profile cases that may have come in the news.

Akarsh also said that Nanda shared there are so many cases in villages and other states that many aren't even aware of. He added that all of this often goes on under the radar but this is sadly a widespread practice.

Khurana added, "Besides the fact that some people in real life have undergone this practice, this is a completely fictionalised version of events. It's a completely different story... The circumstances of the gender test, and events after the test are completely created and it is not like anyone's life."

Rashmi Rocket also stars Priyanshu Painyuli, Supriya Pathak Kapur, Abhishek Banerjee and Supriya Pilgaonkar in supporting roles. The film is produced by RSVP and Mango People Media, while the screenplay is co-written by Aniruddha Guha and Kanika Dhillon. Rashmi Rocket has skipped theatrical release and will be streaming on ZEE5 from October 15, 2021.