Rocketry: The Nambi Effect movie review: Despite flaws, Madhavan's earnest attempt manages to engage viewers

3/5

Story: An ambitious rocket scientist, who aspires to pull off path-breaking missions in Indian Space Research Organization, gets framed in an espionage case, which turns his personal and professional lives topsy-turvy. After spending several days in prison, he fights a legal battle which lasts for more than two decades. The movie, which is based on Nambi Narayanan's life, chronicles his journey.  

Review: Making a biopic on an extraordinary genius requires utmost effort in terms of screenplay, performances and making. And if it's about a person who is quite popular and his life being a roller-coaster ride involving lots of adventure, determination, setbacks, twists and turns, a gripping narration is what the audience would expect.

Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, directed and performed by Madhavan in lead role, is based on ambitious ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan who has witnessed several ups and downs in his professional and personal lives. As someone who faced espionage allegations for years which troubled him in multiple ways, only a crackling thriller would satiate movie buffs when a feature film is made on him.  

The movie begins with Nambi (Madhavan) getting arrested for leaking confidential information related to the country's security to the neighbouring nation and how his family members including his wife Meena (Simran) go through the ordeal in the early 90s. Cut to the present, his life story is narrated through a flashback when actor Suriya (plays himself) interviews Nambi for a television channel.

Rocketry: The Nambi Effect chronicles Nambi's life from the 60s; some of the scenes involving his life in the prestigious Princeton University, his conversations with former President of India APJ Abdul Kalam, the reason for which he rejects an offer from NASA are quite insightful.

Though the conversations between Nambi and non-Indian scientists are presented in Tamil which makes the lip-sync weird, it doesn't affect the narration much. The making lacks finesse and is evident in a few sequences. The bevy of technical jargons in the first half makes it uneasy for the audience to invest completely in the narration.

But the proceedings become comparatively engaging in the latter half. The emotional scenes work big time, thanks to the effective staging of sequences featuring Nambi and his family members. An interrogation scene in which he is brutally treated, the manner in which a police officer frames him and the violent reaction from the public after he is considered a traitor are heartbreaking.

Madhavan single-handedly shoulders the movie with his effortless performance as the determined scientist and the disheartened, but strong family man. Many actors have been aptly cast in their roles, but it is Simran who leaves an impact among them. Her chemistry with Madhavan is effective, and complements the compelling narration in the latter half.

The technical aspects are okayish, but could have been much better to elevate some of the crucial sequences in the film. There are a few scenes which have ample scope to offer thrills. The ideas look interesting on paper, but the execution falters because of which we aren't glued to our seats.

The slow-paced narration at a few instances and the partly insipid making reminds us of documentary filmmaking style. Nevertheless, Rocketry: The Nambi Effect is an earnest attempt to present the life story of one of the biggest visionaries the country has ever witnessed.

Verdict: The film succeeds in showcasing the struggles faced by Nambi Narayanan to a decent extent. The movie could have worked wonders had the technical aspects and screenplay been tightened.