Rocketry: The Nambi Effect is a biopic film based on the life of distinguished space scientist Dr. Nambi Narayanan, written and directed by R Madhavan. The film has Madhavan himself in the lead role alongside Simran, while Ravi Raghavendra, Muralidharan, Shyam Renganathan, Sam Mohan and others play crucial supporting roles. Suriya has played a cameo as well. The music is composed by Sam CS and the cinematography is handled by Sirsha Ray.
Being a biopic, it is impossible for a film to capture every single moment of the subject's life. And hence, Rocketry, the biopic of Nambi Narayanan, a rocket-scientist who was accused of espionage, follows his journey and focusses majorly on three aspects. First, his stint in the US, at Princeton University. Then his days at the ISRO, and finally about how his family suffered due to the false charges that were stacked up against a man of this stature. The story is told in a non-linear way, through an interview with actor Suriya (who plays himself).
The film begins with a shot of Nambi's family having a good time together, cracking jokes, and each one getting ready for their day ahead, not knowing the impending doom that's waiting for them. Even us, the audience, are given the first big shock when we see what the entire family is subjected to on the day of Nambi's arrest. His sons and daughters are attacked with sticks, stones and even cow dung. His wife is sent out of a wedding, and he is attacked by the police before the arrest.
After this point, we are introduced to the scientific capabilities and achievements of Nambi Narayanan, and you're constantly switching between two reactions - Highly Amazed and a little confused. While it is easy for the audience to understand that Princeton is an Ivy League University and getting a scholarship is a great achievement, the scientific jargon that is thrown around creates a disconnect between the film and the audience in general.
The second half completely deals with the sufferings of the man and his family, and has more emotions, and the story becomes predictable as well. But there are plenty of moments where you feel like your heart is being squeezed. A couple of those include the scenes that involve Simran, and another one where Nambi and his wife are thrown out of an auto while it's heavily raining.
The film is supported heavily by the lead actors - Madhavan and Simran, with the latter outperforming the latter at many places. Such is the healthy competition between both the fantastic actors up front. The supporting cast also contributed well and the scenes shot in the US, Scotland and USSR adds authenticity to the biopic.
Sam CS' music is another backbone for Rocketry. He amplifies the dramatic portions well and makes sure the scenes are impactful, while the scenes where Nambi achieves a lot of things, the score becomes more rousing. His work is solid and makes the film far better than what it should have been. Special credits should be given to the person who did the make up for Madhavan, as he resembles Nambi Narayanan in every part of his life, be it the 30's or the late 70's.
While Madhavan has succeeded as an actor in the film, the direction could have been better, but for a debutant director its praise worthy. It is the curiosity to know what happened to Nambi Narayanan that keeps us invested in the film. Whether it's an engaging/entertaining film or not is a debate for another day, but it is important to document the life of a hero whom we failed to celebrate, and Rocketry does exactly that.