Rocketry - Shooting Stars

Rocketry: The Nambi Effect

2022, English & Tamil

Directed by R Madhavan

Stars:  R Madhavan, Ravi Raghavendra, Simran, Karina Matas Piper, Gulshan Grover, Sam Mohan, Sriram Parthasarathy,  Nambi Narayanan 

Mohan's Measure ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The heart-wrenching story of the arrest, torture, harassment and character assassination of ISRO lead scientist Dr.  Nambi Narayanan is something those of us living in the West would not have heard about, nor perhaps cared about, in an era when stocks were soaring and immigrants were finding high paying careers. But the truth needed to be told, and it is through this well directed and thought provoking biopic.

Director/Writer/Actor Madhavan portrays Dr. Narayanan as the complex man he is. He is an urban man, a Tamil man, and a driven man. His love for his wife and kids is tempered by an unfettered dedication to his job and country. He is a man of faith in a world of rationalism, an honest man who uses the system, a ladies man who stays committed to the woman he loves. He has deep principles, but is willing to put them aside if it means the good of the country. 

It seems the world doesn't like men like this, so it looks for ways to destroy them. In this case, an unknown enemy remains and has not been identified to this day. 

But the real enemy is not the unknown traitor, but society itself, which is quick to pass judgment, but reluctant to forgive. Such biases are there everywhere, but in status conscious India, it can destroy your very being. 

Such can be seen in Simran's powerful and frightening performance as the scientist's wife. She is a high society matron who is ostracized by popular notions and tortured by her community to a madness the real Mrs. Narayanan struggles with even now, nearly three decades later. Simran's performance is understated until just the right moment such that it shocks us in visceral ways. 

The rest of the cast, including the Americans and British actors, augment the story with a touch of Western fascination. But the presence of Sooriya as interviewer turns a largely English language movie into great Tamil cinema.