Rocketry: The Nambi Effect Depicts A Surreal Journey of The Unsung Hero, Scientist Nambi Narayanan

After taking the nation by storm with appreciation pouring all over the world, Madhavan’s directorial debut Rocketry: The Nambi Effect is now wreaking havoc around the social media platforms as it was made full of sharp ‘masala’ that heightens the tension throughout the entire film.

Rocketry: The Nambi Effect – One of a kind biographical drama that focuses on how an entire nation let down a great man, his phenomenal talent, and especially his loyalty to his country.

So, what’s the story all about?

At its core, the biography drama is based on the real story of ISRO Scientist Nambi Narayanan who is fondly known as a former rocket scientist with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) who was wrongly accused of spying and imprisoned in 1994. Madhavan had to undergo a physical transformation and wear various looks in order to play Nambi’s character at various ages in the film.

Meanwhile, Shah Rukh Khan features in the Hindi and English versions, and actor Suriya has played the same role in the Tamil version.

The mere fact that the writer loves this film is that there is no sugarcoating of incidents that we witness in most biographies as they tend to portray the lead as flawless. However, in Nambi it seems to be flawed. Despite showcasing his arrogance, he is unsympathetic to others and would go to a certain extent to achieve his goal. After all, these all come in the form of his patriotism towards the nation.

Apart from the powerful dialogues, Madhavan’s top-notch performances and direction needs a special mention. His transformation from a University student, Scientist and also transforming into the man, Dr. Nambi Narayanan himself, well he has definitely nailed it.

As we all know, scriptwriting and screenplay are important elements in directing a film, and we wouldn’t deny that Maddy has done a great job in developing the stories eventually. It invokes the right emotions and especially the climax part. Don’t be surprised if the climax even makes you cry. The fun fact is it even does generate some good and clean humour in the first half of the film. Moreover, some other scenes give spectators goosebumps, specifically during the France rocket testing moment that would make every Indian proud.

On an important note, the scenes between Former President Of India APJ Abdul Kalam and Dr. Nambi worked wonders that we watched with awe. And it reminds us of the saying Dream Big that APJ used to say whenever Nambi said He never settled for anything less.

Not to forget our favourite duo who share the screen space together after 20 years. From playing Simi & Dr. Madhava in Paarthale Paravasam to Indira & Thiru in Kannathil Muthamittal to playing Mr. & Mrs. Nambi Narayanan, their chemistry must be something, folks!

Speaking about Nambi Narayanan, let’s delve into the real story of the ISRO spy:

Decades have passed since S. Nambi Narayanan, along with another scientist accused of selling classified information on India’s cryogenic engine programme to Russia and Pakistan. To date, none of us knew why he was declared a ‘traitor’ who had sold Indian space secrets to Pakistan in exchange for sex with a woman he had never met.

He fought a legal battle to clear his name and in 1998, the Supreme Court found him not guilty of the charges. Trials and tribulations have made Nambi stoic yet the question still remains unanswered.

On the other hand, he was honoured with the Padma Bhushan in 2019 and was financially compensated for the trauma he had to endure. The evocation of Dr. Nambi’s story must now be an argument in favour of numerous activists and journalists rotting in prison on faux charges.

In the recent interview with TNM, Nambi has stated that “Only facts are narrated in the film. Certain portions had to be toned down for viewers, particularly the police torture. It was much more than what is shown in the film.”

As an audience, it’s hard to rate a film like Rocketry, as Maddy takes a lot of background research, homework, dedication, and diligence to pull all this off.

So, the writer would just say that although far from perfect, the film is worth watching because it depicts a story that needed to be known by netizens due to lack of exposure about the unsung hero.

Kudos to Madhavan, the one-man army who pulled this movie very well by being a debutant director. It’s a story that every Indian or as a matter of fact, everyone should know. The untold story of a true patriot and a great scientist shouldn’t be a miss to watch at your nearest theatres.