Rashmi Rocket: The Rocket Reached Where It Belongs To

Inspired by actual events, Rashmi Rocket is the story of a blazing sprinter whose rise to the top is spoiled by a secret gender test.

Will she resign to destiny or contest the prejudice and conspiracy against her for the enormous benefit of the women athletes of India?

Review

Rashmi Rocket is the story of a woman accused of being a man. The year is 2014. Rashmi Vira (Taapsee Pannu) from Bhuj (Gujarat, India) is a tour guide. She’s a great runner, but she had to quit running after losing her father in the 2001 earthquake.

At that time, she was running in a tournament when the quake struck. She was so lost in the running that she didn’t even realize the chaos around her.

Her mother, Bhanuben (Supriya Pathak), then brought her up and began to fight for women’s rights in her village. Rashmi gets into fights with the boys and is rebellious at heart.

Her boyish mannerisms instantly set her apart from the other girls of her age, but beyond all of that, the one thing that makes her special is her ability to sprint like a cheetah. 

Since she resides in an army area, she is good friends with an army doctor, Dr. Ejaz Qureshi (Akash Khurana). He introduces her to Captain Gagan Thakur (Priyanshu Painyuli). Encouraged by family members, especially her mother, Rashmi represents India in the Asian Games. All is well before a gender test instantly ends her career, breaking her spirit and morale, questioning her very identity as a woman.

The Cast

Taapsee Pannu once again proves her strength, representing Rashmi’s persona, physically and mentally. She keeps the Gujarati accent and the masculine bit restrained, and that works.

Her effort to celebrate Rashmi’s success and encounter her pain is as real as it gets, and the actress doesn’t miss even a beat when it comes to making us laud for her character. 

There are plenty of character actors, each one performing their role to perfection. Priyanshu Painyuli is charming as the supportive husband, who stands by the love of his life when the odds are firmly against her. 

Abhishek Banerjee does well as Rashmi’s wacky but strong-headed lawyer. 

Supriya Pilgaonkar is suitable as the judge, and Mantra is well-cast as the stringent coach of Rashmi’s team.

Supriya Pathak is lovely, but her track could have been more convincing in the second half. 

Manoj Joshi and Akash Khurana are adorable in the guest appearances.

The same goes for Varun Badola (Dilip Chopra). Umesh Prakash Jagtap leaves a mark with just a couple of scenes. 

Zafar Karachiwala (Mangesh Desai) puts up a praiseworthy act. Aseem Jayadev Hattangady (Praveen Sood) and Kshiti Jog (Dr. Mhatre) are decent in their part.

Lisha Bajaj has a striking presence, and Shweta Tripathi Sharma (Maya Bhasin) is terrific in a cameo.

Overall Review

Amit Trivedi’s music and Kausar Munir’s lyrics go smooth from inspiring to emotional. 

With powerful performances, ‘Rashmi Rocket’ fires all cylinders and keeping the course of entertaining, informing, and educating its audience about an antiquated practice that should be left far behind in the race against inequality and bias.

On the whole, Rashmi Rocket tackles an important issue and is packed with a powerful performance by Taapsee Pannu and the whole team.