Rustom Reviews from various critics
Director: Tinu Suresh Desai
Producer: Neeraj Pandey, Aruna Bhatia
Cast:
Akshay Kumar as Commander Rustom Pavri
Ileana D’Cruz as Cynthia Pavri
Arjan Bajwa as Vikram Makhija
Esha Gupta
Run Time: 2 hours and 30 Minutes
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Review By:Rajeev Masand for CNNews 18
Alas, all of that drama is reduced to a farce in Rustom, which frankly is about as enjoyable as a toothache. In the end, Pavan Malhotra is typically dependable in the role of the investigating police officer, and Akshay Kumar shows some flair. They are the sole bright spots in Rustom, which is too long, wholly disappointing, and feels like an opportunity lost. I’m going with a generous two out of five.
Review By:Anupama Chopra for Film companion
The film is brave enough to give us a man who is so evolved that he understands and forgives his errant wife. But instead of exploring the dynamics of this, we get lost in heroism, corruption and courtroom dramatics. And truthfully, the only thing Parsi about Akshay is the name Rustom. I’m going with two stars.
Review By:Komal Nahta for Zee ETC
Tinu Suresh Desai’s direction is remarkable. Credit to him for extracting good work out of the cast members and for keeping the narration so engaging and entertaining. On the whole, Rustom is a box-office winner. It will keep the audience as also its producers, distributors and exhibitors happy and smiling.
Review By:Saibal Site for NDTV
Not interested in exploring the frailties that the flesh is heir to, Rustom opts for a facile and melodramatic approach to the 1959 murder case. The handsomely mounted but anodyne film plays out like a straightforward old school good-versus-evil tale in which the truly righteous are allowed a transgression or two in the face of provocation. Rustom is largely inoffensive, even passable in the main, but could have been infinitely better had the screenplay not been so utterly conventional and unimaginative.
Review By:Renuka Vyvahare for TOI
To cut to the chase, despite its multiple flaws, Rustom can be watched for Akshay Kumar, whose action/comic brilliance often overshadows his acting prowess. He reminds you to value the honest officers who serve our country with dignity and valour. He makes you want to support the man who probably did the right thing the wrong way.
Review By:Shubhra Gupta for Indian Express
the naval officer may have wielded the gun that caused the fellow to die, but he is no murderer: how can Akshay the Hero be a weak killer? That really is the weakest spot of the film, despite its leading man trying hard to fill his part with star appeal. In its zeal to make Akshay’s character noble, the script papers over his human weakness
Review By:Shaheen for Mid Day
Within minutes of the film’s opening, the crime is committed. You know the killer and the reason (well, almost). So, how do you sustain interest for over two hours of the running time? Well, add twists and turns just when the pace begins to slacken.With some tight editing, especially in the second half when the court scenes become a drag, it would have made for a more riveting watch. A great deal of attention has been paid to the detailing and production values, and that’s commendable, and so is the direction. ‘Rustom’ is worth a watch for Akshay’s sake.
Review By:Rohit Vats for Hindustan Times
The premise is fairly simple. Director Tinu Desai’s characters reveal themselves rather obviously: A heartbroken naval officer, his cheating wife, the Casanova lover, his evil sister, sympathetic cops, an ambitious reporter and an overtly confused jury. But, slowly and surely, the movie grips you. Akshay Kumar ensures that you root for Rustom Pavri. After Holiday, Baby and Airlift, it’s one more step for his brand of patriotism. It’s an intriguing film for sure.
Review By:BollywoodHungama
On the whole, RUSTOM comes across as a well crafted crime thriller that meets expectations. It has its share of captivating moments as well as the loose ones. At the Box-Office, competition in the form of MOHENJO DARO will limit its potential. However, the holiday period post the weekend and positive word of mouth will prove beneficial for the movie.
Review By:Sreeju for BollywoodLife
Rustom is not a bad film in essence, however a little more conviction in the narrative could have made it one of the best courtroom dramas of all time. Watch it purely for Akshay Kumar or watch it if you want to know the basic skeleton of the Nanavati case (if you are too lazy to read its Wikipedia page).
Review By:Surabhi for Koimoi
Rustom claims itself to be a work of fiction and hence glamorizes Rustom’s character overtly. His character seems too angelic. Watch or Not?: Yes! Rustom is recommendable for a weekend watch. It’s best if you watch this murder mystery thriller without its references to the Nanavati case. Rustom is a one-time watch. For those who just want to catch a flick without its relation to Nanavati case, it makes up for a decent watch. I plead guilty that I suggest this film!
Review By:Lokesh Dharmani for Masala
Rustom despite having an interesting plot tries to play safe, please everyone and resorts to Bollywood formulae of forced humour and even more forced insipid songs. I know it’s not fair to compare (but inevitable too), Rustom lacks the empathy of A Wednesday or the intrigue of Special 26.The film has all the right ingredients to make a flavourful, masala crime thriller. A naval commander kills his wife’s lover and surrenders. There is infidelity, power, national level secrecy and a murder. Alas, the film loses zing in its telling.
Review By:Sneha for Emirates
After ‘Special 26’, and ‘Baby’, this is possibly Akshay’s most honest act. Even the courtroom sequences are handled with finesse.The foundation of any credible courtroom drama lies in its writing, which Vipul offers to ‘Rustom’, but there are those rare moments of heightened theatrics, which creep in and damage ‘Rustom’. Yet, it deserves credit for pitching a story on a case that historically altered the Indian judiciary system.
A 2 STAR RATING FOR THE MOVIE
