Rukh

AN EXCITING AND UNUSUAL THRILLER

Rukh Story: After the sudden death of his father Diwakar Mathur (Manoj Bajpayee), young Dhruv comes back from boarding school to be with his mother Nandini (Smita Tambe). As days go by, he begins to suspect that his father’s death is probably not an accident but a murder..

Rukh Review: As far as thrillers go, ‘Rukh’ is a one-of-a kind Hindi film. It does not travel at a breakneck speed as most thrillers do, but the timing is not slow either. The film moves at a perfectly natural pace. At its heart, ‘Rukh’ is a coming-of-age film. In the beginning we see Dhruv, an aggressive young boy whose life changes when he is sent to a boarding for assaulting his schoolmate. But as another tragedy strikes, with the passing of his father in a violent road accident, Dhruv has to make certain choices which will affect how his life shapes up. Does he give in to anger and spiral out? Or does he look at things for what they truly are?

First time filmmaker Atanu Mukherjee seems to have been inspired by Akira Kurosawa’s 'Rashomon'. He uses a similar plot device as the classic, where Dhruv gets to know about the last days of his father’s life from the point of view of several characters that have a stake in the proceedings. And the ploy doesn’t seem wasted or gimmicky either, because you get to the truth along with the protagonist.

Performances by Kumud Mishra as the wily business partner and by Smita Tambe as the guilt-struck, grieving mother are excellent. Manoj Bajpayee, as usual, does a fine job with the limited screen time he has. Adarsh Gourav, who has done bit parts in 'My Name is Khan' and 'Mom' stands out in his role as a sensitive, brooding protagonist. He never goes overboard and delivers a mature and authentic performance. The film is not bereft of humour either, as is employed through the dialogues by Vasan Bala. Lyrics by Sidhant Mago are poetic and blend naturally with the film’s theme, as does the music by Amit Trivedi. The cinematography by Pooja Gupte is refreshing as she keeps a majority of the frames interesting and doesn’t let the film become a dull, dark exercise.

It’s a rare, mature thriller that delivers the goods and keeps you engrossed. Don't let this small film slip under the radar, because this will stay with you long after you leave the theatre.