Movie Review – Rukh – By Suhel Johar

Rukh Is An Off The Beaten Track Mystery Drama Film That Is Thrilling And Engrossing.  

 

Manoj Bajpayee, Smita Tambe and Adarsh Gourav starrer Rukh is a Mystery Drama film. It’s not easy to be courageous enough to challenge the genre-bound filmmaking, especially for a first time director. Atanu Mukherjee’s Rukh challenges existing norms and our sensibilities as we get confused in our attempt to fit this mystery drama in a bracket. It might look like a typical whodunit in the beginning, but you realise within minutes that Rukh is more about fighting the inner demons than those outside.

Rukh is the story of Dhruv (Adarsh Gourav) who is sent to a boarding school after he assaults one of his schoolmates. However, this is just the beginning of his troubles. Later, he gets the news that his father Diwakar Mathur (Manoj Bajpayee), a textile businessman, has died in a road accident. Dhruv comes back home to take care of his grieving mother Nandini (Smita Tambe), but as time passes and as he meets other people, he begins to realize that his father may have been murdered. There are a few suspects, at least in the mind of Dhruv. This sets him on a perilous journey of finding the real cause of his father’s death.

Dhruv is bewildered, amazed and even shocked while his dead father’s friends peel off layers from Diwakar’s personality and realises that his father had secrets. Dhruv explores the reasons behind the death of his father. In doing so, Dhruv also encounters his own demons that challenge him to retain his sanity and take the right decisions. But was there really a conspiracy? Was there more to his father than met the eye?

The perennially disturbed youngster tries to establish a connection with his father. He is vulnerable yet ready to fight and his character grows with the story. Dhruv’s quest for the truth is basically the reconstruction of events. A pre-conceived thought takes shape and there is enough fodder for him to believe that it’s a murder. We are sucked into the conversation and we have our own theories about the accident, but the truth has the power to demolish perceptions.

Rukh is a new kind of thriller that we seldom see in Bollywood. There have been various thrillers in the past, but Rukh is different, as it does not overdramatize things and moves at a natural pace which at times is very slow. And it is the pace which plays a spoilsport at times since the film gets sluggish and diverts your well-invested attention. But to categorise Rukh as an art-house film would be an injustice to debutante director Atanu Mukherjee’s talent. Rukh has its own narrative technique and it seems like Atanu has planned the film like a book. He takes us along on a journey. We are with him, even though we don’t know these characters. Actually, we believe what we want to believe.

The dimly lit metropolitan houses, the lonely streets, under-construction buildings and isolated beaches fill you with melancholy. Apart from the thriller aspect, the film explores the thought that how little youngsters know about their parents and yet, when the time comes, they are ready to defend them, even if it means risking their own life.

Atanu Mukherjee does a wonderful job in creating a world that looks harrowing and yet real, and even as he takes the movie to very dark and unpleasant places, there is a strong emotional connection between the characters that makes the movie watchable.

Atanu Mukherjee and Akash Mohimen’s story is simple yet interesting while their screenplay is well written and impressive. Vasan Bala’s dialogues could have been better. Cinematography by Pooja Gupte is average. Editing by Sanglap Bhowmick is not bad and could have been better. Music by Amit Trivedi is good. Rukh has just two songs Hai Baaki and Khidki, both play in the background and prove effective in the film.

Aadarsh Gourav shows range and sensibilities much beyond his age in his role of a teenage boy, who is destroyed by his loss and slowly becomes more and more unstable as he searches for the truth. He has delivered a mature and realistic performance and this one is certainly an upgrade for him after playing small roles in films such as Mom and My Name is Khan. The ever reliable Manoj Bajpayee is impeccable, even when he only has a limited role in the film. Smita Tambe is beautifully understated and presents a nuanced role of a bereaved wife and a protective mother. Kumud Mishra shines in his role.

On the whole, if you like thrillers, you should definitely watch Rukh despite a few glitches the film keeps you engrossed till the very end.