Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year

Rocket Singh:Salesman of the year 8/10

One of the best movies of this year.

Well, watched it last night but couldn't get a chance to write about it. I had my eyes on it since its news came in papers that a movie of such a name is going to be released. I made a it in my mind it being a must watch and yesterday I got a chance to watch it.

Its about a new guy in salesman-world, how he handles all those un-realistic goals set by his boss, clients and tackles his ideologies.

Now the movie has very dynamic characters with most witty and cut-throat dialogs ever seen or heard.

Don't go to watch this movie thinking of watching Ranabir giving a very powerful performance. IMO each and every character has given same brilliant performance as anyone.

Specially mentionable are D. Santosh (PC assembler), he has the most witty and funny lines in the movie. After he opens his mouth in the movie for the first time, you'll always be eager to listen to him whenever he comes again. And, he never disappoints you. Koena (Gauhar Khan as operator) has the all cut-throat dialogs. Executes her role properly. Nitin (the boss) is very good. His parts are very well crafted. One thing I want to mention is that, only two scenes in the movie brings out the feel that this is a movie and its the two scenes where he's leading. Chotelal as peon, is a good character. Puri as the M.D. is also good character.

Another thing I like is the choice of girl as GF for Ranbir. She is not very beautiful or so-called actress material. She is just another girl-next-door character that u interact everyday but ignore. Yes that is the kind of gal who can be GF of the character Ranbir is playing in this movie. Hats off to whoever did the casting. Not a single character is out-of-place.

If I analyze the movie:- Acting: Brilliant Screenplay: Asset of the movie Directing: Brilliant Cinematography: Very good, just watch out for the initial scenes when the title rolls and the background chosen for it. Simple but portrays enough. Editing: One and only weak point of this movie. Could have been much shorter than its current length. A few stretched scenes just spoils its sleek approach.

In a nutshell: its directed to a part of the crowd, not everyone would like it or understand it. But, whoever is somehow related to sales or any corporate would find something in it. (At least for India its true :P)

This is not an usual Bollywood flick with songs, action and comedy. The movie revolves around a Sikh graduate(portrayed authentically by Ranbir Kapoor) who aspires to be salesman. As he steps into the corporate world, he is shocked by the reality of sales business where unethical practices, cut-throat atmosphere, unrealistic targets, selling products with high markups are norms & customers are seen just as numbers. He doesn't wishes to abide by these norms drawing a lot of flak from seniors and colleagues and gets isolated by them.

He realises that by being nice one can never survive in this competitive world. So he decides to crave his way through the sales business by following his ideology of treating customer as people with heart not as numbers as they are the one who gives business to them and not the other way around. Also stressing on services before sales.

Realistic movie, definitely worth a watch.

Wow. What an unexpected surprise! Fresh out of the box... Rocket Singh looks you in the eye with an innocent yet promising look - as if it were saying, "I'm sweet, amn't I?" And you have no choice but to agree.

It's full of everything - subtle, clean, sensible, humane, but, above all, GENUINE humour; witty dialogues that make you smile; a good flow; touching moments; moments that make you smile... and what else do you want? Oh, yes, ladies and gentlemen, Rocket Singh - Salesman of the Year is worth every penny you spend on it. It starts with a humorous yet touching scene, where our very own Harpreet (Ranbir Kapoor) finds out that he's passed his MBA - with 39%. You expect him to cry, be frightened, sweat... but no. He smiles, and thanks Wahe Guru. And then he says, "Number kam hai, dimaag nahin." Rocket Singh is that boat-ride that makes you want more and more of it. This year has been full of disappointments for the industry, starting with the strike, moving on to some drastic releases... but here we are! One of those gems that bollywood has produced this year... after Dev.D, Kaminey, Paa... Rocket Singh.

It has a soothing soundtrack and some amazing moments, and it once again reminds us why Sardars are some of the most amazing people on this earth. The biggest disappointment to me was that the first day first show hall here, in Punjab, was only 1/5th full. What could be more disastrous? We have people rushing to see an SRK or an Aamir Khan production, but why are the seats empty in better movies like Paa, Kaminey, and now Rocket Singh? Why don't we have to FIGHT for the ticket? I give it a well-deserved 8/10, and I'm cutting off 2 merely because it ended.

And yes, people. Go watch it.

I promise you'll smile.

I went to watch Rocket Singh with the expectation to see a good movie knowing that the same creative team (Shimit Amin and Jaideep) had put together a good movie previously with Chak De India. By the time "Rocket Singh" was over I sat in my seat spell bound and amazed by some excellent story telling by the same creative team. Half way thru the movie I was certain that I was witnessing a special piece of work by a talented team. What works for Rocket Singh is an absolutely crisp script, screen play, dialogues (some of which are very witty), sharp direction and awesome performance by an amazingly talented cast. The casting fits perfectly and Ranbeer deserves special mention for his performance, it is hard to believe that he is only a handful of movies old as an actor. In fact I could not pick anything negative or faulty with the film in my first viewing. Coming to the plot itself, it is about a fresh graduate with ordinary grades who lands a trainee salesman job and is shocked to see the cut throat methods used to succeed both at individual and team levels. He is soon found wanting in terms of the "killer" instinct necessary to survive. But he continues to believe in his ways and shows everyone how success is achieved with out resorting to cut throat/unethical means. The climax is very interesting; the conversation between "Rocket Singh" and Mr. Puri (his ex-employer) is one of the highlights of the movie.

In summary Indian cinema needs more of these movies - engaging stories of "real" people made with utmost attention paid to the story itself. Indian cinema can do with out "Love stories that have blood on them".

--S Rao

The way the opening credits are presented, they raise your expectations from the film. And the first 30 minutes are typically reflective of a salesman's life. It is easy to connect with the situations and giggle at the workplace jokes. Our protagonist has just barely graduated & wants to make a career in sales. But he is naive, and has to learn the tricks of the trade soon. To complicate matters, he has demanding bosses & non co-operative peers. Been there.

But soon enough, our guy, with a few other employees of the same company, hatches a plan to prove a point & make some money by creating a dummy company that provides superior service & works on ethical lines only. A good intentioned simple storyline from Jaideep Sahni, but a bit too far-fetched. So, once again, it is up to the director & the actors to elevate it. And they do. Once you get past the fake moustaches & loose wigs, the movie engages you. The script is kept tight & there are no silly song & dance routines to break the flow.

Ranbir Kapoor & Prem Chopra (who plays Ranbir's grandfather) have very good chemistry & all their scenes together are so real & touchy. Ranbir's friends & his love interest do have their moments in the sun, but the movie is not about them. As the director did with ChakDe India, the characters who take the movie forward, including the office peon & the receptionist, are developed well & are given ample screen time & they also carry their characters with ease. Salim-Suleiman have little to do barring the title track (which is missing in the movie), because the movie is not a dramatic melting pot a la Chakde. The screenplay is good, direction is good, and the actors deliver. What the film really lacks is a climax. It ends without a bang; it ends all so smoothly, with a social message thrown in.

One thing that this film confirms is that, in Ranbir Kapoor, we have found the next big thing. As with all his other movies this year, he gets right under the skin of the character, hence making it utterly believable. A director's actor, never the star. 2009 may well be the year in which all his movies came oh too close to being the biggest hits of the year. Rocket Singh may well be the next in that category.