Debutante Atanu Mukherjee breaks the concept of genre and gives a slice-of-life thriller Rukh. It's a story about a unhappy family and its predicaments. In the mold of a thriller the film follows a trajectory which scares you, makes you angry and then out-of-sudden you feel strong, then finally embracing tears of love and sacrifice. At core it is also a tale of greed and fragility of friendship but I won't tell about it more as that will give away the plot. But honestly, this is one rare Hindi film that showcases the fragility of friendship,unlike the "Yaarana" utopia depicted in mainstream Hindi cinema.. Also, there's a heart-warming tale of a father-son & how far a father can go/tries to give a better life for his offspring/family..Well, this is one area which is alien to me in my real life. So those who have experienced such a phenomenon may like it more. Mukherjee (& co-writer Akash Mohimen) keeps Dhruv at the front and along with him the mystery gets unraveled. The characterizations are top-notch. And then there are the fine performances – Manoj Bajpayee yet again; he is surely the most under-rated actor today. He gets able support from the dependable Kumud Mishra, Marathi actress Smita Tambe & Adarsh Gaurav (who is superb as Dhruv. After Mom & Rukh he is surely a talent to look for)... Rest is done by my favourite music director Amit Trivedi (& Sidhant Mago - lyricist) with two adequate songs which completes the film. Also, cheers to Sanglap Bhowmik (editing) & Anjo John (background score). While the end of the film celebrates "hope", I hope that this film gets recognized by its target audience over the period of time.
