An unintentional comedy

Akshay Kumar-starrer Rustom undermines the fascinating legal proceedings of the Nanavati case to present a tale of love and betrayal

The trailer may not give it away but Rustom is the latest Akshay Kumar comedy. Fuelled by imagination and unencumbered by fact, this is such a brazen star-driven venture, it is almost surprising that Kumar did not make his typical entrance using a flashy motorcycle or aerial harness. In this regard, at least, it seems the film has tried to remain loyal to its setting of 1959.

The case that inspired Rustom is one that had changed the Indian legal set-up. The sensational trial of K M Nanavati, who was charged with murdering his wife's lover, led to the scrapping of the jury system as it was found jurors were susceptible to media bias and popular sentiment. This aspect is undermined in the Bollywood effort.

Director Tinu Suresh Desai and writer Vipul Rawal spin a tale that mixes the marital betrayal angle with a larger story about a murky defence deal. An unmemorable song depicts the romance between London-based Cynthia (Ileana D'Cruz) and high-ranked navy officer Rustom Pavri (Kumar), which quickly concludes in marriage. They soon come in contact with businessman Vikram Makhija (Arjan Bajwa) and his sister Priti (Esha Gupta), who have seemingly ulterior motives. Later when Pavri returns from sea early, and finds Vikram has been courting Cynthia, a confrontation leads to the businessman's death.

Court proceedings that seek to find if this was preordained murder, an act of self-defence, or something darker, form the rest of the film. In the courtroom, however, Rustom turns into a Rajkumar Hirani-style affair - a no-holds-barred crowd-pleaser. Pavri argues his own case to ensure maximum screen time for Kumar. At one point during his strained cross-examination of his wife, the public prosecutor Khangani (Sachin Khedekar) rolls his eyes. That is a relatable reaction.

The interrogations that precede this portion of the film are more effective. Pawan Malhotra is great as Vincent Lobo, the investigating officer, and his questioning of Pavri and various witnesses is done well. An English tabloid editor Billimoria, responsible for leaking the story and winning sympathy for Pavri, is depicted as a bumbling man who often breaks into Gujarati. He becomes comic relief rather than a key player. Although this was a period when the country was barely out of British rule, the characters stick to speaking dramatic Hindi.

Rustom is not entirely without redeeming qualities. Even if a lot of the humour is unintentional, there are moments that are quite funny. The young newspaper boy making sales outside the court is stellar, for instance. The courtroom jokes too, if you can excuse the liberties taken, succeed in parts. Countless vintage cars sparkle and beguile. The combination of sets and special effects used to recreate Bombay of the late 1950s sometimes works.

As for the characters, D'Cruz's role is inconsistent, switching randomly from impressionable to apologetic to shrewd. But her admission to being lonely, naïve and even stupid explains this to some extent. Gupta mainly provides glamour as the Marilyn Monroe-esque Priti. Her cigarettes are attached to long black stems and she answers the phone in delicate dresses. Kumar seems every bit the strong navy man, poker-faced except for the stray tear. At one point, he tells a woman she is "looking very gorgeous today", but still sounds as if he were greeting a senior officer.

The attempt overall seems to be to create a whodunit where predictably Kumar's character comes out on top. Pavri is the honest, loving man who "did the right thing in the wrong way'. That last bit can be said of the film too, which picked an interesting story but told it poorly.