Madhavan had stolen a heart with his smile and his acting capabilities. He turned director with Rocketry: The Nambi Effect. The actor turned director was in Kolkata to promote his debut film as a director.

Rocketry: The Nambi Effect is based on a former scientist and aerospace engineer of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Nambi Narayanan. The scientist was accused of espionage. However later he was cleared of the charges. The film shows the journey of Narayanan during his graduate days at Princeton University, his works as a scientist, and how false espionage charges were placed against him.

“There are films been made on freedom fighters, kings, queens. I appreciate these efforts. However, we must also honor the heroes of today’s times like the scientists and doctors who have been making our lives better. These people have no personal lives and they are devoting their entire lives to the betterment of humanity. We have great intellectual capital and these individuals are going abroad and making India proud. I felt that their stories must also be told and hence I made this film” said the actor-director.

The film has been shot in India, Russia, Georgia, Serbia, and France.

“When I approached other actors for the role, no one was willing to do the role. The same problem happened with the producers as well. When they learned that the film had no heroine and no songs, they backed out. As a result, I cast myself in the lead role and wore the cap of the director to make this story” said R. Madhavan.

Apart from R. Madhavan, the other members of the cast consist of Simran, Rajit Kapur, Ravi Raghavendra, Misha Ghoshal, Gulshan Grover, and others.

“We have not used prosthetics for showing the scientist at 79 years. The scientist’s life has been shown from 29 to 79 years. We have not used fake beards or mustaches. Everything is original. There is nothing fake. This has been done so that the audience can believe in the authenticity with which we have tried to showcase the scientist and his life” said Madhavan.

Shahrukh Khan and Suriya will make guest appearances in the film as their own selves. While SRK will be in the English and Hindi versions, Suriya will be there for the Tamil version. “They are superstars and yet they took out time from their busy schedule and shot for the film. They did not charge a single cent. I am grateful for the love that I have received from Bollywood” said the actor.

The film has been shot in live sound in Hindi, English, and Tamil. There has been no film that has been shot in live sound without dubbing. This is the first film to have done so.

Madhavan stressed the point that the film does not only show the good qualities of the scientist but also his drawbacks as well. It is not a glorification of the scientist but about his achievements as a scientist and his contribution to the field of science.

The music of the film has been composed by Sam C. S.

The film is slated to release on 1^st July.

Video link of the event- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRqHV7bsr-8

Priyanka Dutta