One Line Review: Rashmi Rocket is a documentary that is important to watch because it looks beyond the glamour of medals and into the reality of how female athletes are treated in the arena.
YouTube Trailer Rashmi Rocket
Starring: Taapsee Pannu
Director: Akarsh Khuranna
Release Date: 15 Oct 2021
Introduction
Rashmi Rocket (2021), a Zee5 original movie starring Taapsee Pannu, is a tribute to the anguish and struggles of all female athletes around the world. With direction by Akarsh Khurana and production by Ronnie Screwvala, Neha Anand, and Pranjal Khandiya (RSVP and Mango People Media), the film examines the patriarchal system, which degrades and works unfairly against women and athletes of different gender identities on and off the field of competition. The story is written by Nanda Periyasamy, and the screenplay is written by Aniruddha Guha. The film has a running time of slightly more than 2 hours.
Plot Analysis
Taking place in the marshy white land of Kutch, the film tells the story of Rashmi, a gifted athlete who uses her talent to become the pride of the nation while also falling prey to envious eyes and a patriarchal system that is out of touch with modern times. Rashmi is exposed to the harsh realities of being a woman in a male-dominated world, as well as the humiliating practice of gender testing female athletes, as a result of her rise to national prominence as a leading athlete.
A world that is prejudiced against women who are on the rise
Rashmi Rocket makes no attempt to conceal the unscientific and disgraceful practice of gender testing female athletes, which is an archaic process designed solely to prevent women from reaching their full potential. When we watch this sports drama, we are emotionally challenged to look beyond the stereotypical norms that were established when gender-identify did not have a platform to be heard in this world. There is more to Rashmi’s story than what is seen on screen. Nonetheless, it is inspired by the struggles of several female athletes whose gender identity has been called into question and whose sporting careers have been derailed as a result of female hyperandrogenism.
Despite the fact that the film does not explicitly state that it is a biopic, a few scenes in the film clearly allude to Dutee Chand’s expulsion from the Indian contingent for the 2014 Commonwealth Games and the subsequent lawsuit known as Dutee Chand v. Athletics Federation of India (AFI) & International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). Aspects of the film that deal with violations of human rights and invasions of privacy allude to Dutee Chand’s case as well. Nonetheless, as mentioned in the film, the situation depicted in the picture is one that many female athletes are forced to deal with on a daily basis.
Taapsee Pannu
Taapsee Pannu turns in yet another stunning performance on the big screen. Her character of Rashmi frequently reminds the audience of her role as Rumi in the 2018 film Manmarziyaan, which she also stars in. Taapsee’s body language, makeup, and build are commendable for a female track athlete who is suffering from a case of testosterone imbalance, and it only serves to demonstrate how hard she has worked to achieve this role. Ishit is played by Abhishek Banerjee, who plays the role of a young and ambitious lawyer with a hint of comic elements that make his character all the more memorable. Meanwhile, Supriya Pathak and Priyanshu Painyuli do an outstanding job in their respective roles.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, Rashmi Rocket is a documentary that is important to watch because it looks beyond the glamour of medals and into the reality of how female athletes are treated in the arena. On a personal level, this sports drama is similar to the 2017 film Wind River, directed by Taylor Sheridan, in that it attempts to present the truth on our screens without a lot of fanfare or digression.
