Rashmi Rocket: Makes A Powerful Statement
Yogendra is freelance writer
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By Yogendra
First publised on 2021-10-18 08:36:55
About the Author
Yogendra is freelance writer
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What happens when a promising new female athlete bursts on the scene and breaks a few records, wins a few gold medals and runs like no one has done before her? In India (although directed by the international federation), questions are raised about her gender and she is subjected to the humiliating and archaic 'gender test' that measures the testosterone level in her blood to find out if she is indeed a female. This happened with Dutee Chand in real life and the makers of Rashmi Rocket have dramatized her story to come up with a film that is powerful in parts and raises many questions about why exceptional performance from female athletes is not taken at face value.
In the film, Rashmi Vira (Taapsee Pannu) is a girl from Bhuj in Gujarat who is shown to beat boys when it comes to running. The point is excessively hammered in by townspeople who keep asking "choro hai ke" (is she a boy). But when Rashmi graduates to running competitively, federation politics raises its ugly head. Jealousy, nepotism and underhand dealings all combine to reduce her achievements to a 'distorted' gender. She is subjected to several tests and her consent is obtained by misrepresenting facts and it is proved that her testosterone levels were much higher than a normal female and hence she was actually a 'male' masquerading as a female. She is stripped of the medals and is banned from running again. She is broken and despite egging on by her mother, her fiancé and an activist lawyer, initially refuses to fight the case in court.
But when she does decide to fight and the film moves to the courtroom, it comes into its own. Although it becomes excessively filmy at times, with even the judge asking her lawyer (Abhishek Banerjee in a low profile but impactful role) whether he sees too many Hindi films as he indulges in drama, there are several points made which work in its favour. Like the time when the Banerjee asks a doctor whether the longer limbs of Michael Phelps were as instrumental in him getting so many medals as the high testosterone levels of Rashmi. In the end, when the active involvement of a federation member and his daughter are proved and the so-called gender test is rubbished, the judge lifts the ban and allows Rashmi to compete again.
Taapsee Pannu shows the spark in some scenes while she is mediocre in others, reflecting the overall tone of the film. The training and actual competition scenes are well shot and move the film forward. The support cast is good. The song Zidd succinctly reflects the will of the spirited sprinter in the second part of the film. Rashmi Rocket makes a powerful statement for female athletes and is good to watch.
