For decades, sport governing bodies have regulated women’s participation in sport through ‘gender testing', which is a practice that violates fundamental rights to privacy. Coercing some women into invasive and unnecessary medical interventions as a condition to compete in certain events, especially athletics, has led to the ruining of their careers and lives.
Taapsee Pannu-starrer Rashmi Rocket is based on this. A gifted athlete who brings glory and unprecedented fame to the country is banned from racing because of the presence of high testosterone levels, which is found after she is subjected to a humiliating gender test. This is a powerful story and, by the end of the film, the message is loud and clear—India must take a stand on banning the international norms of gender testing for female athletes. Pannu is every bit believable as a young sprinter Rashmi Vira from a Kutch village, who decides to exploit her talent by competing in national and international games but soon becomes a victim to nepotism and jealousy.
Once you're able to sit through the first part of the film, which is sluggish, boring and bland and appears totally staged, the story builds up to show Vira's resolve towards exploring the option of running as a career. The rest of the film moves at a fast pace with a gripping narrative and equally strong dialogues.
The comparison of Vira's predicament with that of real-life Indian athlete Dutee Chand is inevitable, though the film does not openly mention it. Chand became a prime example of how 'gender testing' can subject an athlete to public humiliation. After immense mental and physical trauma, and a public defence put up by her and supporters of human rights, Chand qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics, running the 100m in 11.24 seconds in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and breaking the national record. In Rashmi Rocket, Vira, too, achieves a similar feat which propels her further.
When Rashmi fails to pass a gender test, she is stripped of her dignity and the right to run. And that’s when a young lawyer promises to fight for her rights and a courtroom drama ensues which makes for the entire second part of the film.
While Rashmi Rocket makes for a decent watch for the subject, there are parts in the film where one is forced to question one's own intelligence. The film's music strikes a chord and leaves one humming long after the film is over. The dialogues - penned by Kanika Dhillon and Aniruddh Guha - are mostly conversational in nature. The supporting cast, too, is impressive, with Supriya Pilgaonkar in the role of Vira's mother, and others such as Priyanshu Painyuli, Varun Badola and Abhishek Banerjee, lending a fine hand.
Film: Rashmi Rocket
Language: Hindi
Director: Akarsh Khurana
Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Abhishek Banerjee, Supriya Pathak, and Priyanshu Painyuli
Rating: 3/5
OTT platform: Zee5
