''Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year'' is a 2009 Indian

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

-language

comedy-drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...

film directed by

Shimit Amin Shimit Amin is an Indian American film director and film editing, editor. He is best known for the award-winning film ''Chak De! India'' (2007) starring Shah Rukh Khan. Biography Amin was born in Kampala, Uganda but grew up in Florida, in th ...

, written by

Jaideep Sahni Jaideep Sahni is an Indian screenwriter and lyricist who is known for his work in Hindi films. He has written screenplays for films such as '' Bunty Aur Babli'' (2005), ''Chak De! India'' (2007), '' Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year'' (2009) a ...

, and produced by

Aditya Chopra Aditya Chopra (born 21 May 1971) is an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter and studio executive who works in Hindi cinema. He is the Chairman of India's multi-national film, media, and entertainment conglomerate Yash Raj Films (YRF).

under the

Yash Raj Films Yash Raj Films (YRF) is an Indian film production and distribution company founded by filmmaker Yash Chopra in 1970. Since 2012, it has been led by his son Aditya Chopra. The company mainly produces and distributes Hindi films. History In 19 ...

banner. The film reunites the creative team behind ''Chak De! India'' (2007). It stars

Ranbir Kapoor Ranbir Kapoor (; born 28 September 1982) is an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi-language films. He is one of the highest-paid actors of Hindi cinema and has featured in ''Forbes India'' Celebrity 100 list since 2012. Kapoor is the re ...

in the title role of Harpreet S. Bedi, a newly graduated salesman navigating the ethical challenges of the corporate world. The cast also includes D. Santosh,

Gauahar Khan Gauahar Khan (born 23 August 1983) is an Indian actress, model and beauty pageant titleholder. She is Winner of Bigg Boss season 7, Gauhar appears in Hindi films and television. She started her career as a model and participated in the Femina ...

, and Naveen Kaushik, with supporting performances by

Prem Chopra Prem Chopra (born 23 September 1935) is an Indian actor in Hindi films. He has acted in 380 films over a span of over 60 years. Life and education Chopra, the third of six children of Ranveerlal and Rooprani Chopra, a Punjabi Hindu family, was ...

, Manish Chaudhari, and debutante

Shazahn Padamsee Shazahn Padamsee (born 18 October 1987) is an Indian actress and model who primarily works in Hindi and Telugu language, Telugu films. Daughter of noted actors Alyque Padamsee and Sharon Prabhakar, she made her first film appearance in the 2009 ...

. The narrative follows Harpreet, an honest and idealistic commerce graduate, who enters the competitive world of sales and forms his own parallel company after facing disillusionment at his workplace. The film explores themes of integrity, entrepreneurship, and resistance within rigid corporate hierarchies. ''Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year'' was released theatrically on 11 December 2009. Although it performed modestly at the box office, grossing ₹33.65 crore worldwide, it received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics. Kapoor's performance, along with the film’s concept and writing, were widely praised, while the screenplay and pacing drew some criticism. At the

55th Filmfare Awards The 55th Filmfare Awards were held on 27 February 2010 at the Yash Raj Studios in Mumbai, India. The awards given for 30 categories, out of which there were 3 special awards, 3 critics awards and 24 main awards for Hindi films released in 2009 ...

, the film received three nominations, including Best Story and Best Dialogue (both for Sahni), and won Best Actor (Critics) for Kapoor. In conjunction with the release, ASTPL launched a mobile video game adaptation based on the film.

Plot

Harpreet Singh Bedi, a recent B.Com graduate with modest academic credentials, begins working as a salesman at AYS, a corporate computer sales and services firm led by managing director Sunil Puri. Guided initially by sales head Nitin Rathore, Harpreet struggles to reconcile his idealism with the company's corrupt practices. When he reports a client’s request for a

bribe Bribery is the corrupt solicitation, payment, or acceptance of a private favor (a bribe) in exchange for official action. The purpose of a bribe is to influence the actions of the recipient, a person in charge of an official duty, to act contrar ...

, his actions alienate him from colleagues and nearly cost him his job. Determined to follow his values, Harpreet secretly forms a parallel company—Rocket Sales Corporation—with support from sympathetic coworkers:

technician A technician is a worker in a field of technology who is proficient in the relevant skill and technique, with a relatively practical understanding of the theoretical principles. Specialisation The term technician covers many different special ...

Girish “Giri” Reddy,

receptionist A receptionist is an Employment, employee taking an office or Business administration, administrative support position. The work is usually performed in a waiting room, waiting area such as a Lobby (room), lobby or front office desk of an organ ...

Koena Shaikh, and tea boy Chotelal Mishra. They operate covertly from within AYS, prioritizing

customer service Customer service is the assistance and advice provided by a company to those who buy or use its products or services, either in person or remotely. Customer service is often practiced in a way that reflects the strategies and values of a firm, and ...

over profit. Nitin eventually joins the venture, softening his stance on ethical sales practices. Rocket Sales gradually draws business away from AYS, frustrating Puri, who attempts to buy the rival company. Unaware of Harpreet's involvement, he is stunned when Harpreet rejects the offer and later discovers the company has been operating from within AYS. Harpreet and his team are fired, and Rocket Sales is absorbed by AYS for a token amount. However, AYS fails to uphold Rocket Sales' values, leading to its decline. In a gesture of reluctant respect, Puri returns the company to Harpreet, who restarts the business independently. The film ends with Rocket Sales thriving as a customer-first company, affirming Harpreet’s belief in ethical business practices.

Cast

Reception

''Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year'' received generally positive reviews from critics, with particular praise for its grounded narrative and

’s performance. Rachel Saltz of ''The New York Times'' described it as "a smart, focused

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...

movie," commending Kapoor for delivering "a skillfully understated performance."

Anupama Chopra Anupama Vinod Chopra () is an Indian author, journalist and film critic who served as the festival director of the Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image, MAMI Mumbai Film Festival from 2015 to 2023. She is also the founder and editor of the now-de ...

of ''

NDTV New Delhi Television Ltd is an Indian news media company focusing on broadcast and digital news publication. It was founded in 1984 by economist Prannoy Roy and journalist Radhika Roy. NDTV began as a production house for news segments, ...

'' rated the film 3 out of 5, while

Nikhat Kazmi Nikhat Kazmi (1958/59 – 20 January 2012) was a senior correspondent and well-known film critic from, born Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, who had been writing for ''The Times of India'' since 1987. She died of breast cancer Breast cancer is a c ...

of ''The Times of India'' also gave it 3 stars. ''The Economic Times'' awarded the film 4 out of 5, calling it "one of the most rocking films of the year."

Namrata Joshi Namrata Joshi is an Indian film critic based in New Delhi. Originally working for ''Outlook'', she remained there from 1999 till 2015, when she joined ''The Hindu''. She won the National Film Award for Best Film Critic in 2004. Career Joshi i ...

of ''Outlook'' gave it 3 stars, noting that the film "marks a continuum and a departure from the

middle-class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. Commo ...

cinema of

Hrishikesh Mukherjee Hrishikesh Mukherjee (30 September 1922 – 27 August 2006) was an Indian film director, editor and writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of Indian cinema. Popularly known as ''Hrishi-da'', he directed 42 films during his car ...

Basu Chatterjee Basu Chatterjee (10 January 1927 – 4 June 2020) was an Indian film director and screenwriter in Hindi Cinema. Through the 1970s and 1980s, he became associated with what came to be known as middle cinema or middle-of-the-road cinema filmmaker ...

, and

Sai Paranjpye Sai Paranjpye (born 19 March 1938) is an Indian movie director and screenwriter. She is the director of the award-winning movies '' Sparsh'', '' Katha'', '' Chasme Buddoor'' and '' Disha''. She has written and directed many Marathi plays such as ...

Rajeev Masand Rajeev Masand (born 13 March 1976) is an Indian film critic and journalist. He has worked for Noida based English language news channel CNN-Indian Broadcasting Network (CNN-IBN). He usually reviews Bollywood films and major Hollywood films rel ...

of ''

CNN-IBN CNN News18 is an Indian English-language news television channel founded by Raghav Bahl based in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is currently co-owned by Network18 Group and Warner Bros. Discovery. CNN provides international coverage for the c ...

'' rated it 3.5 out of 5, highlighting its refreshing take on ethical entrepreneurship. The film was also well-received within entrepreneurial circles, with several commentators describing it as a “learning-curve Bollywood movie” for aspiring business owners due to its emphasis on values, risk-taking, and client relationships.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack is composed by

Salim–Sulaiman Salim–Sulaiman are an Indian music composer duo consisting of siblings Salim Merchant and Sulaiman Merchant. The duo has composed music predominantly for Hindi films. Life and early career Salim–Sulaiman's ancestral town is Mundra, Kutch, ...

, with lyrics written by

.Music review: Rocket Singh
Hindustan Times (7 December 2009).

Accolades

References

External links

Bollywood Hungama Bollywood Hungama (lit. "Bollywood Madness" in Hindi), previously known as IndiaFM (or IndiaFM.com), is an Indian entertainment website, owned by Hungama Digital Media Entertainment, which acquired the website in 2000. The website provides n ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rocket Singh: Salesman Of The Year 2009 films 2000s Hindi-language films 2009 comedy-drama films 2000s business films Yash Raj Films films Films about Sikhism Indian business films Films directed by Shimit Amin Films about salespeople Hindi-language comedy-drama films Films adapted for other media Termination of employment in popular culture