''Rocketry: The Nambi Effect'' is a 2022 Indian
biographical
A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curric ...
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...
written, produced, and directed by
R. Madhavan in his directorial debut. The film is based on the life of
Nambi Narayanan, played by Madhavan, a scientist at the Indian Space Research Organisation (
ISRO
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO ) is India's national space agency, headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka. It serves as the principal research and development arm of the Department of Space (DoS), overseen by the Prime Minister o ...
) who was accused in an
espionage case and later exonerated. The story spans across Narayanan's days as a graduate student at
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...
, before exploring his work as a scientist and the false espionage charges placed upon him.
Simran
Simran (Gurmukhi: ਸਿਮਰਨ, pronunciation: ; ; from Sanskrit: , ''smaraṇa'', 'to remember, reminisce, recollect'), in spirituality, is a Hindi and Punjabi word referring to the continuous remembrance of the finest aspect of the self, ...
plays the female lead.
After its official announcement in October 2018,
principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...
took place across several countries, including India, Russia, and France. The cinematography and editing were handled by Sirsha Ray and
Bijith Bala, respectively, while the original score was composed by
Sam C. S.
Sam C. S. is an Indian music composer, producer, lyricist and singer who predominantly works in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films. He debuted in Tamil with the horror film ''Orr Eravuu'' before working on the scientific thriller ''Ambuli''.
His ...
''Rocketry'' was filmed simultaneously in
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
People, culture and language
* Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka
** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
,
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 ...
, and
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Culture, language and peoples
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
* ''English'', an Amish ter ...
.
The English version of ''Rocketry'' premiered at the
2022 Cannes Film Festival
The 75th annual Cannes Film Festival is a film festival that took place from 17 to 28 May 2022. French actor Vincent Lindon served as jury president for the main competition. French actress Virginie Efira hosted the opening and closing ceremon ...
on 19 May and the Tamil and Hindi versions had its theatrical release worldwide on 1 July 2022. The film opened to mostly positive reviews from critics, who praised Madhavan's performance, his screenplay and his noble intention to make the film. The film garnered recognition with several awards and honors, including winning the
National Film Award for Best Feature Film
The National Film Award for Best Feature Film is one of the categories in the National Film Awards presented annually by the National Film Development Corporation of India, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in I ...
.
Plot
During the present time, in a televised interview with actor
Shah Rukh Khan
Shah Rukh Khan (; born 2 November 1965), also known by the initialism SRK, is an Indian actor and film producer who works in Hindi cinema. Referred to in the media as the "Padishah, Baadshah of Bollywood" and "King Khan", he has Shah Rukh K ...
(Hindi)/
Suriya
Saravanan Sivakumar (born 23 July 1975), known professionally as Suriya, is an Indian actor and film producer who primarily works in Tamil films. One of the highest-paid Tamil actors, Suriya is considered as one of the finest actors of Indian ...
(Tamil),
Nambi Narayanan walks through the events leading to his rise as an eminent engineer to alleged espionage and treason charges, coupled with physical and mental cruelty against him and his family. He starts with his experiences at the
Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station
Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) is India's first rocket launching station and was established on 21 November 1963. Operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), it is located in Thumba, Thiruvananthapuram, which ...
, where he saves
A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam ( ; 15 October 193127 July 2015) was an Indian aerospace scientist and statesman who served as the president of India from 2002 to 2007.
Born and raised in a Muslim family in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, Kala ...
, one of his team members, from a major injury during an experiment. In 1969, he was accepted into
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...
for his
MSE in chemical rocket propulsion, at the expense of the Indian government.
Nambi successfully completes his MSE under the mentorship and tutelage of Professor
Luigi Crocco, who recommends him for a fellowship at
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...
. While working at NASA with Barry Amaldev, he is offered a huge paycheck, a permanent posting, along with other allowances. He rejects it and returns to India in the hopes of using his talents at
ISRO
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO ) is India's national space agency, headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka. It serves as the principal research and development arm of the Department of Space (DoS), overseen by the Prime Minister o ...
. Working at ISRO, he managed to get 400 million pounds of equipment from Scotland, for free. However, after the suspicious death of
Vikram Sarabhai
Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai (12 August 1919 – 30 December 1971) was an Indian physicist and astronomer who initiated space research and helped to develop nuclear power in India. Often regarded as the "''Father of Indian space program''", Sar ...
, he did not have adequate support from ISRO or funds from the Indian government to continue his research. At this point, Nambi strikes a deal with the French scientific community, which needs skilled scientists to help them build their liquid fuel engine. He then moves to France with his colleagues, hoping to learn from France's advanced technology, so that they may recreate it back in India.
Unbeknownst to the French, Nambi and his 52 colleagues learnt French before their journey but pretend to not understand them. After being kept out of their major discussions, Nambi's team tries to find a way to gain access to these meetings and test data. It is then that they discover that the French engine is faulty. Nambi uses this opportunity to gain access to the required data in exchange for fixing the engine. The team then returns to India and starts working on building their own engine, based on liquid fuels. However, due to a lack of resources, it takes 8 additional years to complete their prototype. They test the engine at the same testing facility in France, where it goes above the 135 pressure mark, and to 180. Successful in his plans, Nambi returns to India after naming the engine, "
VIKAS
Vikas means expanding, progress or development in Sanskrit. It is often used as a masculine Indian given name, given name in Greater India. You would find people with this name all over India. Vikas and Pragati both means development. But Vikas na ...
" after Vikram Sarabhai, whom he considers as his mentor.
Nambi's focus is now on
cryogenic engines, which he believes will make India competent to participate in the world satellite market. Knowing ISRO's limitations in terms of time and resources, Nambi decides to purchase these engines from another country. He strikes a deal with the
USSR
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
, after informing them that he knows about their cryogenic missiles, as informed by a Russian friend of his, in Princeton. He requests that four engines be imported to India. After the Russians agree, the Americans find out about this deal and try their best to break it. While the USSR is on the
brink of collapse, Nambi and his colleagues manage to expedite the transfer process and sneak out a couple of engines from under the Americans' nose, with the help of the Russians.
Back in India, one day, Nambi is arrested out of the blue, while news of his treason spreads like wildfire. He is taken to a guest house in
Trivandrum
Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the largest and ...
, where he is beaten and tortured in an attempt to make him confess to his alleged crimes. He also recognizes that the officials are trying to make him repeat their sentences and that there is a recording device in the room to capture them. However, Nambi holds his ground and denies all charges. It was alleged that Nambi met Mariam, a Maldivian woman, in a hotel in
Madras
Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...
, and after being caught in her trap, he was forced to sell India's rocketry secrets to Pakistan. After being hospitalized for his injuries, Nambi is met by a
CBI official, P. M. Nair, who thoroughly investigates the matter. Nair finds Mariam and interrogates her and her friend, along with a few others. Mariam and her friend reveal that the Malayali police officer in charge of the investigation, Gopal, tortured and threatened them to falsely incriminate Nambi, whom they have never met before. They also apologize to him for completely tarnishing his reputation and causing pain to him and his family. Nair also figures out that all of the accused people in the case are members of the cryogenic wing at ISRO, and concludes that it was a huge ploy by some powerful parties to hinder India's progress in the cryogenic sector.
Months later, Nambi receives bail and returns to his house to find his family members traumatized by the way they were treated by society. Nambi's wife, Meena Narayanan, needs urgent psychiatric help, and the rest of his family is still shunned by society. Hence, Nambi decides that he has to clear his name publicly so that his family members can lead normal and peaceful lives in the future. Years later, Nambi is proven innocent by the
Supreme Court
In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
and returns to ISRO, helping his colleagues with the
Mangalyaan mission. Following the success of the mission, in 2019, Nambi is awarded the
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan (IAST: ''Padma Bhūṣaṇa'', lit. 'Lotus Decoration') is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 Januar ...
for his contributions to Indian Space Research.
After hearing his story, Khan/Suriya feels so bad for Nambi, that he apologizes to Nambi on behalf of the whole nation, as the interview ends. Nambi is later shown receiving the
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan (IAST: ''Padma Bhūṣaṇa'', lit. 'Lotus Decoration') is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 Januar ...
from
Ram Nath Kovind
Ram Nath Kovind ( ; born 1 October 1945) is an Indian politician and lawyer who served as the president of India from 2017 to 2022. He is the first person from Uttar Pradesh to serve as the president. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Pa ...
, the President of India.
Cast
Additionally,
Nambi Narayanan portrays himself for the last 15 minutes of the film.
Production
Development
A film based on the espionage case of
ISRO
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO ) is India's national space agency, headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka. It serves as the principal research and development arm of the Department of Space (DoS), overseen by the Prime Minister o ...
(Indian Space Research Organisation) scientist
Nambi Narayanan was first announced to the media in September 2012 by director
Anant Mahadevan
Ananth Narayan Mahadevan (born 28 August 1950) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and an actor.
Career
Anant along with Sanjay Pawar received the National Award (2010) for the Best Screenplay and Dialogues for the successful Marathi ...
. Journalist
C. P. Surendran had proposed the idea for a potential film on Narayanan to Mahadevan during June 2012. The two then met Narayanan in person to discuss the idea and seek his permission, and he agreed to serve as a consultant for the project.
Malayalam actor
Mohanlal
Mohanlal Viswanathan (; born 21 May 1960), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor and filmmaker who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically appeared in Tamil cinema, Tamil, Hin ...
was cast in the role of Narayanan, while
Resul Pookutty
Resul Pookutty (born 30 May 1971) is an Indian film sound designer, sound editor and audio mixer. He won the Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing, along with Richard Pryke and Ian Tapp, for ''Slumdog Millionaire''. Pookutty has worked in Hind ...
,
Sreekar Prasad
Akkineni Sreekar Prasad is an Indian film editor known for his works across Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Assamese language films. In a career spanning more than 35 years, he has edited over 600 films. He is a recipient of nine National ...
and
L. Subramaniam were finalised as the sound designer, editor and music composer for the project. Titled ''The Witch Hunt'', the film was to be made in the
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 ...
and
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...
languages.
The team were in talks with several production houses but the project eventually did not take off as planned. Mahadevan later narrated the idea of the film to actor
R. Madhavan in the mid-2010s, who helped take the film forward.
Work on ''Rocketry: The Nambi Effect'' was first reported by Madhavan in the media during April 2017, when he announced that he was set to appear in a biopic featuring the "extraordinary story of an unsung hero", who was "neither an actor nor a sportsman". He called the project his "biggest film ever" and stated that he had worked silently on the script of the film for a period of two years after becoming intrigued by hearing the tale of Narayanan's false espionage charge. To develop the script and to provide a more factual account of the events, Madhavan regularly met with Narayanan, garnering his approval for the film and discussing the scientist's life experiences. As a result of their conversations, Madhavan chose to alter his original script to include portions from Narayanan's entire career and his services to the Indian space programme, rather than just matters related to the espionage case and his 1994 arrest. For the script, he also took inspiration from Narayanan's autobiography ''
Ormakalude Bhramanapadham'' (2017) and Arun Ram's official biography of the scientist titled ''Ready To Fire: How India and I Survived the ISRO Spy Case'' (2018).
In October 2017, Madhavan confirmed that pre-production work for the film was underway and that he would portray Narayanan from the ages of 27 to 75, and that he was gaining weight to film the scenes featuring the older version of Narayanan first, after taking advice from
Aamir Khan
Mohammed Aamir Hussain Khan (; born 14 March 1965) is an Indian actor, filmmaker, and television personality who works in Bollywood, Hindi films. Referred to as "Mr. Perfectionist" in the media, he is known for his work in a variety of film g ...
. Madhavan also announced that alongside his screenwriting and acting credits, he would also be one of the producers of the project. In regard to the making of the film, Madhavan stated that he hoped to differ in the script in comparison to other biographical films, and suggested that he would not call the film a "biopic" but an "incisive investigation into a brilliant mind and India's ambitious space technology".
He also added that he felt that Madhavan was the "only Indian actor qualified to do this part" owing to his background as an electronic engineer with air-force training, and because he was "a thinking-actor who is also well-read".
Madhavan was later announced as a joint director of the film.
Filming
Principal photography began on 4 January 2019 in Mumbai and was shot as a multilingual, with scenes simultaneously filmed in the Hindi and Tamil with scenes set outside India shot in English.
A few days after the start of the shoot, Mahadevan left the project owing to prior commitments and Madhavan took over as the project's sole director. Film director and writer
Prajesh Sen
G. Prajesh Sen (also spelt G. Prajeshsen; born 29th May at Kilimanoor) is an Indian filmmaker and writer. In 2017, He has made his directorial debut with ''Captain (2018 film), Captain'', the first sports biopic in malayalam starring Jayasurya ...
, who had previously co-written ''Ormakalude Bhramanapadham'' and worked on a documentary titled ''Nambi The Scientist'', joined the project as a co-director.
Sukhmani Sadana
Sukhmani Sadana is an Indian writer and actress from Amritsar. She is the editor-in-chief of a digital magazine called ''F.A.C.E''. She played the role of Uttara Bakshi in the TV series ''Khotey Sikkey'' that aired on Sony Entertainment Televis ...
worked on the film as an additional screenplay and dialogues writer. Scenes featuring Madhavan as the aged Narayanan were filmed first, with the actor taking up to 14 hours to get into the look following extensive make-up. During the first schedule in India,
Simran
Simran (Gurmukhi: ਸਿਮਰਨ, pronunciation: ; ; from Sanskrit: , ''smaraṇa'', 'to remember, reminisce, recollect'), in spirituality, is a Hindi and Punjabi word referring to the continuous remembrance of the finest aspect of the self, ...
joined the film's cast to portray the wife of the lead character, while actors
Shah Rukh Khan
Shah Rukh Khan (; born 2 November 1965), also known by the initialism SRK, is an Indian actor and film producer who works in Hindi cinema. Referred to in the media as the "Padishah, Baadshah of Bollywood" and "King Khan", he has Shah Rukh K ...
and
Suriya
Saravanan Sivakumar (born 23 July 1975), known professionally as Suriya, is an Indian actor and film producer who primarily works in Tamil films. One of the highest-paid Tamil actors, Suriya is considered as one of the finest actors of Indian ...
agreed to make cameo appearances in the Hindi and Tamil versions respectively as themselves. Both the actors did not charge any fee for their participation in the film. Other actors who joined the cast during the production were Tamil actor
Jagan
Jagan is an Indian actor and comedian
A comedian (feminine comedienne) or comic is a person who seeks to entertainment, entertain an audience by making them laughter, laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foo ...
to portray a scientist,
Rajit Kapur
Rajit Kapur (born 22 May 1963) is an Indian film and theatre actor and director. He is known for his portrayal of Mahatma Gandhi in the 1996 film, '' The Making of the Mahatma'' for which he won the National Film Award for Best Actor. Other n ...
to feature as Indian physicist
Vikram Sarabhai
Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai (12 August 1919 – 30 December 1971) was an Indian physicist and astronomer who initiated space research and helped to develop nuclear power in India. Often regarded as the "''Father of Indian space program''", Sar ...
in the Hindi version and
Ravi Raghavendra
Ravichander Raghavendra (1 January 1962), is an Indian actor who appears in Tamil films and television serials.
Career and personal life
Ravi has appeared on television and in films since the 1980s, often playing supporting roles. He has also ...
as Vikram Sarabhai in the Tamil version.
In late January 2019, the team moved to film scenes in Georgia and Russia. The team completed the shoot five days prior to the schedule, despite shooting in unfavourable weather conditions. In April and May 2019, the team shot scenes in India, with Madhavan shaving his beard to play a younger version of the character. The team subsequently moved on to film the final schedule in France and Serbia. Production was completed in Serbia during June 2019, with Scottish actors
Ron Donachie
Ronald Eaglesham Porter (born 26 April 1956), known professionally as Ron Donachie, is a Scottish character actor. He has appeared in supporting roles in films ''The Jungle Book'' (1994), ''Titanic'' and television series ''Game of Thrones'', in ...
and
Phyllis Logan
Phyllis Logan (born 11 January 1956) is a Scottish actress, widely known for her roles as Lady Jane Felsham in ''Lovejoy'' (1986–1993) and Mrs Hughes in ''Downton Abbey'' (2010–2015). She won the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer for ...
also a part of the final schedule. The shoot of the film took 44 days to complete. Post-production began in July 2019, with music composer
Sam C. S.
Sam C. S. is an Indian music composer, producer, lyricist and singer who predominantly works in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films. He debuted in Tamil with the horror film ''Orr Eravuu'' before working on the scientific thriller ''Ambuli''.
His ...
completing the background score by mid-October 2019. In August 2020, Madhavan revealed that the film had reached the final stages of post-production work and that only fifteen days of work were remaining to complete final sound mixing, mastering and
digital intermediate
Digital intermediate (DI) is a motion picture finishing process which classically involves digitizing a motion picture and manipulating the color and other image characteristics.
Definition and overview
A digital intermediate often replaces or a ...
tasks.
Music
Marketing

Tricolour Films announced the title of the film ''Rocketry: The Nambi Effect'' and unveiled a minute-long teaser for the film on 31 October 2018 to mark the start of production. A launch event also coincided with the teaser release, with Nambi Narayanan himself in attendance.
A theatrical trailer of the film was released online on 1 April 2021. To explain the trailer's release on
April Fools' Day
April Fools' Day or April Fool's Day (rarely called All Fools' Day) is an annual custom on the 1st of April consisting of practical jokes, hoaxes, and pranks. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fool " at the recipient. ...
, Madhavan recalled a conversation that he had with Narayanan who asked him how many "fools" had been the victims of their own patriotism. Madhavan stated he hoped to dedicate the trailer to those "fools" who are "incredible unsung heroes who make this world a better place".
Manoj Kumar of ''
The Indian Express
''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932 by P. Varadarajulu Naidu. It is headquartered in Noida, owned by the ''Indian Express Group''. It was later taken over by Ramnath Goenka. In 1999, eight y ...
'' and a reviewer from ''
The News Minute
''The News Minute'' is an Indian digital news platform based in Bangalore, Karnataka. It was founded by Vignesh Vellore who is also the current CEO in 2014. Apart from Karnataka, it also has bureaus in the states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, ...
'' both calling the trailer "riveting". Madhavan and Narayanan met with India's Prime Minister
Narendra Modi
Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...
to show him clips from the film. Modi later tweeted that the "film covers an important topic, which more people must know about" and praised the footage that he was shown. A number of film personalities including
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan (; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He is often considered one of the greatest, most accomplished and commercially successful actors in the history of Indian cinema.*
*
*
*
* With a cinemati ...
,
Priyanka Chopra
Priyanka Chopra Jonas (; born 18 July 1982) is an Indian actress and producer. The winner of the Miss World 2000 pageant, Chopra is India's highest-paid actress and has received numerous accolades, including two National Film Awards and fiv ...
,
Suriya
Saravanan Sivakumar (born 23 July 1975), known professionally as Suriya, is an Indian actor and film producer who primarily works in Tamil films. One of the highest-paid Tamil actors, Suriya is considered as one of the finest actors of Indian ...
,
Hrithik Roshan
Hrithik Roshan (; born 10 January 1974) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He has portrayed a variety of characters and is known for his dancing skills. One of the highest-paid actors in India, he has won many awards, including si ...
and
Samantha Ruth Prabhu
Samantha Ruth Prabhu (born 28 April 1987) is an Indian actress who works predominantly in Telugu and Tamil films. One of South India's highest-paid actresses, Samantha is the recipient of several accolades, including four Filmfare Awards So ...
also shared and praised the trailer.
The film premiered at the
Marché du Film
The ''Marché du Film'' (), also called Cannes Film Market, is an annual marketplace for films and one of the world's largest film markets. Established in 1959, it is held annually in conjunction with the Cannes Film Festival.
In the 2020s, mor ...
section of the
2022 Cannes Film Festival
The 75th annual Cannes Film Festival is a film festival that took place from 17 to 28 May 2022. French actor Vincent Lindon served as jury president for the main competition. French actress Virginie Efira hosted the opening and closing ceremon ...
in France on 19 May 2022, with Madhavan and Narayanan both in attendance. The screening was also attended by India's Information and Broadcasting minister
Anurag Thakur
Anurag Singh Thakur (born 24 October 1974) is an Indian politician from the Bharatiya Janata Party and a Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha from Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh. He was former Minister of Sports, Youth Affairs and Minister of ...
and music composer
A. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman (; born A. S. Dileep Kumar; 6 January 1967), also known by the initialism ARR, is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and philanthropist known for his works in Indian cinem ...
, among other film industry personalities and senior government officials.
The team then embarked on a 12-day tour across the United States, with preview screenings held at various centres including New York City, Chicago,
Houston
Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
,
Dallas
Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
,
Arizona
Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
, Los Angeles, San Francisco and
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
during early-June 2022. As a part of the film's promotional tour, the trailer was screened on the
Nasdaq MarketSite billboard at
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and Neighborhoods in New York City, neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway (Manhattan), ...
in New York, while the team also met with the American astronaut of Indian origin,
Sunita Williams
Sunita Lyn "Suni" Williams ( Pandya; born September 19, 1965) is an American astronaut and a retired U.S. Navy officer. Williams served aboard the International Space Station as a participant in Expedition 14, a flight engineer for Expedition ...
, in
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
.
In mid-June 2022, Madhavan and the team returned to promote the film across India. A behind-the-scenes prologue for the film was released online,
and then a promotional video showcasing the making of the film's music, along with the devotional track "Shri Venkatesa Suprabatham" was released at
Sri Venkateswara Temple in
Tirupati
Tirupati () is a city in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Andhra Pradesh and serves as the administrative headquarters of Tirupati district. It is known for its significant religious and cultural heritage, being home to th ...
.
Subsequent pre-release events were held at
Kochi
Kochi ( , ), List of renamed Indian cities and states#Kerala, formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the Ernakulam district, district of Ernakulam in the ...
, New Delhi and
Chennai
Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
to meet the press and hold launch events for the film. The team then moved to
Dubai
Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...
, United Arab Emirates to host another pre-release event at the
City Centre Deira. In late June 2022, the team attended promotional events for the film in Indian cities such as
Mumbai
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
,
Kolkata
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
and
Hyderabad
Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...
. A further pre-release screening of the film was held at the Siri Fort auditorium in New Delhi with former director of the
Central Bureau of Investigation
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is the domestic crime investigating agency of India. It operates under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. Originally set up to investigate bribery and gover ...
D. R. Karthikeyan in attendance. A week after the release of the film on 1 July, Madhavan travelled to
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...
in Malaysia to attend a special screening and promote the film.
Vistas Media Capital's metaverse, VistaVerse, launched collectable
NFTs
A non-fungible token (NFT) is a unique digital identifier that is recorded on a blockchain and is used to certify ownership and authenticity. It cannot be copied, substituted, or subdivided. The ownership of an NFT is recorded in the blockchai ...
related to the film in late June 2022. It became the first Indian film to reach 10,000 NFTs claimed.
Release
Theatrical
In September 2021, following the announcement of theatres reopening in
Maharashtra
Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...
after
COVID-related closures, Madhavan initially announced that the film would be theatrically released on 1 April 2022 in the six languages (Hindi, Tamil, English, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada). However, the release date was postponed and the English version did not have a theatrical release. Finally, the film was released theatrically worldwide on 1 July 2022.
The film was distributed worldwide by
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 ...
and Phars Film Co. LLC, with
UFO Moviez additionally acquiring the film's distribution rights in
North India
North India is a geographical region, loosely defined as a cultural region comprising the northern part of India (or historically, the Indian subcontinent) wherein Indo-Aryans (speaking Indo-Aryan languages) form the prominent majority populati ...
.
The film's Tamil version was distributed by
Udhayanidhi Stalin
Udhayanidhi Stalin (born 27 November 1977) is an Indian politician, film producer and former actor who has been the 3rd and current deputy chief minister of Tamil Nadu, Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu since 2024, serving under Chief Ministe ...
's
Red Giant Movies
Red Giant Movies is an Indian film production and film distribution company headed by Udhayanidhi Stalin. It has distributed nearly all major films in Tamil Nadu in the last few years, and is often accused of having a monopoly in Tamil cinema. ...
in Tamil Nadu, and
AGS Cinemas joining as the official multiplex partner.
Home media
The Tamil version of ''Rocketry'' film began streaming on
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...
from 26 July 2022. The Hindi version began streaming on
Voot Select
JioCinema was an Indian subscription video-on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Viacom18. The service was merged with Disney+ Hotstar on 14 February 2025, to form JioHotstar.
In April 2022, the service was brought under Reliance ...
from 29 July. The Tamil version had its television premiere via
Kalaignar TV
Kalaignar TV is a Tamil-language general entertainment pay television channel based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. The channel was launched on 15 September 2007 as Kalaignar, and is named after former Chief minister of Tamil Nadu M. Karunanidh ...
on 11 June 2023.
Reception
Box office
On the first day of its release, the film collected over 65 lakhs at the
domestic box office. On the second day of its release, the film grossed 2 crores. After three days of its theatrical release, the film collected around 8 crore.
Critical response
''Rocketry'' received positive reviews from critics.
Devesh Sharma of ''
Filmfare
''Filmfare'' is an Indian English-language fortnightly magazine published by Worldwide Media. Acknowledged as one of India's most popular entertainment magazines, it publishes pieces involving news, interviews, photos, videos, reviews, events, ...
'' rated the film 4 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Madhavan carries the film on his shoulders. We can see that he totally believes in Nambi"s innocence and is hoping that the film will finally exonerate him in the eyes of the public. He lives and breathes the character, getting the nuances right. It's not easy being both the lead actor and the director but Madhavan achieves the desired trajectory on both fronts." Ronak Kotecha of ''
Times Of India
''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...
'' gave the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and said, "It has an interesting subject and an untold story of a man, who was wronged for always being right for his nation. ‘Rocketry’ takes off well, hits some turbulence on the way, but eventually soars high with real characters and moving moments that make it worth your while." Sanchita Jhunjhunwala of
''Zoom TV'' rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote, "With a roller coaster of a ride on the screen depicting the one Nambi had in real life, we feel that the movie has great potential and would keep you hooked as you watch more of it. The emotional connect is what also draws you towards the story, courtesy the performances its ability to be as real as it gets, making it a great human drama."
A critic for ''
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 ...
'' rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote, "The Nambi Effect tells a shocking story of an ISRO genius and is embellished with an award-winning performance by R Madhavan."
Pratikshya Mishra of ''
The Quint
''The Quint'' is an English and Hindi language Indian general news and opinion website founded by Raghav Bahl and Ritu Kapur after their exit from Network18. The publication's journalists have won three Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism ...
'' rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Rocketry is a well-intentioned film and works purely because of the heroic and inspirational protagonist at its helm."
Nandini Ramnath of ''
Scroll.in
Scroll.in, simply referred to as Scroll, is an Indian digital news publication. Founded in 2014, it is owned by SCSN Pvt Ltd.
History Background
Samir Patil, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumnus and McKinsey & Company associate wa ...
'' rated the film 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Before it launches into its main argument, Rocketry lurches from one amateurish eureka moment to the next."
Saibal Chatterjee
Saibal Chatterjee is an Indian film critic, editor and documentary screenwriter. He was a columnist at ''BBC News'', ''Business Standard'', ''Hindustan Times'' and '' The Financial Express''. He has also written for ''The Telegraph'', ''The Tim ...
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 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Madhavan the actor does a fine job of traversing a spectrum of moods - from elation fuelled by the character's professional highs to anguish triggered by his plummet into ignominy."
Janani K of ''
India Today
''India Today'' is a weekly Indian English-language news magazine published by Living Media, Living Media India Limited. It is the most widely circulated magazine in India, with a readership of close to 8 million. In 2014, ''India Today'' laun ...
'' rated the film 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote that it is "a film that could have been a phenomenal watch" and "despite the shortcomings, the story of Nambi Narayanan makes it a decent watch." In contrast, Gautaman Bhaskaran of ''
News 18
Network18 Media & Investments Limited, (d/b/a Network18 Group) is an Indian media conglomerate owned by the Reliance Industries, headed by Mukesh Ambani. Rahul Joshi is the managing director, chief executive officer and group editor-in-chief, a ...
'' rated the film 2.5 out of 5 stars and labelled the film as a "disappointing debut."
Shubhra Gupta
Shubhra Gupta is an Indian film critic who writes for ''The Indian Express''. She received the Ramnath Goenka Award for Best Writing on Cinema in 2012. She was a member of the Central Board of Film Certification from 2012 to 2015. She is the au ...
of ''
The Indian Express
''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932 by P. Varadarajulu Naidu. It is headquartered in Noida, owned by the ''Indian Express Group''. It was later taken over by Ramnath Goenka. In 1999, eight y ...
'' rated the film 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote, "R Madhavan makes you believe in the character, but the writing is stodgy, and the direction doesn’t quite make up for it."
Bharathi Pradhan of ''
Lehren
Lehren Networks Private Limited is a network of media and entertainment websites about India's entertainment industry, primarily Bollywood and related extensions. The company is located in Mumbai, India
India, officially the Republic ...
'' rated the film 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote, "If only the writing had been skillful in bringing out and coalescing the humour, the brainwork, the international romps for research and nuclear deals, … ''Rocketry: The Nambi Effect'' would’ve been an overwhelming and nail-biting experience." Srinivasa Ramanujam of ''
The Hindu
''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was founded as a weekly publication in 1878 by the Triplicane Six, becoming a daily in 1889. It is one of the India ...
'' noted "the first half feels like a science class, but the second, packs some emotional heft to ensure ''Rocketry'' lands well", calling the intention "noble." Avinash Ramachandran of ''
Cinema Express
''Cinema Express'' was an Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language entertainment fortnightly magazine published from Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was a part of The New Indian Express, The New Indian Express Group, which also publishes ''Samakalika Mal ...
'' noted that "Madhavan, Simran propel this compelling biopic." Monika Kukeja of the ''
Hindustan Times
''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English language, English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media Limited, an entity controlled by the Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia, the daughter o ...
'' gave the film a positive review, noting Madhavan "is a one man army who puts up a spectacular, inspiring show."
Several Indian film industry personalities publicly praised the film including
Rajinikanth
Shivaji Rao Gaikwad (born 12 December 1950), known professionally as Rajinikanth, is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. In a career spanning over five decades, he has done 170 films that includes films in Tamil, Hindi, ...
,
Anupam Kher
Anupam Kher (born 7 March 1955) is an Indian actor, director and producer who works primarily in Hindi cinema. In a career spanning over four decades, he has acted in more than 540 films. A veteran of Indian cinema, Kher is recipient of two Na ...
,
Anirudh Ravichander
Anirudh Ravichander (born 16 October 1990), also credited mononymously as Anirudh, is an Indian composer and playback singer who works primarily in Tamil cinema, in addition to Telugu and Hindi films. He has won two Filmfare Awards South, ten ...
and
Shilpa Shetty
Shilpa Shetty Kundra (born Ashwini Shetty, 8 June 1975) is an Indian actress who works primarily in Hindi, Kannada and Telugu films. She made her screen debut in the thriller '' Baazigar'' (1993) which gained her first nomination for the Film ...
. In August 2022, the film was screened for civil servants and politicians in the
Parliament of India
The Parliament of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Government of India, Government of the Republic of India. It is a bicameralism, bicameral legislature composed of the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok ...
.
Awards and nominations
Notes
References
External links
Official website*
{{NationalFilmAwardBestFeatureFilm
2020s Hindi-language films
2020s Indian films
2020s Tamil-language films
2022 films
2022 multilingual films
Biographical films about scientists
Cultural depictions of Shah Rukh Khan
Drama films based on actual events
English-language biographical drama films
English-language Indian films
Film productions suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Films about educators
Films about outer space
Films based on biographies
Films postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Films scored by Sam C. S.
Films set in New Jersey
Films set in the 1970s
Films set in the 1990s
Films set in universities and colleges
Films shot in Bulgaria
Films shot in France
Films shot in Mumbai
Films shot in Russia
Films shot in Serbia
Indian biographical drama films
Indian multilingual films
Indian Space Research Organisation in fiction
Princeton University
Tamil-language Indian films