Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year

Rocket Singh is one of those clean, well-intentioned, honest films that end up getting appreciated by a select group of people. I admit it requires patience to appreciate it fully since quite a few bits seem dragged & dry for a wholesome big screen experience. The Kapoor boy continues to charm & carries this one almost single-handedly. Supporting cast is believable (*-surfing admin being my fav), screenplay is decent & direction satisfactory. The only hiccup is a sluggish pace & self-indulgent monologues which could've been avoided. All in all, nothing extraordinary but a worthwhile 1 time watch. I give it a well deserved 6 on 10.

Rocket Singh is my favorite movie till date after chak DE till date. The movie is excellent in every aspect - story , screenplay , acting , casting. It is not only just about Business , but also about many important facts that we forget in this success pursuit mission called as life. It talks about people bonding,teamwork and most importantly seeing people with an unbiased vision. It also highlights the fact that every individual has an x factor hidden inside him, just need an opportunist to see and bring that out. A business can never succeed without a happy and bonded team .That opportunist who puts all these things together is called the Businessman/Salesman of the year as the title suggests . MUST WATCH TO EVERYBODY .

Coming from the writer of movies like ‘Khosla ka Ghosla’ it was expected that Rocket Singh would have in core, a simplistic protagonist driven by values put in an unforgiving world leading him to come up with intelligent solutions driven by honesty albeit with a twist. Directed by Shmit Amin of ‘Chak De’ fame, the movie lives up to its expectations, especially those hinged around Ranbir, script writer Jaideep Sahani and its Director! Fresh out of college and low on marks, Ranbir, the young Sardar lives on the principle of ‘number kam hai, dimaag nahi’ (my marks are low, but not my brains) and believes firmly in his skills of persuasion. His belief leads him to join the sales team of AYS, a computer assembly and service company. Tough benchmarks set by his street-smart sales manager Nitin and boss Puri and revelations of corporate corruption bring the honest youngster down to earth with a thud. Sympathizing his helplessness, receptionist Koyna played by Gauhar Khan minus the charm from her Miss India days, gives him a lead. He soon discovers that the profit on delivering those computers on his own gets him more money, he recruits his * obsessed colleague Giri to assemble them for a share in profit. An insult by Puri, leads him to expand his own ‘Rocket Sales’ business based on values, secretly within AYS. Going the Khosla ka Ghosla way and living on the essence of goodness and heart that movies like the Munnabhai or its likes thrived on, Rocket Singh sells his way by being a decent entertainer with realistic characters. The sales struggle, typical office environs, simple office parties, hard nosed bosses, etc make sure that the movie does not lose its touch of reality. Nevertheless, sermons on goodness tend to bore you at times though. Neat script apart, Music doesn’t have emphasis. Even the song ‘pocket mein rocket’ is not seen in the film. Other pitfalls include the seemingly long first half. Talking of his look, was it really relevant to turn Ranbir into a Sardar for the story? I don’t think so. Probably the makers of the movie wanted the young star to wear different look this time Or, were they keen on not making this movie look like ‘Wake up Sid’ part two! Any guesses? Ranbir Kapoor proves yet again that he is completely capable of carrying a movie on his shoulders. Taking to his roles as a fish to water, his talent is undeniable. Debutante Shazahn Padamsee doesn’t have much to do in the movie. In supporting roles, Naveen Kaushik as the sales manager with the long side-burns and the role of Giri are very well scripted. In all, Rocket Singh sells itself to you as ‘values’ for the money you've spent!

This film is truly ahead of its time, i just watched this film and it's hard to believe that this film released in 2009. At a time where bollywood movies were still typical hero heroine and villian(infact most of them still pretty much are), this movie was different and innovative from the rest of the industry. Moreover the message that this movie gives "having ethical business practices, valuing and understanding the customers and their needs is what helps a business to ultimately grow and be succesful instead of deceiting and conning them" is something people have realised quite recently(atleast here in India) and so companies and businesses have quite recently started taking ethics and customer satisfaction more seriously, so yeah this movie is quite ahead of its time. It's sad to see such amazing bollywood movies being underrated and hardly known.

The theme was good, but its implementation in the movie was disastrous. imo was ill directed and senseless with an evident lack of thought put into its script, characters and presentation. Moments of inspiration were few and far between and for the most part, the events in the movie fairly challenged the idea of reality of a deluded day dreamer. It didn't do the viewers any favours when it came to the length of the movie either, it was rather stretched and tedious to watch at times. There were individuals who acted well, but that came to nothing as the movie failed miserably in generating an interest or connection for a sustained period of time. This might seem to be a bit of a scathing, but its my honest opinion aggravated perhaps ever so slightly by the off putting portrayal of this movie by many as a gritty, inspirational and above all, realistic masterpiece.

Ranbir Kapoor has truly taken the Kapoor legacy forward today. He is exceptional as a young sardar guy. The movie is as great as its script, story and dialogs. The movie captures the ethical dilemma of a young entrant entering the corrupt world of selling. The protagonist takes the lead out of the compromiser of values and creates his own organization with ethics and values. He shows that for your long term sustainability one must be honest with his work and people he is working with. The dialogs were well written by Mr. Sahni. One of my favorites is "do business but don't become businessman". Some might not like it not being like a typical bollywood movie with naach-gaana and melodrama but still it has something for everyone - a great lesson - don't be hypocrite.

The way the opening credits are presented, they raise your expectations from the film. And the first 30 minutes are typically reflective of a salesman's life. It is easy to connect with the situations and giggle at the workplace jokes. Our protagonist has just barely graduated & wants to make a career in sales. But he is naive, and has to learn the tricks of the trade soon. To complicate matters, he has demanding bosses & non co-operative peers. Been there. But soon enough, our guy, with a few other employees of the same company, hatches a plan to prove a point & make some money by creating a dummy company that provides superior service & works on ethical lines only. A good intentioned simple storyline from Jaideep Sahni, but a bit too far-fetched. So, once again, it is up to the director & the actors to elevate it. And they do. Once you get past the fake moustaches & loose wigs, the movie engages you. The script is kept tight & there are no silly song & dance routines to break the flow. Ranbir Kapoor & Prem Chopra (who plays Ranbir's grandfather) have very good chemistry & all their scenes together are so real & touchy. Ranbir's friends & his love interest do have their moments in the sun, but the movie is not about them. As the director did with ChakDe India, the characters who take the movie forward, including the office peon & the receptionist, are developed well & are given ample screen time & they also carry their characters with ease. Salim-Suleiman have little to do barring the title track (which is missing in the movie), because the movie is not a dramatic melting pot a la Chakde. The screenplay is good, direction is good, and the actors deliver. What the film really lacks is a climax. It ends without a bang; it ends all so smoothly, with a social message thrown in. One thing that this film confirms is that, in Ranbir Kapoor, we have found the next big thing. As with all his other movies this year, he gets right under the skin of the character, hence making it utterly believable. A director's actor, never the star. 2009 may well be the year in which all his movies came oh too close to being the biggest hits of the year. Rocket Singh may well be the next in that category.

I went to watch Rocket Singh with the expectation to see a good movie knowing that the same creative team (Shimit Amin and Jaideep) had put together a good movie previously with Chak De India. By the time "Rocket Singh" was over I sat in my seat spell bound and amazed by some excellent story telling by the same creative team. Half way thru the movie I was certain that I was witnessing a special piece of work by a talented team. What works for Rocket Singh is an absolutely crisp script, screen play, dialogues (some of which are very witty), sharp direction and awesome performance by an amazingly talented cast. The casting fits perfectly and Ranbeer deserves special mention for his performance, it is hard to believe that he is only a handful of movies old as an actor. In fact I could not pick anything negative or faulty with the film in my first viewing. Coming to the plot itself, it is about a fresh graduate with ordinary grades who lands a trainee salesman job and is shocked to see the cut throat methods used to succeed both at individual and team levels. He is soon found wanting in terms of the "killer" instinct necessary to survive. But he continues to believe in his ways and shows everyone how success is achieved with out resorting to cut throat/unethical means. The climax is very interesting; the conversation between "Rocket Singh" and Mr. Puri (his ex-employer) is one of the highlights of the movie. In summary Indian cinema needs more of these movies - engaging stories of "real" people made with utmost attention paid to the story itself. Indian cinema can do with out "Love stories that have blood on them". --S Rao

"Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year" is a very enjoyable film--and one that has some great lessons for the business world...if they cared to learn them. The film begins with Harpreet Singh Bedi (Ranbir Kapoor) graduating from college and realizing that with poor grades, he isn't qualified for being an executive. So, he gets a job in sales--but he's like a lion among the wolves. The computer company where he works is cold and cut-throat-- and he needs to learn the art of bribes and half-truths to make it there. But he's basically a good guy at heart and it's soon apparent he'll soon get fired--as he's too good. Then he comes up with an idea--to beat his own company by forming a NEW company, Rocket Sales. Rocket Sales is dedicated to being honest, providing a product with far less markup and providing 24-hour service. Not surprisingly, clients LOVE getting what they pay for and Singh's such a nice guy, the company soon takes off. However, here's the kicker--now Singh has several employees--most of which STILL work for the old company and work for Rocket Sales on the side. There's much more to the film than this, but what I liked was the film's heart and the many lessons it COULD use to their own betterment. However, bribes (especially in certain parts of the world--where it's routine), lying to customers and providing crappy service are just EASIER and probably will continue to be the norm. However, I can think of a couple huge computer companies that are now MUCH smaller--as a result of their standards. We can only hope they watch this film. In the meantime, however, it's great fun and is well worth your time. Also, just to let you know--the usual song and dance numbers you'll find in modern Indian films are not in this one. There are some musical interludes but the characters themselves neither sing nor dance during these.

This is not an usual Bollywood flick with songs, action and comedy. The movie revolves around a Sikh graduate(portrayed authentically by Ranbir Kapoor) who aspires to be salesman. As he steps into the corporate world, he is shocked by the reality of sales business where unethical practices, cut-throat atmosphere, unrealistic targets, selling products with high markups are norms & customers are seen just as numbers. He doesn't wishes to abide by these norms drawing a lot of flak from seniors and colleagues and gets isolated by them. He realises that by being nice one can never survive in this competitive world. So he decides to crave his way through the sales business by following his ideology of treating customer as people with heart not as numbers as they are the one who gives business to them and not the other way around. Also stressing on services before sales. Realistic movie, definitely worth a watch.