Madhavan: Rocketry is the story of a poor man's James Bond

Madhavan, who is reprising the role of an 80-year-old scientist and Padma Bhushan recipient Nambi Narayanan, talks about Rocketry: The Nambi Effect
Madhavan: Rocketry is the story of a poor man's James Bond

Actor Madhavan is gearing up for the release of Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, a biographical drama on the life of Padma Bhushan Nambi Narayanan, a scientist and aerospace engineer of the Indian Space Research Organisation. The debut directorial of Madhavan chronicles the trials and tribulations of the 80-year-old scientist, who was falsely accused of espionage in 1994.

"Rocketry: The Nambi Effect is the story of a poor man's James Bond. When I met Nambi sir in Trivandrum in 2016, he looked like a lion in a cage. He politely received me saying, "Mr Madhavan, I like your films...you are a good actor and am your big fan." Later, when we started talking about the falseness of that futile case, he was angry and asked how can he be called a traitor? He also asked me to Google his name and see what comes up. More than his work, he was annoyed that most stories about him are in connection with the case and his arrest," said Madhavan on the sidelines of the film's promotional event in the city.

Further, he adds, "I went to meet him again after completing the script in seven months and he began telling me about his works. When I came to know that he was the first Ivy League scientist from India or the fact that he went to France with a team of 52 scientists, or the fact that he went to Russia when the USSR was breaking down, I wondered, "How can an Indian scientist do all this?" But, everything is true. He didn't think to tell the world about his achievements. He had written two books and that was also not mentioned in detail. I was amazed by his contributions and he is incredible."

Revealing the reason behind choosing the story of Nambi Narayanan, Madhavan explained, "I have made this film for two reasons. Firstly, what we did to a genius like Nambi Narayanan should never happen again to any Indian or a scientist, who loves his country. Secondly, as a film industry, we are making films only about mythology, freedom struggle, and history. I agree that they are brilliant concepts. But there is another industry called science and technology, space research and information technology, which, I believe, is extraordinary. We have seen many people from these domains ruling the roost all over the world in various capacities. I want to translate a genius's story into layman's terms. The audience should understand what rocket science is. With great difficulty, I took the effort to produce and direct this film."

Rocketry: The Nambi Effect is scheduled to hit the screens on July 1 in English, Hindi and Tamil. The film also stars Simran Bagga, Rajit Kapur, Gulshan Grover, and also boasts of cameos by Shah Rukh Khan and Suriya.

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