There have been movies in Hindi cinema that redefined actors’ journey through a strong and realistic storytelling. As a teenager, when I first watched Udaan, I was doing my engineering and had an intrinsic affection for writing. With that movie, I realized that engineering is not my cup of tea and later I made my move to full-time writing. The stance that I took at that time still fits and suits me. The movie Rukh makes me realize that teenagers often go through these life-turning phases. The stance that they take affects their whole life. The movie Rukh is an attempt to make that clearer. Teenagers seldom care about family matters, but when put to test, they respond.

The movie Rukh revolves around the lives of Divakar (played by Manoj Bajpayee) and Robin (played by Kumud Mishra) from the perspective of a teenager Dhruv (played by Gaurav Adarsh). Dhruv, being unaware of his family circumstances, has a short temper but is also scared to bear the consequences of his actions. After staying at a boarding school for three years, he returns home after the demise of his father, Divakar, in a car accident. He starts to believe that Robin (his father’s business partner) could be responsible for his father’s death as Robin was trying to put blame about all illegal business transactions on Divakar. He decides to believe that the truck driver could have been paid off to get the job done. His recklessness pushes him to go a bit further in every scene. It’s only towards the end that he learns the truth about his father’s death. The entire storyline is directed in such a way to make Dhruv understand the reality and own his actions. 

The performances put together by Gaurav Adarsh in Rukh and Rajat Barmecha in Udaan are examples of fine acting. In contrast to Udaan where an abusive father forces son to become a man and pursue engineering, Rukh signifies a more realistic approach in a teenager’s life. More often, teenagers just have to own their act meaning that they need to be responsible for their actions and outcome. The director Atanu Mukherjee has spun a realistic approach to that storytelling. I am not sure why Rajat Barmecha would not pursue a good acting career after his performance in Udaan. Gaurav Adarsh, on the other hand, looks to be a different character. His style is very subtle and he does it with ease. His grounded acting will reap benefits in future.