Rashmi Rocket is a 2021 Indian Hindi-language sports drama film directed by Akarsh Khurana and produced by Ronnie Screwvala. It stars Taapsee Pannu as the titular character alongside Abhishek Banerjee and Priyanshu Painyuli. The film premiered on 15 October 2021 on ZEE5.
The principal photography began in November 2020 at FLAME University in Pune. The film was wrapped up on 26 January 2021 in Gujarat. Shooting locations included Bhuj and the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat as well as Ranchi in Jharkhand.
The film's music was composed by Amit Trivedi while lyrics written by Kausar Munir.
Anna M. M. Vetticad of Firstpost said âÂÂHere for a change is a Hindi film that knows how to portray male allies without allowing them to cross the line into male saviour territory. Here for a change is a Hindi film featuring female adversaries sans the all-women-are-enemies-of-women stereotype, and spotting female allies in unexpected places.âÂÂ
Writing for Scroll, Nandini Ramnath said, âÂÂLight on its feet and often as fleet as Rashmi, the movie cruises along on the strength of several heart-warming scenes (many of them involving RashmiâÂÂs tough-loving mother Bhanu), a foot-tapping folksy score by Amit Trivedi, and basic insights into the debate over hyperandrogenism that continues to rage in all manner of sport.âÂÂ
Ronak Kotecha of The Times of India gave the film four stars and said, âÂÂNanda PeriyasamyâÂÂs riveting story, Aniruddha GuhaâÂÂs sharp screenplay and Akarsh KhuranaâÂÂs able direction, holds your attention right from the beginning until the end, where the race for justice is played out in a court.â About lead actress Taapsee Pannu, the publication said, âÂÂTaapsee Pannu once again proves her mettle, embodying RashmiâÂÂs persona, physically and mentally. Her effort to celebrate RashmiâÂÂs victory and endure her pain, is as real as it gets and the actress doesnâÂÂt miss the beat when it comes to making us root for her character.âÂÂ
Shubhra Gupta, in her review of the film in The Indian Express, wrote, "When you see Taapsee PannuâÂÂs Rashmi fighting the good fight, for herself and for other athletes who have been done against in similar fashion, you want to cheer. For keeping sporting women on top, and for the very worthy cause."
In his review for Cinema Express, critic Avinash Ramachandran wrote, "It is brave of Taapsee to do a film where the battle against the system takes paramount importance, and rightly so."
Zee News said in its review that, "Akarsh Khurana's Rashmi Rocket has an unconventional storyline that can greatly contribute to conversations around gender equality."
In her review for Mashable, Sushri Saha wrote, "With strong performances led by Pannu and a well-written screenplay, the film does justice to the issues it raises and challenges."
Critic Shomini Sen, in her review for WIONews, wrote that Rashmi Rocket âÂÂis an important film. It treads on an unknown track and it shines because of its important message.âÂÂ