Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year

Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Shimit Amin
Produced by Aditya Chopra
Written by Jaideep Sahni
Starring Ranbir Kapoor
Gauhar Khan
Shazahn Padamsee
Prem Chopra
Music by Salim-Sulaiman
Cinematography Vikash Nowlakha
Edited by Arindam Ghatak
Distributed by Yash Raj Films
Release date
  • 11 December 2009 (2009-12-11)
Running time
 156 minutes
Country India
Language Hindi
Budget ₹160 million (US$2.2 million)[1]
Box office ₹330 million (US$4.6 million)[2]

Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year is a 2009 Indian comedy-drama film directed by Shimit Amin and produced by Aditya Chopra under the Yash Raj Films banner and released in 2009. Screenplay of the film is by Jaideep Sahni, who collaborated with Shimit Amin for Chak De! India. It stars Ranbir Kapoor, D. Santosh and Naveen Kaushik in the leads roles. Prem Chopra and Shazahn Padamsee daughter of Alyque Padamsee and Sharon Prabhakar, who makes her debut in the film, play supporting roles. The film was an above average grosser at the box office.[3]

Plot

Harpreet Singh Bedi (Ranbir Kapoor), a B Com graduate with approximately 39 percent marks becomes a salesman with a big corporate computer assembly and service company, AYS. Within a few days, a client asks for a kick-back. The top salesmen at AYS acquire large client contracts through bribery. In such corrupt company culture, Harpreet's honesty only brings him a demotion and humiliation. After making concessions to a client for the company, Harpreet realizes that sales success is dependent on the customer; so if the customer is satisfied then bribery will not be necessary to secure these contracts. No one agrees with him but Harpreet remains firm on his belief and forms his own company, Rocket Sales Corporation, from within AYS. Rocket Sales is being managed from the AYS offices where the Rocket partners were still employed. Unlike AYS, Rocket Sales Corporation's overall strategic goal is customer service and customer satisfaction as opposed to just selling the product through bribes and providing zero customer service. Other disgruntled employees of AYS find their way to Rocket Sales – a place where even the guy who serves tea is an equal partner because he brings talent to the table.

The five member company targets previous clients of AYS, who were irritated with AYS's attitude and soon enjoys a strong client reputation. The company soon becomes successful because of its dedication to excellent customer service. Although it does not make much profit. Rocket Sales Corp is able to make a huge difference. AYS's sales start decreasing as many the clients cancel their orders and place orders at Rocket Sales, which offers them better services. Harpreet starts a relationship with Sherena, his first client, whose fashion business had failed.

The MD of AYS, Sunil Puri, becomes angered by the small company's success. Puri moves quickly to attempt to contact the MD of Rocket Sales Corporation and in a phone conversation attempts to entice him to sell Rocket Sales Corporation to AYS (he does not know it is Harpreet). Harpreet not only rejects Puri's offer but says that his company will buy AYS Computers. Afraid of Puri's attempts, Harpreet's partners have a discussion and move their headquarters to Sherena's house, making her a partner in the process. After multiple failed attempts in locating the Rocket Sales Corporation office, Puri decides to call the number on Rocket Sales Corporation's brochures and the phone at the AYS reception desk begins to ring. After thoroughly insulting him and firing both him and his partners, the MD has Harpreet sign a contract handing over Rocket Sales to him for a final compensation of Re. 1. However, AYS is unable to maintain Rocket Sales' commitment to customer satisfaction because of its cold and greedy personnel. The MD, realizing his downfall in purchasing Rocket Sales, visits Harpreet at his new job at Croma, an electronics store, and returns the contract to Harpreet in return for Re. 1. He also tells him never to become a businessman again, because he will fail again. However, this is not intended as an insult, but rather as a compliment; he implies that what made Harpreet so successful was his eschewing of 'normal' business practices such as kick-backs, false advertisement, and low wages.

The ending scene is the new Rocket Sales office building where a prospective worker is going in for an interview. The firm is implied to be very successful. It shows the former employees, all partners of the business, and finally closes with Harpreet smiling genially at a desk, showing that in the long run, honesty and hard work are sound business practices.

Cast

Release

The promotional campaign kept a low profile.[4] The film released on 11 December 2009 worldwide.

Critical reception

Film critic, Rachel Saltz of New York Times called it "a smart, focused Bollywood movie" and commended Ranbir Kapoor for "turning in a skillfully understated performance"[5] while Anupama Chopra in her NDTV review gave it 3 out 5 stars.[6]

Nikhat Kazmi in The Times of India gave 3 stars out 5.[7] An The Economic Times review gave it a 4 stars out of 5 and called it, "one of the most rocking films of the year"[8] An Outlook review by Namarata Joshi gave it 3 out of 5 stars, saying that the film "Marks a continuum and a departure from the middle-class cinema of Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Basu Chatterjee and Sai Paranjape."[9] Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN gave the movie 3.5 stars out of 5.[10]

Many of the serial entrepreneurs called it "a Learning Bollywood Movie for upcoming Entrepreneurs" - Take risk & build relationship with Clients is one of the lesson taught in the movie.


Rocket Singh was featured in Avijit Ghosh's book, 40 Retakes: Bollywood Classics You May Have Missed. "Much has been made about the maturing of audience taste in multiplexed Bollywood in the last few years. This is one film where the audience fails the test," writes Ghosh.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack is composed by Salim-Sulaiman, with lyrics by Jaideep Sahni.[11]this

# Song Singer(s) Duration
1 Pankho Ko Hawa Zara Salim Merchant 3:54
2 Pocket Mein Rocket Hai Benny Dayal, Neeraj Shridhar 4:44
3 Gadbadi Hai Hadbadi Hai Vishal Dadlani 4:15

Box office

Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year made 102 million in India on its opening weekend.[12] The film was declared an above average grosser at the box office.

Awards and nominations

Award Category Recipient(s) and nominee(s) Result Ref.
Screen Awards Best Actor (Male) Ranbir Kapoor Nominated [13]
Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Female) Gauhar Khan Nominated
Most Promising Newcomer (Female) Nominated
Most Promising Newcomer (Male) Naveen Kaushik Nominated
Best Actor in a Negative Role Manish Choudhary Nominated
Best Actor in a Comic Role D Santosh Nominated
Best Background Music Salim-Sulaiman Nominated
Filmfare Awards Best Actor (Critics) Ranbir Kapoor

(also for Wake Up Sid and Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani)

 Won
Best Story Jaideep Sahni Nominated
Best Dialogue Nominated
Stardust Awards Breakthrough Performance - Female Gauhar Khan Nominated [14]
Exciting New Face Shazahn Padamsee Nominated

References

  1. ↑ https://www.boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=159
  2. ↑ https://www.boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=159
  3. ↑ "Yash Raj Films".
  4. ↑ Rocket Singh – Salesman of the Year not promoted – Oneindia Entertainment. Entertainment.oneindia.in (10 December 2009).
  5. ↑ Saltz, Rachel (15 December 2009). "Movie Review: Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year". New York Times. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  6. ↑ "Review : Rocket Singh – Salesman of the Year". NDTV Movies. 11 December 2009. Archived from the original on 14 December 2009.
  7. ↑ Kazmi, Nikhat (11 December 2009). "Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year". The Times of India.
  8. ↑ "Movie Review: Rocket Singh – Salesman of the Year". The Economic Times. 13 December 2009.
  9. ↑ "showtime: Rocket Singh: Salesman Of The Year". Outlook. 28 December 2009.
  10. ↑ Masand verdict: Rocket.. a clean, honest film. Ibnlive.in.com (14 December 2009).
  11. ↑ Music review: Rocket Singh. Hindustan Times (7 December 2009).
  12. ↑ Iyer, Rahul. (15 December 2009) Box Office: Rocket Singh nets Rs 102 million in opening weekend. Businessofcinema.com.
  13. ↑ "Nominations for Nokia 16th Annual Star Screen Awards 2009". 5 March 2010. Archived from the original on 5 March 2010. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  14. ↑ "Stardust awards 2010 : Nominees complete list". www.merinews.com. Retrieved 2017-12-29.
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