Rocketry: The Nambi Effect (2022) Movie Script

Ma, you are so good at this
Do this too please
I am expected to be a good mother,
great wife and dutiful daughter-in-law
I've been at it from dawn and no one
has even offered me a cup of coffee
Subtle hint from your mother
you should've got coffee from home!
Oh 'Genius', I got that
Ma, help me out here
Can you crank up the knob to
the highest and burn the sari?
I'll have a good reason
not to attend the wedding
Show me your bangles
None of you dare make
any excuses to me today
I've promised the bride's family
100% attendance from our side
If you ditch me today, that's it
I won't give a damn for our family dignity
and dance like a woman possessed, mind you!
- That's a scary thought
- Ma, please
I'll leave immediately
after my lecture, promise
I'll pick you up from college
But, Geetha, please don't be late
Our minx of a child will turn our home
into a zoo if we aren't home by 2 p.m
Sir?
Oh sir!
At times try to act like a family member!
I hope we don't share
the same fate of this tea
Show up at the wedding on time
Chances of seeing God are likely
My family turning up at an event,
all of us together, seems a distant dream
I am his wife but he prefers
to romance his rockets
I pray no one goes through
what I'm experiencing daily
Your son-in-law is no less, ma
Sometimes I wonder if he is
a rocket scientist or an astrologer!
Instead of sleeping with me
this almanac is his constant companion!
Tell me something?
Does it mean whoever works in NASA
isn't bothered about our nation?
If you were at NASA,
by now we will be living
In the lap of luxury, bungalow,
fancy car, beefy bodyguards
It isn't too late even now
Your Elizabeth is still
the headhunter at NASA!
Just nod your head, we'll go
- I didn't mean it like that
- Then?
Forget all these creature comforts
We have to attend
a family wedding today
Can't you fulfil
my desire at least 1 day?
What kind of desire?
Go ahead, tell me
- What desires have I ignored?
- Geetha?
- Tell me
- Get your child's crib
It may come in handy here!
- Right, ma?
- Shankar, you devil
You mean I can still launch
rockets at the home front?
Try, but those rockets
will only be firing blanks!
Hey!
Shut up, you shameless lot
I am going to the temple
Today is an important day
for you, right?
Take care
Take care?
I am going only to
the temple, not Mars
That's even more scary
There are more craters on the roads
of Trivandrum than in Mars
I see
Uncle, today I intend supervising
the KVD-1 engines assembly
Just letting you know
Arun, it's inauspicious to call
someone who is stepping out
[holy chant]
'Bless Nambi Narayanan'
'And his family'
[loud voices in protest]
Hey Geetha!
'Ten'
'Nine'
'Eight'
'Seven'
'Six'
'Five'
'Four'
'Three'
'Two'
'One'
'India on its very 1st mission achieved
the impossible of launching Mangalyaan'
'With a price tag less than it costs
to make a Sci-Fi movie in Hollywood'
'Today, we introduce you to someone'
'...without whom this historic feat
wouldn't have been possible'
'Mr Nambi Narayanan'
'And to interview him, we have
the superstar of our country'
'...who has special interests
in gizmos, science and technology'
'The heartthrob of the nation'
'The Badshah of Bollywood'
'Shah Rukh Khan'
Why the hell on a Friday night, guys?
I would have been partying
if I was in Bombay
I am stuck in Trivandrum
Hey!
Want a drink?
Before the show?
Look at the fogey
He seems garrulous
We will be here till sunrise!
Aiyo! Pass me the bottle
I can't go back to Bombay
because of this old man
'I am stuck at rolling
a camera instead of a joint'
'God will curse you guys
for dragging me here today'
'After this I'll go
to Shah Rukh for touch up'
'Quietly click a picture'
'Stop it, guys'
I had to beg Mr Khan to leave his shoot
mid-way in Trivandrum and come here
I'll bury you alive if you ask him for
a selfie or a picture and ruin my evening
'Just pull up your socks
and finish this quickly, guys'
'I have to let him go
at the earliest'
Shall we begin?
One second
Just two seconds, sir
Time's up
Er...excuse me?
Your 2 seconds are up
Of course, I'm...I'm sorry
Ah...who else better than you will
know the value of every second!
We'll begin right away, sir
Keep the tight close
only on Khan sir
I hope all this grand preparation
is worth the outcome
'This fogey will get our asses kicked'
Sorry, sir
Please, sir
Sorry...sorry
Apologies, but if you think
this is such a futile exercise
Then...why are you even here?
Why am I here?
I am here because
what happened to me
...should never happen to
anybody else in this country
I am here because
To ensure the guilty get exposed
by at least revealing their names
People of this country may have
given up on the likes of me
But I am not like them, Mr Khan
I still have full faith
in our people and our country
And that's the reason I am here
We too have full faith in you, sir
And that's why we are here too
Roll it...roll it
Thank you
We also know
Your mentor and your guru
Vikram Sarabhai believed in you
He trusted you
So why don't we start this interview
from your interaction with him?
Wow!
So we won't begin
with the scandal today?
For not melting down my lifetime
labor of love to a scandal
Actually doing some research
thank you so much, sir
Vikram Sarabhai was more like
a father figure to me than a mentor
And as his spoilt, adamant son
I used to enjoy going wild in ISRO
[indistinct chatter]
Hey quiet!
Nambi, please
You can't come 1 day before the test
and claim the experiment won't work
If it's burning here, it will surely
ignite in the upper atmosphere as well
Kalam, nothing will change
if you simply glare at it
Let's just call it off
'Call it off?'
This isn't a party
...where you can dance
and then turn off the music!
Six nations are
watching us like hawks
An American scientist said something
You concur and chew my brains?
Just reset it
Pump
Little more mixture, please
Carbon connectors
Great, thank you
Ignite
Five
'Four'
'Three'
'Two'
'One'
Kalaaaam!
- Look, it worked
- It did not work, sir
The vacuum valve was closed
Normal atmospheric pressure
inside the bell jar
Would you like to
increase the volume?
- Your nose is bleeding
- I'm fine
Give me a heads up
so I don't suffer a heart attack!
Celebrating 'Diwali'
in our office already?
So this is how you plan
to praise us today?
Nambi, you seem to have had
your usual breakfast of 'idli, vada'
With an extra cup of temerity today?
Sir, the temerity comes free!
You have shown enough proof
there's no shortage of temerity
But had you flashed
an iota of brilliance as well
...by now one of you would
have been in the Ivy League
We have even magnanimously
offered to cover all expenses
When that time comes
I'll prove my mettle
It's too early to tell you
what I am capable of
Only God can predict that time
Sir, actually even I know
You can see for yourself
So the rumors are true
The proof is in your hands
Do you know what this means?
'Sir, why does Nambi
have to go Princeton?'
'I need him here, sir'
Nambi, I don't understand
your obsession over liquid propulsions
Sir, we are yet to fully
understand solid fuels
And he wants to jump 4 steps ahead
Sir
He forgets where I am going and why
Just answer my questions
What are we trying to achieve here?
What is our aim?
What course do we wish
to steer IRSO to in the future?
Nambi, don't start lecturing now
Not lecturing, sir
I'm just stating the facts
Just hear me out
Sir, what is this protocol?
We must first study solids
Then master liquids
Then we'll dabble into cryogenics,
if we survive that long
Or the next generation
has to work on it
We have no choice but treat
these 3 stages as mutually exclusive
Any rocket not orbiting in space
is just a fire cracker on 'Diwali' night
Sir, we need to use these rockets
to launch satellites commercially
Commercial satellite launch market
will be a trillion dollar market
In the near future and
we have to be a part of it
Then we won't have to beg
anyone for resources and funds
This is what our aim should be
Come what may
I won't let India work at a snail's pace
when it comes to rocketry
He has made it crystal clear
But what he says makes sense, Kalam
Nambi, is application of liquid fuels
indeed as promising as you say?
- Nambi
- Sir
According to James,
All World Missile and Rocket Catalog
Almost 19 missiles have been
already powered by liquid fuel
'You had to mention the missiles'
Now he won't listen
to a single word of mine
Fine, sir
Guess I have nothing left to say
Bye-bye, Nambi
Good luck
ISRO's 1st ever export to the Ivy League!
Make sure you do your nation proud
All the best
Nambi?
Tell me something, you've been
given admission into solids
Then how will you switch to liquids?
Just leave that to me, sir
'Professor Luigi Crocco'
'In theoretical aerodynamics
and rocket propulsion field'
'One of the most revered names'
'If I could just get to do
my thesis under him'
'We could be well on our way to
achieving our liquid propulsion dreams'
'Come hell, hail or brimstone
I will make it happen'
Fluid flows
Now...this is what we are
going to be discussing today, okay?
So this behavioral pattern
Inside the shock tube is due to
the upstream flow of fluids
Downstream, sir
Excuse me
Sir, this behavioral pattern
is only possible
...when the fluid is flowing
downstream in the shock tube
Great!
Now we and Ascher Shapiro
have to learn from an Indian rookie!
And your name is...?
Sir, my name is Nambi Narayanan
So, Nambi
Let's say you are right
I am only human
I can make mistakes
But are you saying Ascher Shapiro's
textbook is inaccurate?
Yes, sir, it's inaccurate
Oh! Well, then
Why don't you write to Ascher Shapiro?
Tell him to correct it
According to you
He will be very glad
to hear from you, Numbu
Okay, sir
'Maybe I'll just do that'
Thank you for your suggestion!
[loud laughter]
What's so funny?
Hey Neil!
Sit down, sit down
- How is Janet doing?
- She's fine, thank you for asking
- Good
- Neil, this is Nambi
'A freak who wants to study liquids
under Professor Crocco'
And I would like you
to meet another freak
...who put 3000 tons of
explosives under his ass
Just so he would go
take a piss on the moon!
Sir, it is such an honor to meet you
- Oh! It's an honor to meet you too, Nambi
- Thank you
By the way, Nambi, the old man
has stopped taking any new students
Hmmm, he's right
Professor Crocco rarely comes
to the campus anymore
His wife is really sick
She is bed-ridden actually
Nambi, it's one thing
to be under Crocco
It's a whole new deal
getting him to approve your thesis
Take a look at my illustrious friend here
A celebrated student of Crocco's
for 8 years and counting
...who is as cuckoo as Crocco!
Thank you, you jerk!
Now I need another frigging beer
I'll help you
Excuse me
One more, my friend
I need to go pee
You were quite a hero today at the campus
Did you really end up
writing to Shapiro?
Yeah, I actually wrote to him
My name is Yuri
I am an exchange student from Russia
Aviation Sciences
- Nice to meet you
- Nice to meet you, Yuri
I'm Nambi
I am into solid fuels as you know,
but I want to shift to liquids
Oh! Really?
Well, if you need any help
just let me know
I will do that
I actually do
Do you know where
Professor Crocco lives?
[door bell rings]
[door bell rings louder]
I'M NOT HOME!
There
A lovely cup of tea
Just a little bit
It's good for you
Just to wet your lips
Okay, good girl
No?
Good morning, sir
My name is Nambi Narayanan
I'm from India
I'm here on a full scholarship
for the solid fuel program
But I want to study desperately
liquid fuels under you
Sir, I've read all your papers
Especially the theory
on the relation between
Thermodynamics and fluid kinematics
What a lovely piece of work, sir
Sir, I've sent you many applications
But I can understand
why you didn't reply to me
Are you serious?
How did you find me?
Who gave you my address?
A Russian
Yuri, sir
You are wasting your time
My hands are full
What you're asking for is impossible
'Luigi'
Goodbye
Sir, you know
For us Indians who have to walk for
2 km to get 3 liters of drinking water
And use it between the two of us
for 3 days, nothing is quite impossible!
What are you doing?
Did you just follow me back in?
Look at you! You brought
the mud into the house
Oh great! Then just another
clean-up job for me
- I don't believe it
- I'm sorry, sir
I don't know who you are
but you have some nerve!
I really don't have the time
You ought to know I've quit going to
the campus and stopped taking on students
My life is all about her now, okay?
Alright, my darling
Have some breakfast, yes?
'Let's do it'
Sir, I totally understand and
appreciate what you are saying, sir
But please, may I make a suggestion?
Sir, you don't have
to leave the house at all
I will take care of
all your household duties
Indians are very good at that, sir
Sir, I'll do your shopping for you
I'll buy your provisions for you
I will take care of the garden and
wash the utensils and the clothes
And on top of that
I'll clean the house
You know that way you'll get
some quality time with ma'am and-
In your spare time you could
help me with my thesis, sir
It's a win-win for both of us
And I make the world's best omelets!
Nambi, how did it go
with Professor Crocco?
- Are you on?
- I am so on!
Aww! That's great
By the way, can you help me
with these stability configurations?
Sure, no problem
But I need something in return
Can you teach me
how to make an omelet?!
Nambi
I'll get Ken and Beth
to take you through
...at the liquid test facility
to configure the parameters
Okay, sir
Dear Mr Nambi Narayanan
Thank you very much
for your letter
You are the first one to point out the
printing and syntax error in my theorem
...in this version of the book
I am surprised that it went unnoticed
by the professors thus far!
But all the same
I assure you it will be corrected
Thank you for pointing it out
and I wish you all the very best
...in your future endeavors
Mr...Numbu!
From Ascher Shapiro
You have a lovely day, sir
Hey, sleeping beauty!
Hi
Haven't seen you guys for a while
All work and no play
makes Jack a dull boy
Who is Jack?
Are you serious?
You know when you laugh
you remind me of my son
His eyes also start smiling
before his face does
Exactly like yours
I have no idea you are married!
Yes, you see in India it's very difficult
to have a son without a wife!
'Of course'
'I think it is incredible
what these guys have achieved!'
'Forget the moon! At this rate
we will be orbiting Pluto in no time'
I never thought a specific impulse
of 435 was even possible
- Correct
- The Russians are done for!
All they can do now is drown
in their own fine vodka
Right, guys, we are going to split now
- See you later at the bar
- Okay, bye
What happened to you?
They were just joking
Yankee dickheads!
Getting frisky over 435
Poor bastards are going
to lose their hard-on
...when they come to know
about the KVD-1 engines
252 of them
With the specific impulse
of 4 fucking 61!
Just lying there in our facility
As far as interplanetary
travel is concerned
Americans have no clue
what's in store for them!
Seriously?
A specific impulse of 461?
You're kidding, right?
Right
Forget I said anything
Hey, Yuri
Yuri
Yuri, listen
Can I ask you something?
Are you really just an exchange student?
Are you here only for Avionics?
[Russian] Yesli ya skazhu
[Russian] Ty umresh' I ya umru
What does that mean?
If I tell you
You will die
And I will die!
Let's get some coffee, Nambi
So she's saying that-
You can go back to the University
She's done with you, she is
swapping you for an Indian husband
Don't push it
Sicilians are very jealous people
In the 4 years since her stroke
She has never smiled
Well! You are welcome
But you know,
we Indian husbands are like that
We always make our woman smile
You know about our population, right?
Meena...?
- Hey, you are back!
- Where are you going?
- Sorry, I just dozed off
- Listen
If you are leaving then
let me make coffee for you
Come here
Listen to me
How is Shankar?
Do you remember you have a son?
I do and I remember a lot more
How was your flight?
Our very first imaginary story!
'Isn't this Superman animated cartoon'
'A really thrilling clash?'
Sir...sir...?
What if we introduce
a reverse shock wave
Into the active combustion chamber
of the engine to determine instability?
'Sir, this can help us fix'
'...the stability problem
in the Moon Rover as well'
'What do you think?'
'So what we do is'
We introduce a controlled instability in
the active combustion chamber of the engine
'In the form of a reverse shock wave'
'And observe that wave
before instability sets in'
- Right
- Let me explain how that is done
We have the pressure inside the active
combustion chamber which is P1
We separate that with another chamber
With an inert inactive gas
and put that as P2
...which is at a slightly higher pressure
than the active combustion chamber
And we separate the 2 chambers
with a membrane
Now when you start ignition
The flames will come,
burn the membrane
And therefore the higher pressure from P2
...will move into the active
combustion chamber
'If the engine becomes unstable'
'Then we know the stability margin
is between P1 and P2'
'But if the engine can handle that'
'We know that we have to
increase the pressure in P2'
'And keep doing that
till instability sets in'
Brilliant! But that would be
an insane amount of variables
Insane, yes
But impossible, no
'And it's much better than blowing up
actual engines before we get it right'
'Impressive!'
But this is a breach of rules
You are supposed to
be here for 3 years
And you've only done 10 months
Sorry, I can't let you go
Here
My dear, I have some bad news
You've just lost your Indian husband!
And we, our domestic help
O' Mother Goddess!
Go
I'm going to miss you so much
You take care of yourself, okay?
Thank you
'This is Crocco'
Get me Eugene Scott
There you are
'This ought to be
a dream come true for you'
'I suppose you must be very good'
Because it is not that often
Crocco recommends a student!
Thank you so much
And it's such a pleasure
to meet you, Mr Scott
But I must tell you,
Mr Nambi Narayanan
...that you are in for some
real hard work and dedication
Your commit has to be absolute
- Yes, sir
- Come
- Everyone has been so excited
- I'm sure
This is a very interesting phase
of our exploration
Let me introduce you to someone
A brilliant mind
A fellow American, mind you
Barry, this is Nambi
Nambi, this is Barry
- Hello
- Barry Amaldev
All the best
Barry, take over
- I'll see you around here
- Okay, bye
I knew you were coming in today
I figured you must be missing
your filter coffee from back home
- So much!
- So I made you some
Well, my wife made you some
Enjoy
Oh my god!
'Amme Bhagavati'
This is reminding me
of home so much
- I bet it does
- Yeah
You know, getting a NASA fellowship
in 3 months is pretty big by itself
- Thank you
- On top of that
I have never heard Professor Crocco
ever recommending a student to work here
You must be the real deal, Nambi!
Well, it's quite the privilege
and as is this coffee
But you know the...fellowship money helps
I am sure it does
It's going to be a privilege
to work with you, Nambi
For a man with talents like yours
you are in the right place
Thank you so much
'NASA's offer is too good to be true'
Your husband is
quite something too
You didn't realize that!
My god!
Whatever salary my father, uncles,
my whole family can earn in 5 years
Will you get in just 1 year?
No
In 1 month
Whaat?!
What do you say?
Should I accept NASA's offer?
Shall we settle down here?
You got a magic lamp in your hand
You are wondering
whether to rub it?
'Hey Nambi!'
'Hi Meena'
Hi Elizabeth, still with the solids?
Yeah, but I can't wait
to get into liquids with you!
Right
Let's go back to India
- Huh?
- Yes
We can't celebrate 'Diwali'
with fireworks here
Or celebrate festivals properly
India is any day better
- Really?
- Let's go back
Is that the only reason?
Look into my eyes
- Is it the real reason?
- India is better
You want to go back to India?
Is that the only reason?
They are trying to poach
my best scientist once again
Satish, Nambi is very special
You are right, sir
Call him, I want to talk to him
Okay, sir
Hello...?
I know, Nambi, this offer is too lucrative
for any Indian scientist to refuse
This is NASA, Mr Nambi
The most coveted playground
for any scientist worth his salt
I trust you understand
what an honor this is!
Truth be told, Nambi, we can't dream
of competing with their generous offer
And doesn't stop with
a generous pay check
There's a high end vehicle
Housing allowance and an annual
paid vacation for you and the family
You are an extraordinary scientist, Nambi
Whatever you decide
I'll respect that
The Presidential offer
would be the final formality
And you should have it in 2 days
'Nobody ever refuses
the President, Mr Nambi'
Take your time
It is a tough call
This decision has never
been difficult for me
He said I cannot refuse
the Presidential offer
So I just ended up refusing him
Okay
My blue-eyed Princetonian!
But, Nambi
We have made great progress
in solid fuel research
'Nambi, I would like you'
...to continue your research
in liquid fuel propulsion
Visit liquid test facilities
all over the world
Study their progress
and stay updated
So that we can get the job done
when we have the resources
Sir, but NASA is
out of question now
And the Russians and the Chinese
won't allow a fly into their facility
- Correct
- That leaves us with Europe
What are you waiting for then?
'I am so glad to see you, Nambi'
'I feel like I have a little bit
of India here with me'
'You know, there was
one night in Bombay'
'I was relishing
the local food on the beach'
'Good on the eyes
Great on the palate'
By the end of the night, I didn't know
from which end I was whistling louder
And when I was a colonel in the city,
I got to meet Jamshed Tata
I mean what a visionary
that man was!
That man gave India her
1st computer center 3 years ago
I'm so impressed
that you know about all this
Most people in India are not aware!
'That was our mistake, back then'
'Breaking you up
into India, Pakistan'
'What do you know?'
The Domino effect goes on
Now you've got Bangladesh
Oh! I'm...I'm sorry
Am I hogging the conversation?
Yes, my love, you are
Sorry, India does that to him!
Oh! There's no need
for apologies, Mrs Cleaver
I think it's quite a compliment
You are very sweet, sir
Okay
Okay then, enough...enough about me
Why are you interested in
the Rolls Royce hydraulic systems?
Sir, India is at a very
nascent stage of rocketry
And we can't afford the kind of
technology we need
'We heard so much about
your equipment and the plant'
'At the Rolls Royce
hydraulic factory'
'I just had to see it for myself'
'Sir, I was in France
just a month ago'
'And we were just content
reading about the hydraulic systems'
'And now, I'm here!'
'Seeing the testing of fluids with
such complex system of gauges'
'This is incredible!'
As is this food
Thank you so much for it
You are very kind
We really wish you could
have stayed for New Year
Food and extra day's stay are luxuries
that ISRO can ill-afford right now
So how long was your tenure in India?
Well, it was long enough
...for the imperialist guilt to
weigh heavy upon my heart!
I've often wished there was
something I could do
...in my own small way
to make amends
I don't know about then
But I do know of a way now
Colonel Cleaver
It's a well-known fact that European
rocketry program is on a slow burn
Because the U.S is undertaking
all your rocketry responsibilities
Which also means the hydraulic plant
and all the equipment I saw today...
...will all be rendered
useless and dysfunctional
Because you'll have to move the plant
And what a tragedy that will be
But what is a setback for you
...could transcend 10 years
of research for us in India
So I want to make
an outrageous request
Give us the hydraulic plant
and all the equipment
I know as a nation we can't
afford to pay you a dime
But we will forever be indebted to you!
You do know what you are asking for is
400 million pounds
worth of equipment
Even as I said it, I realized
how ridiculous I sounded
I'm so sorry
Please forget I asked
On the other hand, darling
He isn't asking for the Kohinoor!
Oh! The lights are out
Come
- You will enjoy this
- Excuse me
This is so spectacular
I've never seen something like this
It is indeed an outrageous request
I'm surprised you had
the audacity to ask
Though it's not a remotely
worthy compensation, Nambi
It will be an honor to give you
all the equipment for free
As is in with my power to grant
Now what's not within my power is
bearing the cost of shipping it to India
Much though I would like to oblige
You must make those arrangements
My dear boy!
I don't know what to say
This is spectacular
This is wonderful news
Oh! Save it, Nambi
It was probably built
from money procured from India!
You know this is such wonderful news
I can't wait to tell Vikram sir about it
Why don't you give him a call?
Give the old man a ring right now
I think it's very late at night there
I'm leaving by the early morning flight
I would like to see his face in person
when I tell him this wonderful news
But thank you so much
Thank you
400 million worth
of equipment for free!?
Sir, not in the habit of
doing anything in small measures
On a serious note,
you know, Nambi
Your eccentricity, your stubbornness,
your temerity, your restlessness
Though they tighten
a noose around your neck
But they will also
lead you to your destiny
Your vision is important
Just stick to it
And remember
I shall always be rooting for you
'Prominent Indian scientist
Dr Vikram A Sarabhai'
'Chairman of Indian Space
Research Organization'
'As well as the Atomic Energy Body
was found dead at Kovalam Palace'
'A Govt tourist hotel
in the Southern state of Kerala'
'He was 52 years old'
'Dr Sarabhai, son of
a textile millionaire and-'
'Flight 147 from London to Trivandrum
will be landing in 25 minutes'
'Cabin crew, please prepare for arrival'
I am sure Vikram Sarabhai's death
came to you as a rude shock
IRSO lost a talented scientist
and you lost your mentor
A lot must have changed
at IRSO after his demise
After Vikram Sarabhai passed away
Satish Dhawan took over
Did he keep his promises?
Satish sir never let me down
True, Vikram Sarabhai's death
dented my temerity
I was completely shaken
Because I had decided to build
a liquid fuel engine on my own
Of course
But back then,
IRSO lacked the resources
And I lacked patience
'Did you do something for
the impurities in the water?'
Yes, we installed a filter
A filter?
This is muddy water
- The mud will get deposited in the filter
- Calibration will keep varying
'Five-four-three'
- 'Two-one'
- It will explode!
STOP
No!
'Nambi, I think you are safe
with only one liquid'
Tea! Would you like a cup?
Sir, is the fabrication department
absolutely jobless?
All they do is flash their teeth!
Nothing better to do?
What are you staring at?
Sir, if you can't provide me
with proper resources
Please accept my resignation
I cannot continue like this
Everybody thinks the engine
failed because of me
But the truth of the matter is
I failed because of you!
Nambi, enough of your nonsense
I know you are being 'drama king'
because of a bee in your bonnet
Be upfront
What do you want?
Sir, the world is making
60-70 tonne engines
And we are crawling on the ground
with 600 kg toy cars!
Sir, it isn't rocketry
This is puppetry
Nambi, beggars can't throw banquets!
You know we don't have
that kind of a budget
We may have limited budget, sir
But we have
enough brains, right?
It's time we sell our brilliant minds
and compensate for the lack of funds
Meaning?
SEP France is making a Viking
fuel engine for their Ariane rockets
They require 100s of scientists and
100s of man years for this mega project
We will lend them our brilliant minds
And in exchange we learn
their technology for liquid fuel engines
A barter
Nambi
All this sounds like
music to my ear
But are the French our uncles or cousins
to agree to whatever you ask?
No way they will agree
No problem if they don't,
but what if they do?
Then who am I to stop you?
You have my 100% blessing
In that case, sir, please sign
your blessings on this contract
I have already spoken to the French
We have a deal
Nambi
You are impossible
This is a bloody good deal!
So what do you need for this?
52 scientists ready to learn French
Willing to live in France
with their families for 3 years
'Come on, guys?'
'This is not rocket science for you to
need 8 months to learn French'
Nambi, it took me
8 years to learn English
How can I learn French?
How do you say
'Good morning' in French?
Bonjour
Correct
Now tell me
How do we say this in French?
'If any of us speaks a single word
of French in France'
'Then not only will we lose our job'
'But also be sent back to India
without being paid'
That's right
We will keep our eyes and ears open
and keep our lips zipped tight in France
No one should know
we know French
Gentlemen, this mission
is much bigger than it appears
I am sure all of you must
be up to date with the briefing
In order to build
our own liquid engine
...we need to understand
the intricacies of their engine
Therefore we will try to rotate
all of you in every single department
That is why when we go to Vernon
and work on their Viking engine
We will listen carefully
to everything they tell us
And understand everything
they do not tell us
'Remember, Vernon is
a small town of France'
'And everybody knows everyone'
'We should be on our guard'
We already have our men
working in these departments
Tank gauges, pressurization systems
Control elements and
thrust chamber assembly
But now we need to get
our people into regulators
Stage systems
Gimbal actuator systems
And command module systems
Then our boys can learn
We need to figure out how to
turn these reds into greens
Nambi, many tests are
aborted half way through
We don't know if it is
due to pressure regulations
Or if it is the malfunction of
the pressure gauging senses
To figure out why
these tests have failed
...we need the end data and analysis
And there is only one place
where we can find all the data
- R-C-D
- Bloody deal!
RCD is one place they don't even
let us walk past, forget about getting in
I don't know how you're
going to manage that, Nambi
But we need to get into
the RCD for our know-why
- Otherwise this mission will fail
- I know...I know, man
Don't keep stating the obvious
like a broken record!
Nambi, remember when
we visited Monet museum
The French told us, to appreciate
the true beauty of the paintings
We should step back and
admire the art from a distance
Yes, but how is it connected
to our discussion right now?
Nambi, the upper stability margin
of the Viking engine
It is very low
- What are you saying?
- Yeah
And how much can Viking handle?
If the pressure goes up by even 2 bars
Viking will vibrate faster than me
...when I see a beautiful girl
and go gaga over her
- Nambi
- Hey!
- Let me introduce you to-
- Hey!
- Barry, how are you doing?
- Good to see you, man
You jerk! After all that
filter coffee last time
You couldn't bother to
say a proper goodbye, huh?
I'm so sorry, you know-
He's part of the advisory
committee for the Viking engine
- Oh! He is part of the advisory committee?
- Yeah
Guys, this is Barry
He's from the U.S
Part of the advisory committee
for the Viking engine
Oh! Congrats, man
Hey, so how come
you didn't tell them
...that the upper stability margin
of the Viking engine is so low, huh?
I think the alcohol is getting to him
Okay, I tried telling you
I promise I won't say
'I told you so' later on
So tell me, how long
have you been here?
Ah, not for long
Just here to observe
and assist if necessary
Are you assisting?
Good
What were you saying
about the stability margin?
Michelle, I was saying that the-
Upper stability margin of
the Viking engine is a little too low
A little bit of change in the operating
pressure and the engine
... will vibrate or worse still
totally explode!
No...no, that's not possible
Actually, it's quite possible
because you are assuming
That your fuel is as pure
as the French wine!
But if it turns out to be
a cheap American knock-off
The engine will be drunk
before you can say 'sant'
Is that your Indian sense of humor?
What if I prove it to you?
- Shall we begin?
- Yes
Param, start
Perfect!
Smooth running
That will be the operating pressure
we designed it to be
Yes, but what about
the stability margin, huh?
Param, increase
Stop it
Stop the engine!
Hey! But an engine like this should
be able to withstand this easily, huh?
Without a reasonable
stability margin
...you are vulnerable to
high risk failures, guys
Param, some more
Nambi
- You see my point?
- Yes
Yes...yes, stop the engine
If that stand explodes,
it will cost us a million pounds!
It won't explode now
Another 0.2 bars and
then the fireworks will begin
Engine is giving our belly dancer
a complex about her hip-shake!
Param, increase it
- Stop...stop the engine, please
- Param...Param
'Stop...stop'
Michelle, I've done this before
The Ariane deserves
a much more reliable engine
I know that you have placed orders for
the mass production of the spare parts
But if I were you, I would think twice
before putting my name on those contracts
But the rest is up to you
Hey! Come on, guys, let's go
I know you long enough to know that
you are obviously doing this for a reason
But I don't know what it is
So I have to fall
in the trap and ask you
Can you fix this?
God's sake, Nambi
This is 'yes'
And this is 'no'
What does this mean?
Thank God!
Someone finally asked
Yes...yes, I think I can do it
But I need all the information and data
on the test failures to be able to do that
The one place where
all the relevant information
...can be given to you is the RCD
Would you be able to
make time for those meetings?
Yes, I guess I can do that
But, Michelle, my schedule
is very packed, very busy
We'll work around your schedule
What happened, Param?
I think what you can do is rotate
all my men in all the departments
So that they can fill in for me
when I am at the RCD
Easily done
The committee meets tomorrow at 9
But, Nambi, all I have is
about 60 days to fix this
Can you do it?
Yes, yes, yes!
Yes, I can
I can try to fix it
[Tamil] Couldn't you find any other place
in France to make us sit?
Hats off to you, man
100 blows by a goldsmith equals
1 hit by our blacksmith Nambi
- Thank you
- You managed to get inside RCD
But what about the engine's
stability margins?
Long live Professor Crocco!
- Ah!
- Meaning?
Damn it!
He already knows the solution
Right
Problem is in the orifice
Increase the diameter
of the injector passage
And the stability margin will increase
- Awesome
- Nambi
You are amazing
You are the man!
- You are THE MAN!
- Thank you
But there is only one man
who can pull this off
- Our Unni?
- Yes
Let's call him here
and get it done quickly
So this stays between us
Nambi, this is IRSO
we are talking about
He will be here in
a year or two, if we rush it
We have no other option
He needs to be here within 15 days
We won't get a better opportunity
to finish this mission before time
Why this tearing hurry, sir?
You caused quite a stir in ISRO
They stuffed gunpowder
up my ass and made me fly
They said, 'Leave immediately
or you'll blow up!'
Governor dropped me
at the airport personally, sir
Hope you understand, Unni
How important you are
for this mission?
- Yes, sir
- The entire mission depends on you
How's your family doing, Unni?
Good, sir
- My son wasn't keeping well
- Oh gawd!
- But he is alright now
- Good
My wife wouldn't believe
I am flying out of the country
She said, once you are done playing
with the rockets, get me 2 liters milk
Anyway, ready to take on the French?
I have come prepared, sir
You just wait and watch
'Nambi, call for you on line #3'
Hello?
'Unni?'
'Can I talk to Unni?'
'Trying to get through
for quite some time now'
Unni isn't here
This is Nambi Narayanan
Do you want to leave
a message for him?
Nambi sir, I am Unni's father-in-law
'I have been trying to
reach him for the past 2 days'
'I have bad news, sir'
'Unni's son passed away, sir'
O' Mother Goddess!
'His 3 year old son'
We are waiting for Unni
for the funeral
Please send him back
as soon as possible
- 'Nambi sir?'
- Yes
I don't know what to do or say, sir
'How does one endure
such a huge shock?'
I can understand what
you must be going through
But there is a problem, sir
I don't think Unni can make it to
Trivandrum at least for another 15 days
Why?
Why, sir?
'Please try to understand, sir'
No matter how hard I try
It will take me 5-6 days to get
the paperwork ready to send him back
He won't be able to
make it for the funeral
If he stays here another 8 days
and finishes his job
We will be able to complete
an important project in our mission
It is something
we cannot do without him
He's serving his nation, sir
- That's why I'm saying-
- 'Are you mad or what?'
'Didn't you hear what I just said?'
His
His only son is dead, sir
You don't have to decide right away
I can understand
I'll call back in some time
Talk to your daughter and
let me know what you have decided
Thank you, sir
'Sir, I would like to say something
before you let me know your decision'
If Unni leaves before he finishes his job
Then years of hard work
by 52 scientists
The money and resources
invested by IRSO
It will all go down the drain
It will push us back by decades
- Sir-
- 'I have heard enough'
'Don't put me in this dilemma'
'I can't ask my daughter to decide'
Now I can
I can only
Look after her
What else can I do?
'You do whatever you deem fit'
- Let me carry that, sir
- It's okay
Thank you very much, Nambi sir
Whatever gifts I buy for my family
And the toys I buy for my son
You always pay for them
Once or twice is fine, sir
But every time means
it is kind of awkward, sir
It's alright, my brother
Don't worry about it
Just finish your job
- That's enough
- Yes, sir
Excellent!
Unni...Unni
Come with me
You got a call from home
YOU'VE GOT A CALL
CAN'T YOU HEAR ME?
JUST COME WITH ME
What is happening?
Nambi
When?
Unni!
You have known for a fortnight
And you didn't tell me
I was buying clothes
and toys for my son
You came along with me
and paid for them
Even then-
You are heartless
You are a monster!
It was a tough decision
I did not have any other option,
my brother
Even if you had gone back
You couldn't have changed anything
But everything here
would have gone for a toss
Our mission here fully depended
on you finishing your job
Unfortunately it was
my job to ensure that
I can apologize, but I know
you won't forgive me
The truth is, if you are ever in my place
'I would want you
to do the same with me'
- What's wrong?
- 'Like what I did to you'
Unni's son died and
Nambi didn't tell him
Are you done?
Are you happy now?
Unni, I-
I don't want to see
your face every again
[cursing under his breath]
- Nambi, you shouldn't hav-
- I didn't ask for your advice
Even if I ask by mistake
don't give me one
I don't want character certificates
from any of you
Nor am I here to win
a popularity contest
We are here on a mission
Stick to it, that will do
If anyone has any problem
then he can leave now
I can finish this mission without you
Let's get back to work now
We don't have time to waste
Unbelievable, Nambi sir
I must admit, you don't come across
as this ruthless a person
But-
I do understand
You had no choice
but to take this tough call
In fact
In spite of all the hard work
and sacrifices you made
It took India quite some time
to make its own liquid engine, right?
Approximately 8 years
We went to France and got
a detailed training with their scientists
We didn't have the resources
to build our own liquid engine
After 1 year, we were given
permission to build 1 engine
10 million was sanctioned
I built the engine
in just 0.6 million!
It was a do-or-die situation
But the cost of the test stand
required to test the engine
1 billion rupees
We had no other option
We were forced to take
the engine to France
All of us were tense
The success of this engine meant
ISRO by itself
Without any help from outside
...could launch its own satellite
- The pressure system's good?
- Good to go
- All the best to you, Nambi
- Thanks, Michelle
[French] I have a feeling this will
crash and burn in less than 45 seconds
Of course, but the question is,
which second?
- Want to bet?
- Done
42 seconds
All I want is everything to be fine
And the engine somehow fires
Viking runs for 135 seconds
'Our engine should run
for at least 90 seconds'
- 'Hope it doesn't let us down
- 135 seconds'
Enough, just 135 seconds
If we succeed, I promise
to distribute 135 kg of sweets
Just 135 seconds, o' God
- 135 seconds
- 'Out station, this is Control'
'Weather condition okay'
'Clear to fire'
Roger, copy that
'Ten'
'Nine'
'Eight'
'Seven'
'Six'
'Five'
'Four'
'Three'
'Two'
'One'
[praying fervently]
[praying and counting]
107...108
- Hundred and-
- Quiet!
131...132
133...134...135!
Well done!
- You actually did it
- Congratulations to you too
You should congratulate Nambi
It's his birthday as well
Thank you
Congratulations!
My God! What have you done, Nambi?
I'm so proud and happy for you!
- Thank you
- Move aside!
Hey Nambi, you aced it!
Nambi...Nambi
This is a tight slap to all those
who thought we came here to party!
You have done it
Nambi, you are the man!
You are THE MAN!!
- Cheers!
- Bravo! Nambi
'Excellent'
Isn't 'Vikas' a strange
name for an engine?
Just as strange as Vikram A. Sarabhai!
Where will I find 150 heads to tonsure!
Vikas
Only you can come up
with such a brilliant name
Thank you so much
for your assistance
This wouldn't have been
possible without all of you
Thank you
Did he just rattle in French?
He certainly did
Very fluent French
Indeed!
Vikas engine was a noteworthy
turning point for ISRO
And without a doubt
Vikas engine is an integral part of ISRO
It has never failed
Launches and missions
might have failed
But this engine never failed us
It won't be wrong to say
without the Vikas engine
None of ISRO's significant missions
would have been possible
What an amazing achievement, sir
Thank you
Then you set your eyes on cryogenics
And there was no stopping you
Let me explain something, Mr Khan
The number of solid and liquid engines
we had just didn't matter
Without cryogenics
in the satellite launch market
...we wouldn't have made
a name for ourselves
That is because
...to launch heavy satellites into space
we desperately needed cryogenics
I became the head of
Cryogenic Unit
We didn't have the time
to make a cryogenic engine
So I decided we would import
this technology and engine
...from countries which
already had this technology
Tenders were issued
And in this quest
all the expected countries applied
'American and French offers
weren't feasible for us'
'On the other hand'
'Russia's economy was in shambles'
'Even in that drowning state'
'...they possessed an engine
I was familiar with'
The KVD-1 engines
[Russian] How the eff does
he know about that engine?
Did you know about it?
How would I know?
Sir, how do you know
about the KVD-1 engin-
Hey! Easy
How do you know
about KVD-1 engines?
Oh! Please don't worry about that
I also know
That you have 252 engines
'All I'm asking for'
...is 4 engines
And technology transfer
What the hell!
He knows that too
He probably knows
the color of our underwear too!
Be careful when you deal with him
Nambi
You are a dangerous man!
This is extremely
classified information
How did you get access to it?
[Russian] Sir, if I tell you that
You will die
And I will die!
'Listen'
Don't worry about it
That's all the Russian I know!
Okay, let me be honest with you
Our country is in shambles right now
Our economy is in danger
At Glavskosmos we really need this deal
So here is what we do
Do not mention the names in the contract
Just say that you need the engines with-
With a specific impulse of 461
Yeah...that
And I will do my best
I'm sure you will
Sir, may I come in?
Yes, Nambi
When do you intend to start
training your replacements?
In 2 days, sir
Did you go through the Russian deal?
Yes, I did
I hope this isn't a hasty decision
14 years ago
We could have bought this technology
from France at just 10 million
We lost that deal because we didn't
want to take a 'hasty decision'
Now France is selling
the same technology for 10 billion
I rest my case
Okay
Russians have given
the lowest quotation possible
One-fourth
Their technology is great
But
Their quotation will get disqualified
because it is the lowest!
I know, sir
But I think I have a solution
Just leave it to me
Thank you
Congratulations!
Why are the Indians
being so generous?
What do you mean?
For a meagre extra hardware
they are paying us considerably more
Should we be worried?
Nothing to worry
We were too desperate to broker this deal
We didn't realize the value of what we had
But Nambi did and he's just being fair
That is why we love the Indians
This world has no balance at all
Why?
Don't make me jealous
She's coming this way
Be bold and don't gabble
- Mr Nambi
- Hi
So what are you thinking about so deeply?
I was just thinking how
...my wife would love a sari
in the color of your dress
This is her favorite color
I'm sure she misses you very much!
I'm sure she does
Thank you
Ma'am, I would like you to meet another
brilliant rocket scientist from ISRO
Mr Param
Nice to meet you, Mr Param
[muttering incoherently]
- Good bye
- Good night
Param, you were not supposed to babble
This world is totally out of balance
- Really?
- Don't worry, sir
We can find you a bride
closer to home
Impossible
Sir, everything is possible
No...impossible!
This man always follows-
Barry?
Gentlemen
Nambi
- What are you guys doing here?
- You know usual Govt work
But seriously
Am I following you
or you following me?
It's definitely me
who is trying to follow you
And that's not easy!
- You are an exceptional man, Nambi
- Thank you
You know what?
I want to show you something
Come with me
You know the work done at NASA
benefits the whole world
From artificial limbs
to heart pumps
Road safety to improved tyres
Our contribution really hasn't made
the world a safer place for humans
But I always wondered
Could humanity have been better served
...if you worked at NASA?
Instead of what you are doing now
No offense
But could you imagine?
What all you could've accomplished
with the absolute best resources
Completely at your disposal
So I'm curious
Why did you refuse NASA's offer?
Yeah
Yeah, I know
There should be a photograph of you
in the Oxford dictionary
Right next to the definition
of the word 'Patriotism'
So...uh
What are you doing here in Moscow?
Well, you know
Usual Govt work
What happened?
What is the emergency?
I don't know if you are aware, but-
USSR as a nation will cease
to exist tomorrow
The Americans, who are, as it is
Pissed off that you haven't
awarded the contract to them
But given it to us instead
Are taking advantage
of the prevailing situation
And claiming that Russia
is in violation with MTCR
By selling the cryogenic engines to India
When did a cryogenic engine become
a weapon of mass destruction?
And that too with a 500 kg payload?
When have Americans ever played fair?
I suspect they have an eye
on all 252 of them
And they are claiming that India is using
...the KVD-1s to develop the ICBM
And if we go ahead
with this contract
...they will impose heavy
punitive sanctions on us
We are sorry, Nambi
This will stop us from competing
in the satellite launch markets
And push us back by decades!
We are so close
[Russian] I just got
a call from Kremlin
We must make this happen
We have to help the Indians
What do you mean?
The Indians have always been good to us
And this man Nambi
has been very kind and fair
We can't let him down
The Kremlin has ordered me
...to see if we can help him out
What do you suggest we do?
Nambi, do you have an idea
how we can work it out?
Yes
We actually do
Technically all 4 engines
are ready for delivery
The deferred payments
were for India's convenience
What if we expedite the payments?
Will you be able to hand over
all 4 engines in one go?
That's great idea, Nambi
I can get the team here to comply
This will be a win-win
You guys win
I get screwed!
[Russian] Do you really think
I am that stupid?
Okay, look
I can pick up the engines
wherever in Russia
And deliver them anywhere in Russia
But I can't take them
out of the country
What do you say, Mr Nambi?
Can you handle shipping?
'Professor Rao, Ural Airlines
won't fly us for less than 9 million'
Nambi, your demands
never seem to end, eh?
We just paid in full for the engines
Now you want another
9 million for Ural Airlines
Whom do I approach for this money?
How many times
do I visit the PM's office?
Sir, I'm not asking 9 million
for my personal expense
Ask Grand National Airlines
why they have backed out
We are in this position because of them
Sir, please hear me out
'We have no other option
but to fly Ural Airlines'
We need 3 flights
to get the engines to India
And they won't agree for
anything less than 9 million
Sir, please
At the moment, we need
the engines more than they do
Kalam
From Russia, if we don't get
the cryogenic engines
There is no chance of
getting them from the Americans
'France will take advantage of our
situation and increase the price five fold'
We will have to forget
our dream about cryogenics
Okay, give me some time, sir
1 minute, call from PM's office
1 minute, Nambi
Yes, sir
'The fund has been sanctioned'
Yes, sir
'Congratulations, Nambi'
'Your funds have been approved'
Great, sir
Thank you very much
- 'Now get us those bloody engines'
- Definitely, sir
- Thanks, Kalam
- 'Can I talk to Nambi?'
Okay, I'll patch your call to him
'Sir, patching your call'
'Kalam'
Nambi
I have shown what I can
do with solid fuels
Now it is your responsibility
to take us to the stars
You know I never do
anything in small measures
- All good at DRDO?
- First class
But I miss our days at ISRO
Anyway, all the best
Bye, Kalam
Thank God! That's all taken care of
So we are all set?
Can you promise the engines
will be delivered on time?
I cannot promise that we will
even be alive 2 hours later!
That's the state our country is in
The only thing I can promise
is that I'll try my best
Since I'm the one flying you out,
you can pay me once the job is done
We will fly from Krasnoyarsk
to avoid attracting any attention
Americans are definitely
going to keep an eye out for us
The Americans will be looking out
for flights leaving for India
What are your suggestions?
I think we should fly to Karachi
Re-fuel and then fly to Trivandrum
Karachi?
Americans won't think
even in their wildest dreams
...we'll fly via Pakistan
with our rocket parts
And Pakistan will never
search a Russian Aircraft
This is the best strategy
That's a great idea
While we are at it
let's get the engines drunk
Drunk? What do you mean?
Dismantle them
Hide them in the vodka crates
Another good idea!
Done...here
The Americans know!
They are on their way here
- We have to leave
- What do you mean 'leave'?
The 2nd consignment is just taking off
I need the nozzle assembly kit
of all the four engines
As well as some parts of the 4th engine
I'm not leaving without that
[Russian] Give me the bloody radio!
Nambi, you and your colleagues
have to leave now
Or your lives will be in danger
Official orders from your chairman ISRO
Sven, hold the takeoff
What about the rest of my parts?
The...rest of the 3rd consignment?
There's no TIME!
Think about your families
Wow!
That's amazing, sir
Absolutely brilliant!
Actually when people watch us act in
action scenes, they get really impressed
But the way you guys risked your lives
and brought cryogenic engines back home
It's a-
It's nothing less than a...
James Bond thriller!
Really...it is!
You managed to get the engines
But the next 3 years
were quite tough for you
Because you had no manuals or guidance
But in spite of that, you tried
your level best to assemble the engines
That is around the time when
your dear friend U.R Rao had retired too
And, sir
Before your dream of cryogenic engine
could completely come true
...the most painful chapter
of your life had begun
'The entire state of Kerala
has gone haywire'
'They may arrest some more
scientists tomorrow'
'Can you dive into the preliminaries?'
Right away, sir
'Give me a day
I will get him talking'
'Don't you get what's going on?'
'The whole media circus
has gathered there'
- 'Shift him to Latex Guest House at once'
- Okay, sir
Move
- Sir, please
- Sir...sir
Make way...make way
Move aside
Hello, sir
How are you?
I am fine
Who are you?
Why have you arrested me, huh?
- Which department are you from?
- We'll tell you, sir
Get a cup of tea for him
All this feels a bit strange, sir
How can someone like you
do something like this?
It's...impossible
This is just...a formality
If you answer our questions,
that will do
Fine, but why was I arrested
like I am some common criminal?
That too outside a temple, huh?
They pushed me down
and pinned me with their knees
This is not the way, sir
I'm an ISRO scientist
- Sorry, sir
- No, this is not acceptable
I apologize on their behalf, sir
Some of our officers
don't know how to behave
Are you okay, sir?
I am absolutely fine
Quickly ask me whatever
questions you want to
My family must be waiting for me
Have some tea, sir
Thank you
Sir, who is Mariam Rashida?
- Mariam who?
- Rashida
Mariam Rashida?
I don't know
Does she work for ISRO?
Stop it!
[Tamil] What's wrong with you?
Are you brainless or what?
Is this the way to treat a scientist?
CONTROL YOURSELF!
I'm sorry, sir
Are you alright?
Sir, I apologize on his behalf
He always does this
Sir, please tell us who Mariam is
And what forced you to sell
the rocket secrets to Pakistan!
- I don't know
- That's all we want to know
I do not know
And if you don't tell us-
We will bury you alive,
in this very guest house, scumbag!
We are working our butts off
with sweat and blood
Only then we can
make ends meet and you-
You sold our country for a fast buck!
Bloody traitor!
Sir...?
Done with the bath now
can we start morning prayers?
Hey! Move
Without wasting each other's time
let's get straight to the point
You slept with that Maldivian woman
And in exchange
sold our rocket's secrets
You need to confess this
The sooner you confess
the better it will be for you
Really?
So should I also confess I am behind
Bofors scandal and Share Market scam?
You are so funny!
Good sense of humor
I think we should show him
our sense of humor
O' Mother Goddess!
This case is getting serious
Big heads will roll
We should be careful
Traitors don't deserve to sit!
Fine
I won't sit
But you are wrong
Because I was nowhere
close to Madras on 24th January
Where the eff were you?
I don't have to tell you
Who do you think I am?
Huh?
What do you think?
I won't actually find out
this telephone has a recorder?
I will repeat whatever you say
And you will use it as my confession
You think I am an idiot?
I am a Rocket Scientist!
Scientist?
Now we will tell you what you can
and what you cannot say
We are just getting started
Where were you on 24th January?
'I met N...Nrambi Narayan'
'In a hotel room'
Forget about a confession
'This man won't be alive until tomorrow
at the rate you are going!'
BP is low
Heart rate is off the chart
We have to revive him immediately
Get up
Good morning, sir
This is Nambi Narayanan
I am here for the handover
Hello, Mr Narayanan
I am P M Nair from the CBI
Thank you very much for letting me
know your name and your department
The 3 men who came before you
lacked that basic courtesy
Like some tea?
Please sit
Gopal, sit, have tea before you leave
- No, it's okay
- No, I insist, sit please
Are you okay?
Yeah, please come
Sit...sit here
Raj Shekar, please sit here
Fauziya, please sit
Mariam
Sir, I just came here
to hand over this case
- I'll get going now
- Sit, Gopal
- No, sir, I'll g-
- Gopal, sit down
Mariam
Do you recognize
...this man?
Yes, sir
He's the bastard
...who threatened to put ice
on my private parts, sir
Sir, she's lying
- Damn you! I'll break your bones
- Quiet...quiet!
Will you stop talking to her in Malayalam?
She only understands English
Are you saying you do not recognize her?
No, sir, somebody else
put her in this situation
Sir, he said he would rape me
in front of my daughter
...if I don't do as he said
How dare you!
Do you know whom you're talking to
Gopal, first sit down
QUIET, GOPAL!
Sit down
Mariam?
You know him?
Yes
Where have you met him?
Actually, I have never met him, sir
I just heard his name once
My arrest was done and the inspector
showed his pictures to us
And we were...trained to say his name
Nram...Nrambi
Is that what you were doing?
Reading off a board
during the confession?
Yes, they were holding it for us to read
I'm sorry, sir
I have to go
GOPAL!
I need to speak to Mr Narayanan alone
We were beaten and tortured
to say your name in this case
We had no option
We are very sorry
Drink your tea
Nothing to worry
Relax, drink your tea
3rd degree?
What do you think?
If they hadn't brought a doctor in
to revive me in the middle of the night
I wouldn't be sitting here
in front of you now
The case had already been
handed over to the CBI
What was the need
to interrogate you?
Interrogate me?
They weren't here to interrogate me
They were here to torture me
to make me confess
Confess what?
That I sold our nation's
rocketry secrets to Pakistan for 9-
I am not recording you
I'll inform you before I do
Just so I can sleep
with one of these women
I believe I sold our nation's
rocketry secrets to Pakistan
In exchange they paid me $ 900,000
This deal took place in Madras
in Hotel International on 24th January
And...?
And
It is a cruel and terrible lie
A technology our nation
does not possess
How can I sell them to Pakistan, sir?
These designs they claim
I sold to Pakistan
...are easily available in any bookstore
or library across the world
For pittance, mere 200 rupees!
You cannot make rocket engines with them
Sir
This is rocket science, sir
Even though 52 scientists went
to France and trained for 3 years
...it took us 16 years to
launch our own liquid engines
And
Until today I have never
set eyes on these 2 ladies
And
They have their facts completely wrong
I attended my friend's funeral
on the 23rd of January
And January 25th was
my granddaughter's birthday
And on the 24th of January
the day they are talking about
I was not in Madras on that day
I was here in ISRO Trivandrum
If you want, you can check
the vehicle log books
I'll try and get to the bottom
of this as soon as possible
But for your own protection
I need to send you to judicial custody
I have one last question for you
If you are as innocent
as you claim to be
...why didn't a single person from ISRO
come forward to support you
Till date, not even one of them
came to meet you in prison
Why?
I don't know, sir
Perhaps scientists are like this
A bit strange
We know how to react
when a rocket fails
But we have no clue how
to react when a person fails
Hey! You have a visitor
Great timing!
If anyone had asked 'who is likely be
the first visitor for you in prison?'
Your name would have never
crossed my mind, my brother
How are you doing, Mr Unni?
Congratulations, my brother
Perhaps the state in which
you wanted to see me in
...is exactly how I am
standing before you now
Shattered
And broken
They have literally skinned me alive
My career is destroyed
My family's reputation tarnished
I've even peed in my pants
No control
And worst of all
I am being slandered as a traitor
But you know what, brother
For what I did to you
You are justified in
seeing me in this state
So go ahead
And enjoy the sight
I'll stand in front of you
as long as you want
Go on
There hasn't been a single day
when I didn't think about seeking revenge
You deserve it
Selfish
Arrogant
Stubborn
Ruthless
Monster
I never thought I'll take my revenge
and enjoy seeing you like this
But, Mr Nambi Narayanan
If my painful personal experience
Taught me something
I learnt you can do anything
But you can never betray your country
It is indeed a shame
no one came to meet you here
But now I am here
Tell me what do I need to do
to get you out of here?
Because if you think there is
only 1 person in this room
...who is concerned about his country
Then you are making
another mistake
Please do something, sir
My father is being
beaten up and tortured
They are asking him
unnecessary questions and if-
Sir, they are asking him questions like
Who is heading the cryogenic research?
Who sanctions the deals
for international technology?
Why do they need all this
sensitive information, sir?
Please do something, sir
We don't know how much more
of this Nambi sir can take
Does anyone in ISRO know what to do?
- Please, sir?
- When can we meet him, huh?
- When can we meet our dad?
- Hello, sir?
Anytime
Let's take him some fresh clothes
and a home-cooked meal
His meal is already packed
2 minutes, I'll get ready
Sister? Can I get a cup of tea please?
We cannot take her with us
I really don't know
where to begin, sir
I have never in my experience seen
such an unreasonable and baseless case
It's mind boggling
I'll show you, sir
In this case, 5 more individuals
are linked apart from Nambi Narayanan
Raj Shekar
'He is a Glavskosmos agent'
Surendar
'Senior metallurgist
in Cryogenic Department, ISRO'
Fauzya Hassan
A Maldivian citizen
'For her daughter's school admission'
'She came to India with
her friend Mariam Rashida'
Mariam Rashida
'A 35-year-old Maldivian woman'
'The reason behind
this turmoil and uproar'
She was the common link between
Surendar, Raj Shekar and L D Gopal
L D Gopal
Kerala police
He made the initial arrests
Due to some personal vendetta
with these women perhaps
It is true these women had met
Surendar, Raj Shekar and L D Gopal
They knew each other personally
Some favors were consented to
Some favors...were rejected
A local newspaper in Kerala had written
an article about their shenanigans
Media hyped it and created a buzz
The whole circus began here, sir
Kerala police decided to
take advantage of this scandal
And try to resolve
its departmental issues
On another side
Intelligence Burea Department
IB decided to join the circus too
I wonder what their agenda is
Last but not the least,
the political parties of Kerala
They are using the enmity
to pull each other down
The end result of all this, sir
The case we are
racking our brains about
It has neither a head nor tail
What is most shocking
Traitor, spy
Transferring rocket technology to Pakistan
Behind all these vile accusations
Leave alone Nambi
The remaining five not even remotely
have a hand in these allegations
My investigation brought
a few things to light, sir
Mariam Rashida never met Nambi Narayan
They met for the first time
in prison, in my presence
We were beaten and tortured
to say your name in this case
And according to the IB
On 24th January
Nambi Narayanan met
Pakistani agents
At Hotel International in Madras
Their entire case is based on
this fictitious meeting, sir
Whereas Nambi Narayanan
was in Trivandrum on that day
'If you want, you can check
the vehicle log books'
'Everyone was tortured and
forced to give false testimonies'
Except for Nambi Narayanan
They couldn't break him
'I visited Nambi's residence, sir'
'Which neither IB nor Kerala police
bothered to take the trouble to visit'
Convinced me that
This isn't the lifestyle of a man
who was offered $9 million
So everyone else is lying?
Is your father completely innocent?
Hold this
Come with me, sir
2 minutes
Please come
This way
Please step outside
You cannot enter my own house
and accuse my husband
Please leave, sir
Pretty self-respecting family, sir
Apart from this
I learnt a few more facts, sir
I learnt after I went to ISRO
They raised a question
on the timing of this case
One
Around 45 days ago
India shocked the world by launching
her first remote sensing satellite
Therefore in the multi-billion dollar
satellite launch industry
This success made
India's position stronger
Two
Recently India imported from Russia
cryogenic technology and engines
Thereby enabling ISRO
in comparison to other agencies
...to launch satellites
at a much lower price
America tried its best to
stop this deal, come what may
But they didn't succeed
Is this simply a coincidence, sir?
That the three scientists arrested
were from the Cryogenic Department?
And the most disturbing question
What if this entire scandal
was a well-planned conspiracy
...to get ISRO completely out of
the commercial satellite market?
What is more important, Nair
If Nambi Narayanan
...who could have been
the future director of ISRO
...is as innocent
as you claim him to be
'Then why was his name
dragged into this case?'
Who wants to ruin
Nambi's life and why?
This incident changed
quite a few things
You spent 50 days in prison
And those Maldivian women
were imprisoned for 2 years
Top officer of Kerala police
was suspended
'IB Director retired before time
and shifted to US with his family'
Kerala's Chief Minister
was asked to step down
But in spite of all the hue and cry
today, even after 25 years
There are still many questions
that haven't been answered
After attending a number of hearings
and spending 50 days in prison
You finally got your freedom
Freedom?
How is this 'freedom'?
Please
Please understand
Please, sir
Please
Appa
Where is Meena?
Where is Meena?
Huh?
Meena?
It was too much for amma
She couldn't take it in her stride
Huh?
Meena?
Meena?
Hey
Meena?
Hey...!
What happened?
Hey!
Meena?
Get up
Shankar...Geeta
Meena ran that way
Let go of me
Go and look for her
"Sun is eclipsed for centuries countless"
"Likewise nights sleepless
with stress and distress in excess"
You need to consult
a senior psychologist
Your wife is in deep shock,
like she has seen a ghost
Sir, I don't think she believes
you are actually back home
But don't worry
Everything will soon be fine
Call me if you need any help
"My world has turned although
into starry shards of my dreams now"
[loud protests]
"Like molten lava let it flow"
'Send the spy Nambi to Pakistan'
"In the ocean of lies out there"
"The shore of truth will appear somewhere"
"Do not stop the boat of hope"
"Let it continue its voyage to cope"
"The deep darkness"
"That into my nerves descends"
"Burns my veins also"
"Like molten lava let it flow"
"Let it outflow"
'Although Nambi Narayanan is out on bail'
'Chances of him being
reinstated at ISRO are slim'
Narsima, let's step outside
I want to talk to you
'CBI is investigating the case
of Kerala police involvement-'
Nambi, don't be silly
They don't have any evidence
They can't just fabricate an evidence
to imprison you again
Narsima, if I am sent back to prison
I don't want my family
to face any hardship
They have already been through a lot
Sooner or later anyway
I must have the will drafted
"The deep darkness"
"That into my nerves descends"
"Burns my veins also"
"Like molten lava let it flow"
"Let it outflow"
Appa?
Appa, what you've gone through
in these past 6 months
We can't even imagine
how terrible it must have been
So you should do whatever you please
No one will stop you
We will understand
But let me make
two things very clear
First of all, only you have the necessity
and the courage to win this case
And secondly
If anything happens to you
during the case
We will always be addressed as traitors
I don't know how
we will live through that
Here is your will
The one you asked
your lawyer to draft
Papa, is life that insignifican-
Arunan?
Call the cryogenic team
I want daily updates
When I get another opportunity
to work on this project
I want to be prepared for it
Where are the other team members?
Everyone was scared after Raj Shekar,
Surendar and you were arrested
Some of our scientists
changed their departments
Some got themselves transferred
from Trivandrum to other cities
How many people are left?
Hardly a handful
Why does it look like
no one has been here for months, huh?
Hey
- Searching for what, Nambi?
- Rest of the engine and assembly parts?
We never received them
Huh?
You were the contact point, Nambi
Everything fell apart in your absence
Forget the 3rd consignment
Parts of the 2nd consignment
weren't unloaded either
'I was the one who told Arunan
not to tell you about this'
Who would believe
there was a time...
...when we were leading
in science and technology?
Today we are in a position
where a blind man is guiding a crippled
It is rightly said indeed
We were never defeated by outsiders
We won our country back
and gave our brains to others
And the tradition continues, right?
Why does it feel like
no matter how hard we try now
No matter what we sacrifice
We will always fall flat
on our faces in the end?
Then with bare hands unashamedly
we'll be forced to beg other countries
For parts and technology
We have no choice but to beg, Param
Our brilliant minds work for others
Why shouldn't they?
They are getting an opportunity
to do something useful
We are stupid and unfortunate
Instead of focusing our intelligence
on research and invention
...we are being forced to use
our minds on other nonsense
Other countries use our brains to build
and enhance their own welfare and progress
But they use all our skills and talent
Self-made, they call it!
That is what we need to do
First let us make Vikas engine
completely indigenous
After that, come what may
We build our own cryogenic engine
Made in India
Perfect!
It will take us, may be
20 years or so to achieve it?
- You are okay with that?
- Yes, it's alright
We will at least become self-reliant
We will have everything
under our control
We don't seem to have
any other choice, Mr Unni
And what if I say
I have the mother of all indigenous ideas
Will you believe me?
What?
The Mangal Mission
We can use our own technology
and reach Mars in the shortest time
2 minutes ago I said it will take us
20 years to build a cryogenic engine
You were right here?
But if I may add
For this mission, we won't need
the cryogenic engine
Will you believe me?
We can just do it
with solid and liquid engines
But if I may also add
For not telling us this earlier
I would like to set a rocket up your ass?
Will you believe me?
There!
'5-4-3-2-1'
Have you gone crazy?
Uncle, since when does
'crazy' surprise you?
You are the one who is
always pushing the limits
Hey!
When ISRO couldn't even
handle solid engines
...you started working on liquids
You got us equipment worth
400 million pounds from Scotland
For free!
'You sent our scientists
to be trained in France'
Then built an engine which worked
better than their own French version
You got us cryogenic engines from Russia
right from under the nose of the Americans
Uncle?
Who better than you can understand
the magnitude of 'madness'?
You didn't stop yourself back then,
so why think twice now?
Hmmmm
What is on your mind?
Uncle, we won't need
the cryogenic engine for sure
Because our Vikas engine
runs for 180 seconds
If we can somehow increase
Vikas engine's operating pressure
...to give us more thrust
Then I promise you
We will have our satellite on Mars
Indigenous indeed!
With the help of this
Well done!
Are you serious?
And of course what happened after that
A new chapter was proudly added
to the glory of Indian history
Arunan became Project Director
of Mangal Mission
Using the modified Vikas engine
and Indian chart system
ISRO within an unbelievable budget
In its very first attempt
managed to reach Mars
But during that period
you were under a lot of pressure
Professional challenges on one hand
And the struggle of proving
your innocence on the other hand
4 years, 75 court hearings,
3 lawyers and 5 petitions
An expensive affair
On you and your family
It must have taken
an immense toll
- How are you doing, Murli?
- It is so good to meet all of you
I didn't think you would attend
our function with your entire family
Come
The groom hails
from a family of doctors
They are quite proud of their efforts
But we are no less, right?
Our family has a rocket scientist
to feel proud of!
Nambi, I'll be there
Too soon, I guess
We shouldn't have come here
Hey Mariam!
Where are you?!
[mobile ringing]
Hello?
One sec
Mama, it's for you
Pa
Who is it?
Hello, Nambi Narayanan
Yes
Thank you
What is it?
What happened?
It's over
The case is over
[many mobiles ringing]
Supreme court has declared me
to be completely innocent
- Meena
- Amma!
Hold this
Meena
No more crying from today
This victory belongs
to you, Meena
One who has the right
to live this moment
...is only you!
I was waiting for the verdict
Now I have a right to apologize to you
Please forgive me, Meena
I feel so ashamed
I couldn't be a good husband and father
I am even more ashamed
I always prioritized
my work over family
And in spite of all that,
you always took good care of me
Despite all that happened
Your trust in me didn't ever waver
I am so sorry, Meena
Please forgive me
No, let me finish
I have spent my entire life
serving my nation
I don't know whether there is
any time left to be a good husband
But I will try my very best
Come what may
I will never leave you
You have done so much for me
You are my queen
Now it is my turn
to be at your service
Did you hear me, Meena?
Let's go
I want to go home
Call for the car
Meena, okay?
Oh Murli!
- Sorry I'm leaving
- What are you saying?
We are so happy you got
this news at our son's wedding
Take good care of Meena
Let's go
So
Supre...supreme court
Acquitted you
And today, even after 24 years
Your wife still isn't
completely out of shock
You have paid a heavy price for it
Mr Narayanan was granted
a compensation of 10 million
But as on date
even after 15 years
He has received only 1 million
So, Nambi sir, this compensation
This money
Does it still hold
any value in your life?
What do you mean?
I might be old and grey
I might be weak
I may not have the energy
to spend that money
But I want every paise
of that compensation
Because unless I get compensated
The doubt will always remain
that maybe I am a traitor!
And after all that I have lost
Definitely it is not something
I am ready to accept
And I am no longer fighting for myself
How many are out there like me?
How many people, Mr Khan?
The fools who are being punished
for being a patriot
I will fight for their cause
I will fight till my last breath
I will fight
Nambi sir
I was asked to be here because I am-
An actor and a good conversationalist
Your interview
I even did my research on you
Before I came here
But I can't
I just can't understand, sir
I feel a void inside
So there is something
I would like to do
I don't have the right to do it but-
I want to do this
from the bottom of my heart
Nambi sir
I want to apologize to you
on behalf of our entire nation
For everything
We did to you
And also
For everything
we couldn't do for you
Please, sir
Please forgive us, sir
Believe me
I know you say this with
the best of intentions, Mr Khan
I am grateful to you
But please don't apologize to me
Because
If you apologize here
And if I accept your apology
It would mean
Everything is fine now
But that is not the case
This is why I cannot
accept your apology
If I am innocent
Then there has to be
someone who is guilty
Who is he?
We have to find the answer
to this questions
Because
No country can become great
Unless the ones who make it great
...are appreciated!
Look at me
My life was ruined
Because of some people
My life was destroyed
But likewise there are many people
They were fearless
They stood by my side
They helped me fight this battle
and proved my innocence
Like I said in the very beginning
Even today
In our people
And our motherland
I have complete faith
And also, Mr Khan
For this love and respect you shower
I am extremely grateful
Thank you very much
Jai Hind!
Long live India!
'It took IRSO more than 15 years to
include its cryogenic engine in its launch'
'Because of Nambi Narayanan's
arrest and this incident'
'IRSO could not become a part
of the satellite launch market'
'Other players used that
to their distinct advantage'
'Missions like Mangalyaan
and Chandrayaan'
'...would have been impossible
without Nambi Narayanan's Vikas engine'
'The same engine that is still
a part of every launch by ISRO'
'With limited resources'
'And numerous limitations'
'Despite all odds'
'What an incredible feat
our scientists have achieved'
'Thanks to their unshakable faith'
'Their unstinted efforts'
'And their diligent commitment'
'Now my ISRO scientists'
'...have got used to making
the impossible possible'
'Every challenge'
'...can be faced by our scientists
with determination and strength'
'Traditions of our senior most scientists'
'...are followed even today
by the next generation'
'It is a legacy for posterity'
For this culture
This tradition
'Scientists of our country'
'Deserve countless awards,
rewards and recognition'