 "R Madhavan’s Rocketry: The Nambi Effect to premiere at Cannes: A look at the life of the aerospace engineer on whom the movie is based")
Actor R Madhavan’s directorial debut ‘Rocketry: The Nambi Effect’ will be screened at the prestigious Cannes Films Festival in France on 19 May.
The titular role in the film, which is based on the life and events of Indian rocket scientist Nambi Narayanan, is played by Madhavan.
After its world premiere at Cannes, the film will be released in India on 1 July, 2022.
Who is Nambi Narayanan?
Much has been written and talked about S Nambi Narayanan, a former scientist at ISRO, and now Madhavan’s film will tell his story in more detail to a wider audience.
Narayanan was the head of ISRO’s Cryogenics Division when he was implicated in a fake spying case. In November 1994, the aerospace engineer was charged with leaking confidential information pertaining to India’s space development to foreign agents.
He was accused of selling confidential “flight test data” for millions to foreign agents.
After his arrest and interrogation by the Intelligence Bureau (IB), Narayanan claimed that he was forced to make false accusations against top ISRO officials.
He also accused the interrogators of using inhumane torture methods when he refused to comply with their demands and confess to the crime which he never committed.
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View AllEven though he was later acquitted by a CBI court and the Supreme Court in 1998, he spent a total of 50 days in jail along with other fellow ISRO scientists.
Nambi’s retribution
Upon the acquittal in May 1998, the Supreme Court awarded compensation of Rs 1 lakh to Narayanan and others. The apex court directed the state government to pay the compensation.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) passed strictures in September 1999 against the Kerala government for having damaged Narayanan’s career along with the physical and mental torture to which he and his family were subjected.
After the dismissal of charges against them, the two scientists, Narayanan and his deputy, D Sasikumar, were transferred out of Thiruvananthapuram and were given desk jobs.
According to The Hindu, the NHRC ordered the Kerala government in 2001 to pay him a compensation of Rs 1 crore.
The Kerala High Court also ordered a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to Narayanan based on an appeal from NHRC in September 2012.
The Supreme Court also awarded Rs 50 lakh compensation to Narayanan for being subjected to mental cruelty in the ISRO spy case.
In January 2019, Narayanan was also conferred with the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian award in India.
In March 2021, Narayanan agreed to withdraw his case in the Kerala High Court against the Kerala government upon the latter’s agreement to pay Rs 1.3 crore.
With inputs from agencies
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