Is It A Sin? Nambi Narayanan Responds To Criticism Of His Portrayal As Hindu In His Biopic, “Rocketry: The Nambi Effect”
“It’s funny sometimes. You know someone wrote a review saying that Nambi Narayanan is shown as Hindu. Nambi Narayanan doing some celebration, reciting suprabhatam, this, that, and all kinds of things. He is a ‘Brahmin’, said Nambi Narayanan.
New Delhi: Former Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) scientist Nambi Narayanan has reacted to criticism of his portrayal as a Hindu in his biopic ‘Rocketry: The Nambi Effect’, in which R. Madhavan is playing his role. A video clip of one of his interviews went viral on social media in which Nambi Narayanan asked if being a Hindu was a sin. “It’s funny sometimes. You know someone wrote a review saying that Nambi Narayanan is shown as a Hindu. Nambi Narayanan doing some festivities, reciting suprabhatam, this, that, and all kinds of things. He is a ‘Brahmin’. He is a Hindu. Hindutva is being shown. I just wanted to ask you, I am a Hindu. I mean I’m not ashamed to say that. Is it a crime to be a Hindu? Nambi said in the video.
Rocketry: The Nambi Effect was released in cinemas on 1 July 2022. R Madhavan directed the film making his directorial debut. He has also played the lead role of Nambi Narayanan. Meanwhile, some left-wing media had criticized the film’s portrayal of Nambi Narayanan as a practicing Hindu.
Nambi further argued that he is a Hindu and thus, the film only showed him as a Hindu as it could not show him as a Muslim or a Christian. He further said that he was not a Brahmin and even if he was, why would people want to cut him (Brahmin).
“Is it a sin to be a Brahmin? I am not a Brahmin, that is a different question. Is it a sin? If a Brahmin is a participant, you will despise him. There are many Brahmins, who have given their lives for this country. Not just one. I can give you a list. So the issue I am raising is that we are unnecessarily colouring the issue.”
The ISRO scientist, who was wrongly dismissed from his service, reiterated that he had no political leanings towards any party. Thus, anyone who drums his name for politics should not try to go down that path. Nambi also noted that he received praise from both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who are on opposite ends of the political spectrum.
“I will tell you. Forget about Narendra Modi. Do you know that the current Chief Minister of Kerala has given me excellent support? In what way is his support low? He has cut the fight for my case. So you call Will I be a communist fellow?”
After the film’s release, some critics and netizens objected to Narayanan’s portrayal of a devout Hindu in the film. Scenes of Narayanan conducting ‘puja’ in his room were questioned, while references to patriotism and a particular religion had some plot points raised by the opponents.
