The forthcoming Bollywood film Rustom revisits the infamous KM Nanavati murder case of 1959, in which an Indian naval commander went on trial for killing his wife’s paramour in Mumbai. Rustom will release globally on August 12.
Its intense first trailer suggests that the film will explore the grey shades of what became one of the first widely-publicised trials in India, as well as the role of the media and the use of patriotic sentiments to manipulate public opinion.
Rustom bears many similarities with the original case. Akshay Kumar plays a naval officer Rustom Pavri who is being tried for the murder of his wife’s alleged lover after he discovers their affair.
The original case was also the last trial in which a jury delivered the verdict in India, as the jury was found to be biased because of the public support received by the officer Nanavati. After being held guilty in the first trial, Nanavati was finally pardoned in 1962 and migrated to Canada. It remains to be seen whether the film will come to a similar conclusion.
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