Rukh is so dull, dry and dreary that it will go largely unno­ ticed at the box-office.

The super slowness of the film kills any interest you may have in the unraveling of the plot given away ten minutes into the film.

Rukh is not your usual Bollywood thriller, it has subtexts, every scene defines something. It requires only your patience and nothing else. Go for it only if you can keep your phones aside for the entire film and sell yourself to it.

Rukh has its moments as a story about a son driven to ensure that his father’s reputation is not maligned after his death. But as a tale of a teenager seeking answers and atonement and a suspense around a death it doesn’t arouse much interest. As Mukherjee lingers on with the far-too-restrained tragedy, it’s the performances here that deliver. Tambe does a credible job as the grieving wife-mother struggling to cope with a death. But the shining, all-too-brief, star here is Bajpayee whose work brings this drama the poignancy it needs.

Rukh may be lit like a YouTube Short Film and may have its share of other technical problems, but there’s something disturbingly original about director Atanu Mukherjee’s vision

There’s a somberness to the way this chronicle of a death unfolds, which holds your attention. Some scenes sit heavily, though. And if you are an alert viewer, you will figure out what happened much before the big reveal.

Despite the overwhelming heaviness, and frankly a cop-out ending, the film is powered by its performances.

Overall, despite a few blemishes, Rukh is a film that keeps you riveted.

If there is any stance of this writer that he found challenged was that films do not need aggressive promotional campaigns to make a mark. All a powerful film needs is a good first impression through the trailer, which packs in a substantial chunk of the story, and the ability to tell much more which surprises the audience who choose to give it a chance.

Rukh has its own narrative technique. To categorise Rukh as an art-house film would be an injustice to Atanu Mukherjee’s talent. It’s a ‘different’ film, for the want of a better word.