They stirred a honest hornet's nest!

Rocketry: The Nambi Effect (2022)
Acted and Directed: R Madhavan

I heard about the Isro Spy Case a few years ago. I did not think much about it then, but my interest was piqued when R Madhavan announced and promoted Nambi Narayanan's story; at the same time, he announced his intention to make a movie about him. 

Then came the 'Rocket Boys', a miniseries showcasing India's intention to apply for membership to the exclusive club of having nuclear facilities and rocket technology. It further stirred everyone's anticipation of Madhavan's movie. Then came Covid-related closures and the delays in production and post-production work. 

With the Real McCoy

We have all heard of Kalam, the satellite launches and even India's Mars exploration. Mangalyaan in 2014. Mangalyaan was initially made to last six months, but it is still functional more than seven years (three Martian years) after its launch. The man who made all these possible is Dr Nambi Narayanan. He was wrongly accused of being a Pakistani spy, imprisoned for fifty over days, humiliated, and lost many good years of his productive life. This is his story. It is a tale of political backstabbing, Cold War espionage, honey trapping, big bucks and escapades of James Bond proportions. Despite being declared innocent of all charges by CBI, compensated handsomely for his ordeals by the Supreme Court and conferred the nation's highest awards, he intends to track down the people who accused him and all other honest serving patriots in India.

The story is told in a flashback format as the senior rocket scientist gives what is expected to be a boring interview. Dr Narayanan tells his whole life experience, from his stint at ISRO with the likes of Kalam and Vikram Sarabhai, his doctorate in Princeton, his research into fluid propulsion technology and his refusal to accept a post at NASA. His patriotic fervour pushed him to help ISRO source more advanced equipment from Scotland, France and Russia. All the while, the Americans appear to make the going tough for India. The Indians close association with the Russians made the Americans hot under the collar. At the time when the Soviet Union was about to collapse, Nambi and his team, in a daring escape, managed to secure some advanced Russian rocketry components.

NY Times apologised for this cartoon
which came out after India's Mars Mission.

Then came the arrest in 1994 and the accusation of treason for selling India's rocket technology to Pakistan. Two Mauritian ladies were roped in to be the go-betweens. After failing to secure a confession and the news became a national scandal, the Central Bureau of Investigation was called in. CBI exonerated him.

The post-arrest days were painful for Nambi and his family, his wife primarily. Obstatrcised by the community and vilified by the press, the public was quick to hurl brickbats, lash out sharp tongues and throw physical stones at their home. His wife became an emotional wreck.

The conspirators were never identified. Many theories have been flaunted, nevertheless. The American involvement with big bucks being dangled at potential inside men was entertained. Nambi was climbing fast in the industry, and there were naturally evil eyes. In Kerala, there was severe political in-fighting. A faction wanted to put the Chief Minister in a bad light. They succeeded eventually, as the CM resigned after the seemingly poor handling of the ISRO spy case. Corrupt police officers, Kerala Deputy Intelligence Bureau included, are suspected of having picked the two Maldivian ladies for unrelated matters and beat them into submission to play the part.

Even though the film is just newly released, critics are quick to shoot the movie down, the storyline, the direction and everything about the film. They complain about the supposedly 'forced' patriotism that the movie is trying to promote. If that is not enough, these sepoys or Uncle Toms, crack jokes at the Indian traditional almanac (panchangam). A perusal of most liberal media outlets will reveal them consistently giving low rankings, a 2.5/5 when in reality, it deserves a 4/5 as the movie achieved its intended aim. That is, to publicise an Indian icon that would have been lost in the annals of history or made infamous by the trumped-up accusations. It gives the Indian diaspora a reason to feel good about themselves.

Still managing a smile after a 27-year-old legal battle.
Padma Bushan Award in 2019.

https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/isro-spy-case-us-was-also-conspiracy-implicate-me-nambi-narayanan-tells-court-152358

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