Hyperandrogenism. The term came into knowledge in 2006 when Tamil athlete Santhi Soundarajan’s Asian Games silver medal was revoked after she failed the “gender test.” Rashmi Rocket, written by Nandha Periyasamy, is without a doubt inspired by the storey of the athlete from Pudhukottai. But Kanika Dhillon, Akarsh Khurana, Aniruddha Guha, and Lisha Bajaj’s developed film is about more than simply one athlete. It’s also about the other anonymous female athletes who are left to fend for themselves against a system that labels them as “not woman enough” without hesitation.
It’s impressive how filmmaker Akarsh has no qualms about pushing his trump card, Taapsee, right back to the periphery as the film becomes about this overarching fight against the system. Rashmi has risen from being just another quick runner to becoming a National-level athlete in the sport of running. Taapsee gives it her all as the titular Rashmi, which is a great literary choice. Taapsee is daring to make a film in which the fight against gender testing takes centre stage, and rightfully so.
We witness assertions regarding the bias and underlying lack of humanity in these exams near the end of the film. Rashmi is nearly portrayed as a symbol rather than a single person in the film. In the grand scheme of things, it might not always be correct. Rashmi Rocket makes a relatively leisurely yet blazing run in this regard.