A group of Ex-ISRO scientists has claimed that claims made in 'Rocketry: The Nambi Effect' starring actor Madhavan are a bluff" and "devoid of facts".
On Wednesday, former ISRO scientists including Dr AE Muthunayagom, the former Director of ISRO's Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), D Sasikumaran, former Deputy Director, Cryogenic Engine), Prof EVS Namboothiri, the former Project Director, Cryogenic Project, and a few others spoke to the media in Kerala capital Thiruvananthapuram, hitting out against the film and claims made by their ex-colleague Nambi Narayanan.
Rocketry: The Nambi Effect revolves around the life and struggles of Nambi Narayanan who was a senior scientist in the ISRO, and was also accused in the infamous espionage case.
However, according to his ex-colleagues, including D Sasikumaran who was also arrested in connection with the ISRO espionage case, 90 per cent of what is said in the film is false.
"We are forced to tell the public certain matters as Nambi Narayanan has been defaming ISRO and other scientists through the movie, and also through television channels," they said.
"90 per cent of what has been told is not true. Many former scientists after seeing the film has called up me and said all the credit has been taken by Nambi," Dr. Muthunayagam, former director, LPSC said.
"I have asked for certain details from the present Chairman of ISRO on the claims Nambi has made in the film about the cryogenic engine being brought from Tashkent. This is also false and once I get the details I have asked, I will take appropriate steps," he added.
Narayanan worked under Muthunayagom for 26 years after joining service in 1968.
According to the former ISRO scientists, it was not Vikram Sarabhai who had sent Nambi Narayanan to Princeton University in the US for his Masters as claimed in the film, but it was done by Muthunayagom.
They also said that claim in the movie that Narayanan once corrected APJ Abdul Kalam, is also false, as they hardly worked together.
The scientists also said that the narrative that Narayanana's arrest in the ISRO Spy case had led to a delay in the development of cryogenic engine causing a huge financial loss was not right.
According to them, when the work began on it in 1980s, Narayanan was not at all part of the team.
The development of cryogenic technology was done under the direction of EVS Namboothiri, who was also present at the press meet.
Muthunayakam said it was he who made Nambi the project director when the cryogenic propulsion system project was started in LPSC in 1990.
In November 1994, he had applied for voluntary retirement and was arrested months later in the spy case.
Major developments in cryogenic propulsion took place in ISRO after Narayanan left the LPSC in 1994, they said.
About the Padma awarded to Narayanan, Dr Muthunayagom said that it was not for his work in ISRO.
Muthunayagom said Narayanan had called him soon after he was awarded the Padma Bhushan award and "I asked him, how he managed it and he said as part of his case, he had developed some Delhi connections and it was because of that".
Earlier this month D Sasikumaran, who was also accused alongside Narayanan in the ISRO espionage case had termed the movie "pathetic and is almost equivalent to treason."
In an interview with Mathrubhumi, Sasikumaran also rejected the allegation that neither Nambi nor he was tortured in police custody following their arrest.
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