Rockstar Review

Imtiaz Ali is back! After a disappointing Love Aaj Kal, he tries his hand at a story that has never been attempted in Bollywood before; the story of a Rockstar. To back this story of a rockstar, he has India' s real music rockstar, A.R.Rahman. The music of the film has already become a mammoth hit, and expectations from Rockstar are sky rocketing. Hopefully, Imtiaz has not repeated his previous mistake of commercializing the film too much. This is how the journey of Rockstar begins...

Wasting his life and his father' s money is Janardan Jakhar (Ranbir Kapoor), eating samosa in his college canteen and whiling the day away. He plays the guitar and dreams of being a Rockstar. However, he is missing the inspiration that will ignite a flame in him. He wants that pain and decides to get his heart broken by the college hottie, Heer Kaul (Nargis Fakhri). He pursues her and they even take a trip together.

He is surprised when he gets to know the real Heer. She is a simple girl who wants to experience the wild side of life. Janardhan is more than happy to oblige. Seeing the real Heer, he falls madly in love with her. She goes back to her clean life and he gets his heart broken. Now, it is time to turn his pain into music. He visits the Nizamuddin Dargah and from there on begins his journey as a rockstar. He becomes Jordan, an inspiration for a music starved nation. He is angry and he is rebellious. His pain is his broken heart. He gets what he had dreamed of but loses what he really wanted. Will this rockstar, unlike most rockstars, have a happy ending?

Misleading title; Rockstar is a love story in the garb of musician' s story. Imitiaz has fallen prey to his past mistake; commercializing the film. He has chosen an actress who looks pretty but cannot act, just like in Love Aaj Kal. There are too many things that are taken for granted in this film. It is no different from any other Bollywood film. Imtiaz Ali needs to realize that there are pains worse than losing love. The inspiration behind Ranbir becoming a rockstar and the way he becomes a rockstar is unconvincing, making the whole film hard to believe.

Imtiaz Ali is also the writer of the film. He needed to do a lot more research. He has taken too many cinematic liberties. He takes his usual tried and tested path of falling in love while travelling. All his previous films had the same subplot, this one too has it. The first half is enjoyable with some light moments. They are genuinely funny. However, it is all downhill after Janardan turns into Jordan. The second half seriously misses logic.

Characterizations are also bad. Ranbir as the angry Jordan shouts, gets into fights, throws tantrums. All of these are the worst clichés of rockstar behavior. The character of Heer is the most believable, but sadly, Nargis Fakhri does not do justice to the role. Another actress in her place would have rocked the role. Other supporting characters tend to shine more than the main leads.

As director, Imtiaz portrays the love really well but he cannot handle the character of Jordan. He is shown getting angry and scowling for no reason. Also, he should have worked on Nargis Fakhri even more. She has wasted a good role. The second half plot twists are nonsensical and forced. However, there are some stand out scenes in the film like the jugalbandi scene between Ranbir and Shammi Kapoor. Overall, Imtiaz Ali really needs to get back to his roots and make an honest film.

Ranbir Kapoor is quite inconsistent. He plays the silly Janardan really well but undoes his effort in playing Jordan. He is too over the top and loud in the second half and the audience cannot connect with him at all. Nargis Fakhri looks good, but if looks is what ensured a hit, then every model would have been an actor. Aditi Rao Hyadri is good but is under used. The late Shammi Kapoor' s cameo is one of the high points of the film. It is just as exciting to see him on screen as it was many years ago.

The music of the film is the true rockstar. "Sadda Haq" is one of the best songs of recent times. The guitar music by Orianthi Panagris in the song is an absolute treat to the ears. "Kun Fayaa Kun" is another memorable piece. With this song, Rahman proves nobody does sufi music better than him. The rest of the songs are also good. Just when you think Rahman can' t get any better, he delivers an amazing background score. They enhance the effect of the film.

The cinematography is good, especially the scenes in Prague, they are beautifully shot. The editing is also good. The production value is good. The money spent on production can be seen in the lovely locations and sets.

The film will see great crowds in the initial days. Rockstar will even make enough profit for it to be a considered a super hit film. However, the film will not see any repeat crowds. The English film audiences will certainly not like the film, hampering their business a little bit. Overall, the film will do well because of the promotional activities. There is still a long way to go before Bollywood can make a good film with rock music as its theme.

Rating: **

Verdict: No doubt the film will be a hit, but rather than the story and the performance, it is A.R.Rahman' s music that will draw the crowds.

Reviewed by: Harshal Anand

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