Rockstar – the Ranbir show!
Imtiyaz Ali is one of my favorite directors. His directorial work in "Jab we met" not only made a lot of people sit and take notice of the arrival of a new prodigy in Bollywood but also revived the image of Kareena Kapoor as an actor who can act. “Jab we met” had set a lot of expectations and stars were more than willing to sign movies with him. “Love aaj kal” took us into a world that probably exists. A happy break up and a late realization of love. Any director who makes movies in contemporary times and subjects that are derivations of life today will leave a pattern. The one pattern I’ve noticed in his movies is stifled expression of love. In Jab we met, Shahid is seen stifling it and in Love aaj kal we see Deepika go through the same thing and later the movies converge to the point of realization and then, the happy ending. Rockstar is very different from the rest of his movies but this aspect is still glaring visible.
JJ or Janardhan Jakar is a small time guy who gets advised that pain is the biggest inspiration to music. Hence he sets out to get hurt by trying to get his heart broken by the girl who is popularly known as the heart breaker. He gets his heart stomped only to realize he wasn’t actually in love. Later what ensues is a friendship between him and the girl, Heer, played by Nargis Fakhri. The friendship brings a delightful fondness between the two later on developing into something more than just fondness. I think the actual words to describe the situation, where usually the man initiates a talk about his feelings to the woman who might or might not reciprocate the same, is never a part of any Imitiaz Ali movies. The girl is set to get married in 2 months and the first separation comes after the wedding. The movie then unwinds various parts in time where the duo meet to be around each other but struggle to see that’s the most important thing both of them want. With this is as the main plot the movie unwinds episode after episode in his life where he undergoes pain and discovers music that comes right from the soul. JJ becomes Jordan. With the pain of separation he finds music but loses his passion for music as the separation overwhelms him. The movie ends in a very abrupt fashion which isn’t typical of an Imtiaz Ali movie. There is no closure. I think the appeal is made to the audience to look at a higher truth that fulfillment of love isn’t physical proximity. But then, this is my interpretation.
The movie highlights a certain complexity of a creative genius’ psyche. It shows how a pushover turns out to be an aggressive guy losing himself in something that is an attempt to fill a void that can never be filled. The pain becomes his inspiration but his inspiration fails to sustain his interest. The genius of Imtiaz Ali is seen in the successful portrayal of this complex characteristic. Ranbir Kapoor stands out as the eccentric Rockstar. He has always been the most promising newcomer and with Rockstar the whole world will sit and take notice of an actor who is pretty much the future of the Hindi movie industry. His portrayal of the bumpkin, the eccentric Rockstar and the romantic lover is carried out in such finesse that he looks natural. His versatility is more than evident in the timing of his comedy too. Ranbir is the soul of the movie and he is beyond brilliant. The most disappointing part of the movie is the lady in the lead role. I’ll be frank; Nargis can’t act for nuts and is nothing like her namesake. She is probably a huge factor where the movie falters. The character is a complex one and she had to pull off different emotions at different situations. Sadly she didn’t look good in any situation. She is the black sheep of the movie.
The support cast is pretty decent. Cameos by Late Shammi Kapoor and Aditi Rao Hydari are particularly impressive. Shernaz Patel has already done a couple of impressive roles. But when you see her you always get the feeling that someone’s gonna die especially after “Guzaarish”. Music needs no mention with the kind of waves it has already created. A R Rahman does it again and Mohit Chauhan who has given all the vocals for Ranbir Kapoor is sublime.
Overall the movie is a letdown. I say this not because the movie is badly made. I say this because the movie’s potential was something to the tune of “3 idiots” or “Dabangg”. Imtiaz Ali is a cult movie director and he could have easily pulled off a movie that would put his name in the history of Indian cinema as one of the best movies ever made. Sadly this movie doesn’t quite cut it. The movie fails to culminate and hence the audience leaves the hall empty and confused. Nevertheless this is a feather in Imtiaz Ali’s hat and it is indeed an impressive hat.
One thought struck me looking at Ranbir’s exemplary performance. A newcomer with a few movies under his belt chooses a very difficult subject such as Rockstar and a veteran in Shah Rukh Khan does Ra.one. Something for the King of Bollywood to think about!
JJ or Janardhan Jakar is a small time guy who gets advised that pain is the biggest inspiration to music. Hence he sets out to get hurt by trying to get his heart broken by the girl who is popularly known as the heart breaker. He gets his heart stomped only to realize he wasn’t actually in love. Later what ensues is a friendship between him and the girl, Heer, played by Nargis Fakhri. The friendship brings a delightful fondness between the two later on developing into something more than just fondness. I think the actual words to describe the situation, where usually the man initiates a talk about his feelings to the woman who might or might not reciprocate the same, is never a part of any Imitiaz Ali movies. The girl is set to get married in 2 months and the first separation comes after the wedding. The movie then unwinds various parts in time where the duo meet to be around each other but struggle to see that’s the most important thing both of them want. With this is as the main plot the movie unwinds episode after episode in his life where he undergoes pain and discovers music that comes right from the soul. JJ becomes Jordan. With the pain of separation he finds music but loses his passion for music as the separation overwhelms him. The movie ends in a very abrupt fashion which isn’t typical of an Imtiaz Ali movie. There is no closure. I think the appeal is made to the audience to look at a higher truth that fulfillment of love isn’t physical proximity. But then, this is my interpretation.
The movie highlights a certain complexity of a creative genius’ psyche. It shows how a pushover turns out to be an aggressive guy losing himself in something that is an attempt to fill a void that can never be filled. The pain becomes his inspiration but his inspiration fails to sustain his interest. The genius of Imtiaz Ali is seen in the successful portrayal of this complex characteristic. Ranbir Kapoor stands out as the eccentric Rockstar. He has always been the most promising newcomer and with Rockstar the whole world will sit and take notice of an actor who is pretty much the future of the Hindi movie industry. His portrayal of the bumpkin, the eccentric Rockstar and the romantic lover is carried out in such finesse that he looks natural. His versatility is more than evident in the timing of his comedy too. Ranbir is the soul of the movie and he is beyond brilliant. The most disappointing part of the movie is the lady in the lead role. I’ll be frank; Nargis can’t act for nuts and is nothing like her namesake. She is probably a huge factor where the movie falters. The character is a complex one and she had to pull off different emotions at different situations. Sadly she didn’t look good in any situation. She is the black sheep of the movie.
The support cast is pretty decent. Cameos by Late Shammi Kapoor and Aditi Rao Hydari are particularly impressive. Shernaz Patel has already done a couple of impressive roles. But when you see her you always get the feeling that someone’s gonna die especially after “Guzaarish”. Music needs no mention with the kind of waves it has already created. A R Rahman does it again and Mohit Chauhan who has given all the vocals for Ranbir Kapoor is sublime.
Overall the movie is a letdown. I say this not because the movie is badly made. I say this because the movie’s potential was something to the tune of “3 idiots” or “Dabangg”. Imtiaz Ali is a cult movie director and he could have easily pulled off a movie that would put his name in the history of Indian cinema as one of the best movies ever made. Sadly this movie doesn’t quite cut it. The movie fails to culminate and hence the audience leaves the hall empty and confused. Nevertheless this is a feather in Imtiaz Ali’s hat and it is indeed an impressive hat.
One thought struck me looking at Ranbir’s exemplary performance. A newcomer with a few movies under his belt chooses a very difficult subject such as Rockstar and a veteran in Shah Rukh Khan does Ra.one. Something for the King of Bollywood to think about!
Few things you didn't know about Imtiaz Ali:
ReplyDeleteJab We Met is not his first movie. Socha na tha was his first movie.
If you have seen Black Friday, he has acted in that movie!
Imtiaz Ali doesn't like Jab We Met as much he liked making Socha Na tha and Love Aaj Kal.
All the above facts are stated by Imtiaz Ali himself.
The review is more or less what most of my friends on Facebook are saying. Again, very nicely written.
ReplyDeleteThe last para is precisely the reason one should watch the movie!
Oops...yes, socha na tha. Abhay Deol and Ayesha Takia. Abhay was excellent in it. Fun movie. Thanks for pointing that out bro. Will make changes
ReplyDelete