Imtiaz Ali's Rockstar (2011): Raises the bar of expression for it's actor and director

I know it’s too late to write this review, but in my case it is always like 'jab jaago tab saavera'...jab dekhoge toh hi toh express kar paaoge. 

A lot of constraints often stop me from watching a film in the very first week of its release. And I’m not someone who goes to a movie because of other’s perceptions…I know that would be a wiser decision…but when it comes to movies I just listen to myself and no wiser decisions come to me then.

Anyways coming back to the film Rockstar, I thoroughly enjoyed the film. The themes, the emotion, the cinematography and yes the music, for sure, all made it a wonderful experience. I want to say I had heard a lot of mixed reviews about the film, somewhat more permuting to the negative side. But after watching the film all I can say is that those negative reviews would have been more so based by those who took the movie’s director’s earlier ventures as a pre-notion in their mind to watch this film as well.

I don’t usually judge audience sensibilities, everyone has their own perceptions and I respect that. I don’t judge your judgment; you don’t judge mine…is what I go by. Anyways, I think that most people, who went to watch this film, had to pre-conceived notions about it before they entered the hall.

Firstly, after looking at the film’s posters and its name, they were expecting an artistic and brilliant look into the world of music and the image of a ‘rockstar’. They were expecting a film based on ‘rockstar’.

Secondly, most people went in holding a pre-conceived image of Imtiaz Ali’s earlier venture. Love breakup reunion drama sort of image, with candy floss romance and diversions.

Now these two notions were in themselves so contradictory in the mind of the audience that a few failed to understand and view the film objectively.

I’m not saying Rockstar is in any way a brilliant cinematic experience, or top notch of the lot, no. The film has its own fault lines. Some casting decisions, certain predictably dramatic portions, a bit of slope downwards in unraveling the plot that slowed it to a snail’s pace; this was all there too. But then again the film’s themes and cinematography and music just fills up your senses so well that you can over look certain parts of that.

One of my friends, Neelakshi, aptly commented on the film by saying; “The main (and only) problem with Rockstar is that the director was unsure whether to pitch his movie for the masala- loving audience who laps up movies like Bodyguard and Ra-One or whether to pitch it for the art critics. In the process, he might have ended up pleasing neither. However for me who falls into neither category the movie was thoroughly enjoyable.”

I too felt the same, Imtiaz Ali wanted to make film that was different to his earlier style, but he might have been unsure of how his traditional followers will respond to the sudden change of his direction, hence the visible fault lines in the plot.

For me the film is ruled by its themes. Themes of a tragic love story, theme of artistic expression and angst, and the theme of self destruction. Yes it might be true that Ranbir’s rise as a ‘rockstar’ starts after pain and heart break enters his life; but it is also true that this pain and heartbreak is not reason of his rise, these emotions unleash the creative expression in his heart and voice, that was otherwise resting as comfortably within him as his own life of comfort. The theme of self destruction is more prominent than all the other.

Ranbir Kapoor’s acting is just brilliant. After Ranjneeti, he has again proved his mettle as an actor very successfully as a Rockstar as well. Anyone anywhere who has watched the film has not stopped praising his acting skills and his constant upward growth as a performer. Nargis Fakhri is just a beautiful face, who shouldn’t have opened her mouth or moved a bit. She reminds me a lot of Katrina Kaif, just a face but moment you open your mouth it just shuns you off totally. Aditi Rao has a small role yet her remarkable performance in that too doesn’t let her get shadowed out. Piyush Mishra delivers a great performance as ‘Dhingra’. Shammi Kapoor’s short appearance is more about his expression through eyes, which are beautifully conveyed, and they just make you nostalgic about his presences in film industry and recent demise.

Music of the film had been a hit even before the film was released, after the film’s release audiences started loving the lesser played numbers as well. I enjoyed the songs ‘Nadaan Parindey’ and ‘Jo bhi main….’ And loved the musical bit with the jugalbandi between Shammi Kapoor on shehnai and Ranbir Kapoor on guitar. In the album it is called ‘dichotomy of fame’, an instrumental piece that I’m sure everyone would love.

I feel somewhere down the line the whole music team themselves enjoyed making the music of this film, and that is what is conveyed in its lyrics, music and vocals. Everything, I know a bit over rated, but for sure was a musical ecstasy for me.

                                        

I don’t want to get too much into the storyline here, because for that wiki is there. Also those who have seen it know what it is about and those who haven’t should definitely see it to know what it is about.

The film is, well everyone knows by now, not about ‘rockstars’. It is more closely related to ‘Devdas’ and ‘Dev D’. It is about an artist’s personal journey to self discovery and realizing that getting your ‘heartbroken’ is not just about refusal of a proposal; it is deeper than that, it is about blindly falling for someone and then realizing that you can never really hold on to them.

I loved the narrative style, the non-linear narration, was a good break from the few recent films I have seen. Also the open-ending is an interesting addition to Imtiaz Ali’s style of filming. It leaves a lot to audience’s imagination and intellect.  Cinematographer Anil Mehta provides a beautiful edge to the film, with his lens realistically and artistically capturing the beauty of Delhi, Kashmir and Prague. No doubt in that I would say he has a remarkable record of work with films such as Khamoshi: the Musical, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Lagaan, Saathiya, Kal Ho Na Ho, Veer Zaara and Wake Up Sid; in his kitty.

I would give Rockstar 4 out of 5. This is all for three reason’s; one being Ranbir Kapoor’s performance, two being its music that is just mesmerizing, and three for Imtiaz Ali for attempting something like Rockstar.

  

Directed By: Imtiaz Ali

Produced By: Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision Ltd; Eros International

Starring: Ranbir Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor, Piyush Mishra, Nargis Fakhri, Aditi Rao.

Story By: Imtiaz Ali

Music Director: A.R. Rehman

Cinematographer: Anil Mehta