Rock is not just any music, as my music-literate friends like Puneet and Rahul J tell me. More than being just another genre of music, it is a middle-finger-up attitude, with a capital A, towards life.
Rockstar, the latest Ranbir Kapoor starrer directed by Imtiaz Ali, is my sneak-peek into this world of angst-and-anger-ridden music, what if slightly cosmetic and with some Bollywood cinematic license. And it rocks!
Rockstar, the latest Ranbir Kapoor starrer directed by Imtiaz Ali, is my sneak-peek into this world of angst-and-anger-ridden music, what if slightly cosmetic and with some Bollywood cinematic license. And it rocks!
It is the story of how a simple Delhi boy Janardhan, desperate to become a famous singer like Jim Morrison, almost invents a faux heart-ache to bring pathos in to his singing quality. The heart-ache, however, becomes painfully real and permanent, leading him to embrace music and become extremely famous in his avatar of Jordan but the fame comes to him at the cost of his family, turning him in to a recluse and a loner.
The film rides on Ranbir Kapoor, who has played the protagonist really well. He has carried off the transition from an awkward, middle-class boy to a famous rock star in a very convincing manner, with the core of his character and his attitude remaining intact till the end. Good characterization, this. From this film onward, Ranbir is firmly in the superstar race.
Nargis, the lead actress, is contrived in the first half but manages to somewhat hold up the act post-interval. All character actors, though, are good, specially Khatana Ji, the wannabe friend-philosopher-guide to the tormented Janardhan.
The other high point of the film is its music by AR Rahman, who has thankfully not lost his ability to surprise us. The songs are all beautiful, although Sadda Haq, the one song which I very much liked initially, does not have much relevance in the film and looks like a patchwork. There is apparently no justification for the protagonist's connection with such save-the-world kind of issues.
Backed by some very imaginative & well-executed editing, the story easily flits back and forth on a time-line. For some, the latter half may be a tad intense and even slightly negative but I think it is this ending which makes it a well-rounded film, bringing the required pathos and gravitas to the film.
One more thing. Being associated with rock music, Rockstar elicits an inevitable comparison with the other successful, Farhan starrer Rock On. But while Rock On was about the journey of a band and male bonding, Rockstar is all about this one person, whose journey to the core of his own heart is more important than anything else. And who, after all, wants to fly back to his roots - "Ae Naadan Parinday...ghar aaja..."
Like the Rumi he quotes - "Beyond the notions of right and wrong, lies a field (of nothingness)....I shall meet you, o my beloved, there...."
A must watch.
The film rides on Ranbir Kapoor, who has played the protagonist really well. He has carried off the transition from an awkward, middle-class boy to a famous rock star in a very convincing manner, with the core of his character and his attitude remaining intact till the end. Good characterization, this. From this film onward, Ranbir is firmly in the superstar race.
Nargis, the lead actress, is contrived in the first half but manages to somewhat hold up the act post-interval. All character actors, though, are good, specially Khatana Ji, the wannabe friend-philosopher-guide to the tormented Janardhan.
The other high point of the film is its music by AR Rahman, who has thankfully not lost his ability to surprise us. The songs are all beautiful, although Sadda Haq, the one song which I very much liked initially, does not have much relevance in the film and looks like a patchwork. There is apparently no justification for the protagonist's connection with such save-the-world kind of issues.
Backed by some very imaginative & well-executed editing, the story easily flits back and forth on a time-line. For some, the latter half may be a tad intense and even slightly negative but I think it is this ending which makes it a well-rounded film, bringing the required pathos and gravitas to the film.
One more thing. Being associated with rock music, Rockstar elicits an inevitable comparison with the other successful, Farhan starrer Rock On. But while Rock On was about the journey of a band and male bonding, Rockstar is all about this one person, whose journey to the core of his own heart is more important than anything else. And who, after all, wants to fly back to his roots - "Ae Naadan Parinday...ghar aaja..."
Like the Rumi he quotes - "Beyond the notions of right and wrong, lies a field (of nothingness)....I shall meet you, o my beloved, there...."
A must watch.
