the words, they destroy – Precisely what the writing does to the movie.
First things first – It is an absolute pleasure to see Shammi Kapoor in a deep-blue raw-silk kurta, the expressions on his face and the glint in his eye, magically conveying every sur of the shenaai. A real Rockstar, if there ever was one.
The rest of the movie, unfortunately, didn't delight me as much as I hoped it would. I really wanted to like it. And I did try to. When the intermission lights flickered back on, I resisted the urge to get carried away with the “disappointed” emotion running inside me. And then, it went further downhill..
I am all for complex, layered stories. Stories which defy convention. Stories that are not linear. Stories that prompt me to read between the lines. But please don’t give me a story that fails to connect at a basic level. A story that is shallow, in spite of all the detailed characterization and drama.
Passionate love stories can be very intriguing. And enjoyable. Think “Dil Se”. I know a lot of people loathe the movie, but the chemistry of the lead pair, the raw madness, the passion, the junoon – just scorches the screen. And what’s most important is that neither the protagonists, nor the story, tries too hard to do this. It unfolds naturally. And that is where Rockstar loses its brownies. It tries too hard.
Janardhan Jakad, the character played by Ranbir, is all focused to make it big as a musician. And then all of a sudden, he drops everything and starts romping around town with Heer, a girl he barely knows and has nothing in common with. And moreover, forsakes an opportunity for a break in the music world, which he so desperately seeks and heads off to Kashmir, to attend Heer’s wedding. In what capacity? As a friend? Confidant? Man Friday? Pseudo-boyfriend? Or just because the director wanted to film a montage of stunning landscapes and depict a so-short-its-over-before-you-even-realize Kashmiri wedding?
And coming to Heer – Agreed that she’s comfortable revealing her inner-self and hidden desires to Janardhan, since they don’t know each other too well and she doesn't stand the risk of being judged. But then why push it as far as prancing around with Janardhan hours before her wedding, doing a “Kashmir Ki Kali” with him while her friends merrily capture YouTube videos? Pretty much “to hell with my to-be husband, let’s cavort around while you are here”!
My biggest grouse with the movie however, is the romance, the attraction, the connect or lack of thereof between the two characters. And because that is the central premise the movie hopes to hinge on, the rest of it, to me at least, comes across as a farce.
Janardhan, now Jordan (can’t have a Rockstar without a hep name, can we) returns back from Kashmir and is thrown out of his house, lives at the Hazrat Nizamuddin dargah and eventually, two months later, good sense prevails and he moves in with his samosa-sponsoring mentor, Khatana. And this period in exile has brought him a little closer to the divine, made him a better musician – but NOT ONCE in this entire period is Heer referenced – neither in his thoughts, nor his actions and most importantly, not even in his music.
And then suddenly, he is desperate to sacrifice everything and hop onto a free plane ride to Prague? Really? To meet Heer? So much for love.
Yes, love. Probably the most irrational of all emotions. I get it, OK. But am I to believe that what Jordan has for a very-married Heer is love? Or lust? Or just returning the favor, in foreign land, no less - “to hell with your husband, let’s cavort around again while I am here”
After a much hare-brained exit from Prague, what the hell is Jordan angry about? This angry? What’s with suddenly being anti-establishment? Do we have an agenda here? Sadda haq, what the fuck?
And then, the madness intensifies. Negative press, beating up cops, canceled concerts and recordings. Re-enter Heer, marriage crumbling and in the last stage of a terminal disease. And our man goes ballistic once again. And what does he attempt to do the first time he reunites with her in such a condition – kiss her, but of course! The movie spirals into an abyss after this point and the finale culminating in an obscure and violent concert @ Prague is equally baffling.
The true Rockstar of the enterprise is the maestro himself. The combination of Rahman in such tremendous form and Mohit Chahaun doing perhaps the best singing of his life, is sheer genius. One song after the other, the soundtrack grabs you by the scruff of the neck and refuses to let go. The music grows on you when you least expect it to and that’s where-in the beauty lies. Effortlessly, it just seeps into your veins. And then even if you want it to, you cannot resist being drawn into it. The lyrics, by Irshad Kamil are exquisite and according to me, are what lend the x-factor to the album. It’s refreshing to hear such magical lyrics & compositions..Here is an album for the ages.
My most favorite picks of the lot are the fantastically magical and haunting aur ho. You think you’ve heard it all from Rahman and then he comes up with this. Uff. Reserve the Best Playback Singer trophies for Mohit for this one, I say. And then there are the divinely blissful strains of kun faaya kun. Interspersing guitar chords with a qawwali rhythm achieves such a magical sound, that it's impossible to put into words. This is stuff is to be cherished life-long and be thankful for.
Coming back to the movie, my heart really goes out to Ranbir. While not his career-best performance (that honor is reserved for the super-awesome Rocket Singh Salesman of The Year), here is an actor who has put his heart & soul and tried his best to infuse life into Jordan. But criminally, the character is so shoddily written, that it really doesn't allow him to take it beyond a point. Had the script and screenplay been tighter, Ranbir as Jordan could have become a memorable character in the annals of Bollywood. Lost opportunity, this one. And that’s what pains even more. All eyes on Anurag Basu now to pull off an ace with Barfee and give Ranbir a movie worthy of his acting prowess. The guy certainly deserves better.
What Rockstar also severely lacks - the most important ingredient of any love story, is a leading lady that makes you fall head over heels in love and makes your heart skip a beat. While Nargis might look ravishing in some scenes because of her sheer screen presence, it really is difficult to look beyond her pouted lips and her Katrina hangover. The acting, unfortunately, is a huge downer. It is a pity that Ranbir cannot be paired with Kareena, else she would've probably taken this to another level altogether.
Imtiaz Ali, the captain of the ship, while well-intentioned and wanting to narrate an unconventional love story, really botches up the execution. And coming from him, Rockstar disappoints even more than it otherwise would have. Really, socha na tha!
There is a very thin line between flawed characters and flawed characterizations. Rockstar criminally crosses over to the other side and then there’s no looking back.
Rating: ** (one for Ranbir, one for Rahman)
