ROCKSTAR - Movie Review : It rises above the level of entertainment and is like a smashing mirror on our face making us realize our own filthy self. (Review by Bobby Sing) (Movies To See Before You Die - Love Theme)

(SPOILER Note : This review reveals the climax and calls for a mature reading too.)

It’s a great feeling when a film majorly delivers what was being expected from it by the audience. But ROCKSTAR even goes a step ahead and delivers the unexpected too in the form of an enlightening film, touching a sensitive issue for the first time in Indian Cinema.

Frankly after Socha Na Tha (2005), Jab We Met (2007) and Love Aaj Kal (2009), I wasn’t really expecting such an intense movie from its director Imtiaz Ali. Because as I feel, all his past movies were just fine entertainers, made with many commercially viable elements incorporated in them for their commercial success with few memorable performances.

But with ROCKSTAR Imtiaz shows the other hidden & sensitive side of his persona and makes a film which clarifies many famous misconceptions about creative people, their creativity and their professional life which is not known to the common man. Besides, the film had another pleasant surprise for me in the form of Nargis Fakhri, who not only looks stunning but also contributes a lot in her onscreen chemistry with Ranbir. So, I have a lot to share about the film and its subject with all my friends here and would like to start with the film itself.

ROCKSTAR is a winner all the way in the first half and the viewers are sure going to enjoy all the proceedings in its first hour with an intelligent direction, entertaining performances, perfect cinematography, realistic dialogues, believable characters and soothingly supporting soundtrack. Narrated mostly in flashback mode, the film is about the journey of a Rockstar who is basically suffering the consequences of his own indecisive character. Taking an inspiration from the real-life story of the famous & charismatic Rock-music Icon Jim Morrison, the script takes you inside the complex character of a popular STAR who majorly gets famous for the wrong reasons. The Ranbir-Nargis pairing looks ravishing on the screen with the traces of “Geet” from JAB WE MET in the characterization of Nargis. The writers beautifully explain the need of “Some kind of Pain or Heartbreak” in order to become an artist in a lighter mode, which later on takes a realistic shape in Janardan’s life. The transformation sequences of Janardan becoming the famous Jordon are a treat to watch, especially the qawaali at Nizammudin Dargah and all in-studio scenes of Ranbir along with Piyush Mishra and the great Shammi Kapoor. So till the interval point, ROCKSTAR is totally an entertaining venture with something thrown in for all kind of audiences both in the major and the smaller centers (like the adult movie sequence).

But all the commercial problems start post intermission where the film takes a drastic turn towards becoming a more enlightening experience than an entertaining one. And that’s where most of the viewers are going to find it difficult to grasp as that is nothing compared to anything ordinary or easily understandable. In its second half, ROCKSTAR mostly talks about the inner conflicts of a big star and her beloved who are not ONE at the moment due to their own lack of will of taking the right decisions at the right time.

Moreover, the last 30 minutes of the film and its purely enlightening climax, might be equal to the phrase of “Upar Se Nikal Gayi” for many viewers particularly in the smaller centers. Because this very part of the movie takes it to another spiritual level where one gets to see the bitterness in the words “SEX” and “GUILT” clearly before his eyes, quite shamelessly. And in all probabilities of the world, where people don’t like to get serious or listen to something about their own real life in a film, this abrupt and open ending of ROCKSTAR will not be taken sportingly by majority of the audience as well as critiques who value the commercial prospects of a film more than its intrinsic value.

Musically, the track “Saada Haq, Aithey Rakh” explains the inner clash & tension of a true artist perfectly. It is well supported by a brilliant camerawork equivalent to the International Standards, a superlative musical arrangement by the maestro (including the singing part by Mohit Chauhan) and some truly great lyrics by Irshad Kamil, which pump up the blood flowing in your body and you feel like standing and saying “Saaaaaada Haq, Aitheeeeey Rakh”.

However, as a true die-hard fan of A.R. Rahman I would humbly like to say that I was really expecting a lot more from this soundtrack of ROCKSTAR. No doubt, it has got the few gems in the kitty but when it’s the musical score by Rahman, of a film called ROCKSTAR, made by Imtiaz Ali, then its unarguably logical to expect something extra-ordinary in its each track. The songs other than “Saada Haq” and “Kun Faaya” need repeated listening to become likable and one can only relate with most of them after watching the film.

In the performance department, this has a flawless, award winning act from Ranbir Kapoor going far beyond whatever glimpses you may have seen in the promos. Therefore this has to be the movie which Ranbir should feel proud of and only one man would be the happiest person to see this from his heavenly abode……..his grandfather, the Legendary Showman Sh. Raj Kapoor. And I am sure that if he was alive today, then without thinking about the box office result of the film, he would have announced a big party calling every single person of the Industry to share this fabulous achievement of Ranbir.

Nargis Fakhri as Heer gave me much more than my expectations. Therefore even though many friends may have some different things to say about her but I hugely cherished her performance undoubtedly and also must say that Imtiaz does have a special eye for beauties having a foreign link. So I am all game for seeing more of Nargis Fakhri very soon. Further, I simply loved watching one of my dearest legends Shammi Kapoor coming alive once again on the screen in a truly adorable cameo with his enigmatic presence. Piyush Mishra as the Music Company owner is as usual, fantastic along with another great supporting performance by the actor playing Ranbir’s friend-manager. Aditi Rao Hydari becomes the victim of a wrong kind of suggestive characterization but Shernaz Patel does well in her short role. Technically ROCKSTAR excels in its Cinematography by Anil Mehta with perfect capturing of all On & Off stage sequences. The same can also be said about its styling and the dialogues, especially in the first half of the film, which straight away remind you of your own college days.

So with ROCKSTAR, Imtiaz takes you onto the journey into the mind of a Creative Musician depicting his inner pain, love and hate in a splendid way. And in the process he insightfully reveals the truth that Yes, its a blessing to be a Creative as blessed by the Almighty. But at the same time, its also very painful to be there where you are given a different eye to look through everyone like a mirror and can feel the pain like nobody else.  

So in all, commercially the movie is bound to have some mixed reaction from the audiences all over, mainly due to its artistically thoughtful second half and the sudden, open climax which leaves you thinking. But if you are an artist yourself or can easily relate to the inner trauma of a Creative Mind then you are going to love this remarkable piece of art from Imtiaz and Ranbir together…………a lot.

Rating : 4 / 5

(Given below is more on the film and its related important aspects, for all the friends who wish to continue reading about ROCKSTAR)

The reasons why I would like to include this in my “Movies To See Before You Die” list:

Firstly ROCKSTAR remains one of the those few movies which are impressively able to explain “The Inner Pain”, “The Discomfort” and “The Conflicting Mindset” of a famous creative personality in a very true to life manner. These kind of tendencies are really found to be on their RED LEVEL when we talk about ROCK MUSIC and their World Icons such as Jim Morrison. Plus, majorly all movies made around Rockstars and their revolting life in World Cinema, essentially talk about their heavy life-taking indulgence in Drugs and their addiction. But here, director Imtiaz Ali, indeed needs to be applauded since he successfully brings on the same madness of Rockstars on the screen without going into the controversial arena of Drugs. He very cleverly manages to depict the same trauma with only a few scenes of boozing and keeps the major cause of JORDAN’s pain, to be his True Love which he is not able to get due to his own weaknesses of not saying the three words at the right time.

Secondly, many of the viewers may find it difficult to understand JORDAN’s erratic behavior in the film with his impulsive mood swings, hasty decisions, angry stage shows and sudden outbreaks. OR there may be many who would not mind watching his anger & pain but at the same time would never love to be a creative person like him in their real life. In this context I would strongly like to comment that today actually we all can easily feel that way because in reality we don’t have such kind of “Uncontrolled Creative Expressions” around us any more, in this new ‘individualistic-materialistic’ world of the twenty first century.

In clear words, today we are all surrounded by a very “Controlled Creativity” from every direction where books are written, films are made, plays are staged, painting is done and poetry is penned keeping in mind the commercial and political results coming out of it, instead of caring to say the real thing screaming in our mind or heart. Today we are more worried about pleasing the BIG people and the authorities with our “So Called Creative Expressions” and are just not concerned about portraying what we actually feel from inside.
So if in these kind of ‘Decorative Living Standards’, a JORDAN comes on the screen showing the middle finger to the crowd, shouting, screaming and singing his heart out with his inner anger and outburst, we don’t feel related to him since we have forgotten and haven’t seen that kind of “Creative Explosion” in our real life. Also we really don’t have any such kind of living idols around us to teach us that REAL CREATIVITY anymore, free of any “Commercial or Pleasing Tactics”. And that really reminds me of Creative Eccentric Genius Artists such as Kishore Kumar, R.D.Burman, Safdar Hashmi & M.F. Hussain lovingly. Certainly its not easy to be Creative as all these men and may be that was the reason why the great master OSHO once said that, ‘BLESSED ARE THE IGNORANT”

Now coming to the most important part of the write up, concerning the last 30 minutes of the film revolving around the Intercourse between Jordan and Heer in a dangerously alarming medical state.

The scene forced me to think that whether we accept this or not but SEX remains the center or the weakest point of our thought process forever. We shamelessly can think or even go for it even after knowing the drastic consequences of indulging in it for our partner.

Besides just think for a moment that, “Who is actually on the receiving end of an intercourse unconditionally?” It has to be the woman, who in real terms is forced to face the consequences of the event in the end and the man can simply walk away just like that. The concluding moment of the film redefines the words “LUST”, “SEX” and “GUILT” in a highly meditative way. In fact the final physical scene between JORDAN and HEER shamelessly announces the disgusting side of the male counterpart loudly. HEER suffering from Bone Marrow deficiency who has only few more days left to live, gets pregnant due to JORDAN agreeing to her Sex request made with love.

The scene just asks one simple question that “Can men ever say NO?” – The film gives us the answer in the GUILT shown in JORDAN’s eyes in the final shot. And then it ends on an open note asking the viewers a silent question about the relationship between the two words………..Love and Sex.

So for me the second half of the film and its final 30 minutes remain the basic reason, Why I consider ROCKSTAR as an important venture by Imitaz Ali all together. The director who is known for giving entertaining films in the past, could have easily gone the easy way of giving the same usual kind of a second half where everything ends on a happy note with a peppy song. But instead, the fact that he goes for such an off-beat insightful climax forces me to give him all the respect by including the film in my “Movies To See Before Your Die” List. Also would like to end this review with these immortal lines of RUMI from where ROCKSTAR begins :

“Pata Hain Yahan Se Bahot Door,
Ghalat Aur Sahi Ke Paar………………..Ek Maidaan Hai,
…………………………………………………..
....... Main Wahan Milunga Tujhe”

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