Movie Review: Rockstar (2011)

Director Imtiaz Ali won half the battle when he got AR Rahman to compose the music for his film. Ranbir Kapoor helps him conquer the other half

So you’ve seen the promos and think you know what the film’s about? Actually, there’s a lot more to it. Rockstar is not just a journey of an aspiring musician. It also charts the main lead’s spiritual path and highlights that just making it big in life doesn’t lead to inner happiness. Inspired by the writings of Sufi poet Rumi, the film is layered and delivers the goods without getting boring.

The film begins with a slightly weathered Janardhan Jakhar aka JJ aka Jordan being chased by local cops in Prague, but who somehow makes it to his concert. Jordan is a rockstar who has a huge fan following and has attained cult status, but looks unhappy. The reason is revealed in a flashback: Years ago, Jordan is a bumbling idiot seeking tragedy in his life so that his music gets more depth. His search for pain ends when he meets Heer Kaul (Nargis Fakhri) who is rumoured to be a heartbreak specialist. Heer is about to get married to a rich guy settled in Prague. Before she ties the knot, she wants to do some blasphemous things like watching a B-grade sleazy film and getting drunk on country liquor.

The problem starts when the two unintentionally fall in love with each other. Heer leaves for Prague and Janardhan becomes the spiritually awakened Jordan. As luck would have it, Ustad Jameel Khan (Shammi Kapoor), a shehnai player, spots his talent. From there on, Rockstar is about his transformation as a musician and a hopeless romantic. His journey is being documented by Sheena (Aditi Rao Hydari), a journalist. The film is partly from her perspective and partly Jordan’s.

The most magical moment of Rockstar is a conversation between Jordan and Khan. Another one is where an irked Jordan has a face off with the music company honcho, Dhingra (Piyush Mishra). That apart, the chemistry between Heer and Jordan is heartwarming. Aditi plays her part as a journo-turned-close-friend of Jordan well and so do the others. All said, the film totally belongs to two people – AR Rahman, whose music is avant garde and Ranbir Kapoor – he plays the title role with such confidence and conviction that it becomes easy to forget that he is an actor and not a real-life rockstar. Watching Rockstar is also the next best thing to watching the Mozart of Madras live in concert. Now you decide!