A Rockstar's Love Story

Watched the 3rd day 3rd show(as opposed to the craze of 1st day 1st show viewings) of Rockstar today evening. The film should really have been called what I've named this post(thanks Shambo for giving me the idea for this name).

The film is about the travails of an awkward small town boy Janardhan Jhakar(JJ), who wants to become a singing sensation. From as long as anyone could remember, he had been playing a guitar and singing songs which he wrote himself. After unsuccessfully trying out in various auditions and being told he doesn't have the required stage presence, he goes to Khatana uncle(played brilliantly by Kumud Mishra) for advice. The unlikely advice he receives is what defines his future. He is told that for him to sing from the heart, he has to have his heart broken atleast once! And then he meets Heer, Heer Kaul, played by Nargis Fakhri, the master of breaking hearts. He thinks he has found his secret weapon to kick-starting his music career. What starts off as fun for Janardhan, ends up with the two of them spending quality time together with each other for quite some time. Some of the things they end up doing are quite shocking indeed(:-p). So much so, that Heer invites him to her wedding so that she could take time off from the preparations, which according to her, was quite boring. Eventually they part ways, as Heer gets married, and JJ returns back home. On his return, his family refuse to take him back and he is forced to live at the Darga for two months. It is here that he really starts putting his heart and soul into his music. The picturisation, lyrics and music of 'Kun Faaya Kun' at this juncture is awesome. He gets his first break subsequently and his album becomes a big hit. Soon he gets a chance or rather forces his boss to take him on the company's tour to Europe. The reason for his going there is, once again, Heer. And the cycle begins again. They spend nearly all of their time together , and end up getting physically intimate before JJ has to return home. Before he finally returns, he manages to get himself arrested for a couple of indiscretions. This, however, only seems to enhance his 'Rockstar' image. His shows become bigger and crazier than ever, and he reaches new heights of stardom. 

But by this time, the fall of the sweet, simple human being had already begun. Regular run-ins with the law, missed shows, regular disappearances and frequent bad press become a part of his routine. The only time the old simple human returns is when he hears that Heer has a terminal disease. But how much of his reactions were a part of his selfishness also remains a pertinent question. Miraculously though, Heer starts to improve when she is with JJ. But then, life doesn't have anything simple planned for them and their fate remains undisclosed. The best song of the album has been saved for the end, with the movie ending on a quite open note, as JJ, or Jordan as he had come to be known, belting out 'Naadaan Parindey', pleading with the love of his life to come back home.

The movie really has four heroes, the locations, the cinematography, the music by A.R. Rahman and Ranbir Kapoor, a true Rockstar. This boy, or man, whatever suits you, has real talent. And boy, can he act! Its not just in the genes, the hard work he had put in has paid dividends with the performance which stole the spotlight from everything else in the movie. After quite some time, the album of this movie by Rahman is really upto his standard. His past few movie works have been disappointing. This album is more like what we have come to expect of him. Hopefully this will be the start of his comeback. The songs and the performances were ably backed up by the amazing camera-work, cinematography and the choice of locations. Kashmir and Prague shown here were picture postcard beautiful. The songs have been excellently shot with my personal favourite being the colourful 'Hawaa Hawaa', which displays the culture of Prague as well Nargis's dancing skills. The image of the scene in Kahmir with JJ standing leaning back against a tree and chatting with Heer remains in your mind for a long time.

However Imtiaz Ali, the director, could perhaps have a done a better job. The start was good, with some really enjoyable scenes, especially the interactions between Heer and JJ, and the scene in which JJ comes to Khatana feigning a broken heart being memorable. The ending is also appropriate, with not much melodrama included. Its an hour in the middle which probably drags a bit too much. And also, as much as he may deny it, the portrait of a 'Rockstar' as presented here, has all the usual cliches atteached to it, tragedy, heartbreak, drinking, stardom going to the head, etc.
Nargis Fakhri looks stunning, no doubt about it. And she can dance very well. But she needs to work more on her acting, actually she needs to work a lot on her acting. Her performance here can be said to be average at best. On the other Aditi Rao Hydari is refreshing in her miniscule role. She should have been given more screen space, and she is definitely one to look out for in the future. A special mention for Shammi Kapoor in his last movie. He plays a Padma Bhushan Shehnai musician who has a hand in giving JJ his first break. Seeing him on screen after such a long time is a bitter-sweet experience, knowing that this was his swansong.

All in all, the movie was enjoyable. It was different from the usual fare served up to us in the theaters. And yes, it is worth a watch, atleast once. So go catch it, and become one with the dreamer, the lover, the Rockstar.

My Verdict : 7 on 10