Rockstar is a Hindi Musical Film starring Ranbir Kapoor and Nargis Faakhri in lead roles. Directed by the new age” Yash Chopra” – Imitiaz Ali , who had earlier given us beautiful love stories in the form of Jab We Met and Love Aaj Kal, yet again presents us a soulful story of love and life of a Rockstar’ Janardan Jakkhad’ aka ‘Jordan’. This is by far Imitiaz’s best work as a director and a storyteller. He delves deep into the psyche of his lead characters that it’s hard to believe that it’s only a film. Its actually more than a film, its an experience , and a soulful one. The film also stars Shammi Kapoor, Aditi Rao Hydari, Moufid Aziz, Piyush Mishra, Shernaz Patel and Kumud Mishra, with the former making his last silver screen appearance in this film.It’s a story of a middle class boy Janardan who hails from a Jatt family and studies in a Delhi college. How he falls in love to gain emotions that will help him in his singing career and hoe he transforms into a Rockstar with a rude attitude forms the crux of the story. Wriiten by Imitiaz itself, it shows the ups and downs in the life of Jordan the Rockstar and how he understands the deepness of love. The director has approached a new style of non linear storytelling which is quite novel enhancing its impact. Some may find it difficult to grasp but once you get hold of it, you will be amazed by its impact. Infact, it’s the strength of the movie. There are many light moments in the first half which provides adequate entertainment making the proceedings a bit lighter.
Music by the maestro A R Rahman is the soul and the lifeline of the film. The songs are so well interspersed in the narrative like a water flowing along the mountains. Mohit Chauhan who is the voice of the Rockstar displays immense versatility and excels in every song. Picturization of the songs especially Kun Faaya Kun, Sadda Haq, Nadaan Parinday and Hawaa Hawaa are beautiful showing the beauty of the characters and the environment. Credit for this goes to the cinematographer Anil Mehta who spells magic with his camera. This is one of his best works. Editing by Aarti Bajaj is stylish and appeals to the yonger generation. Background score by A R Rahman is stupendous heightening the impact of dramatic scenes.
Now talking about performances, Ranbir kapoor is a scene stealer and the backbone of this movie. To say that this is his finest performance would be an understatement. Ranbir breathes life into the character of Janardan and his transformation to Jordan is exemplary. Watch out for him when he first proposes the heroine and when he rebukes the media. He is excellent in comic scenes as well as high octane emotional scenes. He displays his versatility in this role which for him was a lifetime opportunity. After Srk, Aamir and Hrithik, Ranbir is the most versatile and brilliant actor which he had proved way back in Wake Up Sid. But with Rockstar, he goes a step further delivering the best performance of this year leaving behind Srk and Hrithik. Right from his expressions to his body language and mannerisms to his dialogue delivery and lip sync of the songs, he is flawless. Without Ranbir Kapoor , Rockstar would not have been what it is- a masterpiece.
Nargis Faakhri as Heer debuts in this movie. She plays the love of Ranbir. She makes a confident debut showing her comic flair in lighter moments. But she seems to overact a bit in emotional scenes which are covered to an extent by her incandescent beauty. Nevertheless, as a debutant she makes an impact and can work harder on her acting skills to perform better next time. Shammi Kapoor, the original rockstar is seen in a special appearance as a classical shehnai artist sparkles the screen with his enigmatic presence whenever he appears on screen. This is his last performance in a movie and a memorable one. Watching Ranbir and Shammi Kapoor in one frame is itself worth the price of a ticket. Aditi Rao Hydari as a news reporter does well in a small role while Kumud Mishra as Ranbir’s manager stands out in a brief but important role. The rest of the supporting cast does a fine job.
Rockstar is a movie which is rarely made in Bollywood. With Great performances, soulful music, artistic direction, it is the best musical film Bollywood has ever produced. Hats off to Imtiaz Ali, Ranbir Kapoor , A R Rahman and Mohit Chauhan for providing us a memorable film which is like a poetry in motion.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
