Saturday, November 12, 2011

Rockstar,Ranbir,Rahman,Review

Like many others,I had been waiting for the  movie to release since the music had already enraptured me.And it was definitely a movie worth the wait.Though the story seems a little undercooked and hurried due to the non-linear narrative with the umpteen flashbacks that Imtiaz Ali takes you through,his superb direction makes up for all that.The visuals of Prague,Kashmir and Delhi are captured beautifully,especially the concert venue scenes at the very beginning of the movie.
Rockstar is an out and out Ranbir Kapoor film.In fact he is better than the movie actually is.His bittersweet journey from being a naive and innocent youngster who just wants to strum his guitar and sing,to a jilted and heartbroken lover who is frustrated and angry inside despite being a superstar,is exhilarating indeed,with all the emotional ups and downs that he goes through.He becomes the anti-hero like his Idol Jim Morrison,with a Che Guevara dressing sense though,a rebellious character who shows the finger to the law,in a moment of cinematic brilliance.All his anger,finds release in his music and he becomes a rage.However,his stage persona "Jordan" is still the good old "Janardhan" inside.In an extremely heartfelt confession to his canteen buddy,he says "This was all I wanted.Why am I not happy still.Even I do not like myself like this".Ranbir puts up a pitch perfect performance revelling in Jordan's complexities and conflicts.The graph of his character undergoes so many changes and he adjusts with the paucity of a veteran who knows his craft.Just to see him work his magic on screen in those concert scenes or when he tells Nargis on the phone that we are meant to be together,Rockstar is a must watch.
And Thank you,A.R Rahman,Mohit Chauhan and Imtiaz Ali for this awesome ensemble of songs which keep the movie alive and hold the viewers to their seats.From the absolutely heart rendering romantic track "Tum Ho" to the rebellious "Saadda Haq",the soulful "Kun faya" or my personal favourite "Nadaan Parindey",all songs are very much part of the movie and in fact,enhance the entire experience.
The love story is beautiful in places,especially in places when they make lists to do all the stuff that is forbidden like watching "Jungli Jawani" and drinking country liquor.Nargis realizes that she is straying from her path,being a married woman,but the power of love,indeed is so strong,it does not recognize practicality and what follows is a passionate and volatile tale.They both control each other's lives,it is the relationship and just being with each other,which keeps Ranbir sane and Nargis,alive.
Imtiaz Ali has already proved he is a master narrator of the contemporary love story but he fails to live up to his reputation somewhat.He is a little loose on the narrative and we sense an abrupt growth instead of a gradual one in his lead character's persona.However,given the complexity of emotions involved in the subject of choice and the performances he extracts from all actors,with Ranbir towering above everybody else,his trademark witty dialogues with that inherent Punjabi-ness and the beautiful gift of absolutely mindblowing music that he gives his audience,Rockstar is a MUST WATCH.You will not even for a moment realise that the movie is actually three hours long.
Go and watch it,for Rahman,Ranbir and Imtiaz's impeccable vision.

2 comments:

  1. The words that aptly describe the rockstar movie is agony, pain and passion. The transition of being a wannabe to someone who is of scroching soul.. who wants only peace. Intia half is about having a priorty of getting fame.. even at the cost of heart-broken but moment love touches .. its all about keeping the love intact at the cost of fame. Its a story of self discovery.. to be precise self actualization.
    Must watch.. but yes beware.. rockstar will leave an impact on you and you will be in its fever for days.. immersed in its music and whose can lead you to cry for no reason!!

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  2. We must congratulate Rockstar team for excellent handling of press and media. All the reviews which I have seen have given 4 stars for this superlatively mediocre movie.
    Some real reasons why Rockstar doesnt work.
    1) Too long and predictable
    2) Illogical back and forth flashbacks and flashforwards and events
    3) Absolutely stale story. Imtiaz needs a break
    4) Rockstar as a culture is hard to connect. We, indians have habit to make gods out of celebrities. Wont be comfortable with celebrity showing middle finger to masses
    5) No matter how good Ranbir acts, his personality doesnt suit the rockstar image. He tries hard but simply speaking his looks and body language is bit too a 'softy' kind
    6) New gal is terrible. Dont knw why bollywood is so obssesed with someone from west. Even Ekta Kapoor TV serial actor would do a better justice to her role. When she speaks on the screen....we all YAWN big time
    7) Had high hopes from Imtiaz but now started beliveing that he peaked during 'jab we met' and will survive in the industry for 25 years because of one super sucess.
    Some highpoints of the movie:
    1) AR Rahman.....Sir, u rock. What a background score. Reminds of Roja when camera takes a long shot of snow ladden trees in kashmir and czec republic. And Faya Kun is so soothing..Dunno how u manage to deliver winners one after other..keep it up sir
    2) Mohit Chauhan..got success so late but gems glitter no matter what. For some it takes few more years than the rest.

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