Rocket Singh's a Rockstar

My brother and I were hopping on toes on Friday. We'd been dreaming, talking, waiting for this movie for weeks, and at 8:50PM, we entered the hallowed dark theatre hall in pleasant anticipation. Seeing as I was so jazzed about the movie before watching it, one can say that this is maybe an ever-so-slightly biased review. To hell with it; it's a totally biased review. But then... it's a totally rocking movie!

Rockstar is the story of the metamorphosis of sweet, naive, college boy Janardhan to anguished, iconic, revolutionary meets rocknrolla Jordan(very cool name, dude!). It's a love story between boy and girl, man and his music. It's pure, unadulterated romance with a generous helping of soulful music, a dollop of comedy(particularly in the first half) and a dash of drama.

The movie starts with Janardhan's life in college where he spends time auditioning for talent hunts and eating free samosas in a local hangout. One day, his friend the canteen owner tells him that all the great musical talents have suffered tragedy and loss and that is why they're great. Enter Heer, the desi-daru guzzling, local porn watching, nightclub-dancing Kashmir ki Kali. As their fresh friendship eventually matures into something more, Heer gets married and moves to Prague. At this point, our boy is Janardhan no more; the pain of separation, apart from family troubles fuels Jordan's creativity and musical talent and shoots him to stardom. He also starts getting a 'reputation', what with the journo-bashing, and sporadic jail time. Throughout the movie, the estranged lovers meet and separate, each time more painfully. Coincidentally Jordan's fame and infamy also continue to rise.

A few scenes with the lovers reminds me strongly of Twilight. The Jordan-Heer dynamic savours strongly of the Edward-Bella kinda romance. You know, the If-I'm-not-with-you-there-is-a-hole-in-my-heart theory. Jordan compensates for his pain by fighting with the police and media and being an overall bad-boy(when he's not making badass music, that is), and Heer suffers from a serious bone marrow dis-ease when he's not around. If overdone, these can stand out as really cheesy, but I must say, there is a good balance here. Not too much. The couple also resemble John Lennon and Yoko Ono in some ways.

Being a fan of Ranbir Kapoor's acting from Saawariya to Rocket Singh, I wasn't disappointed here. Rockstar is clearly his greatest performance yet. He manages to play both Janardhan and Jordan with aplomb, although he is simply superb as the raw, powerful rocker with the golden voice and pain-filled eyes. Ranbir, along with a few actors(Shammi Kapoor included) carry the weight of the story on their able shoulders.

The same cannot be said of the female lead. All through the movie, my brother kept hissing 'Her acting's terrible!' Nargis Fakhri looks beautiful, but her performance, even as a debutante, leaves a lot to be desired. Her character was a lot like Imtiaz Ali's previous great heroine, and from her jerky, stony performance, one thinks Nargis simply couldn't handle it. Oh well, but it's her debut, and debut in a good movie. One is ready to forgive.

The cinematography could have been better. The Kashmir shots are good, some of the Dargah scenes are shot beautifully, but still..

Another plus is the costume design. Jordan's attire evolves along with the character and gets more awesome every twenty minutes. Very Che.

Now to the music. The music!

The music was the main reason we wanted to watch the movie first day. We wanted to listen to it, feel it, immerse ourselves in it in the acoustical ambience of the hall. And boy, did the music ever rock!

I have to admit; not Rahman's best. But very Rahman. Takes some time to get used to, but once the patterns are familiar it's manna to the ears. The lyrics add beauty, poignancy and charm and, rendered by the mellifluous voice of Mohit Chauhan, it makes for a unforgettable experience.

Rockstar is inspiring, touching and engaging. A good script, beautiful music, stellar acting; a must watch, and one to watch out for.