Rockstar Movie Review – Not So Rocking

Posted by admin on Nov 13th, 2011 | 1 comment

Bollywood has not really made the cut when it comes to rock based movies even though Hollywood has come up with cult films based on rock music. The closest we have come to making a decently good rock-based film was Rock On! But that trend-setting film worked only in the cities, while the little towns and villages gave it a miss. Imtiaz Ali planned to change it all with Rockstar starring Ranbir Kapoor, which he believed would cut across the hinterland as well. Sadly, it doesn’t seem to be.

Before we dissect the film, let’s get down to the plot of the film. Janardan [Ranbir Kapoor], is born and brought up in middle-class Delhi background nurses a dream of being a rockstar like Jim Morrison. The going is not at all easy; he gets ridiculed and has nasty jibes directed at him. As he analyzes his failure, he comes to know that all music stars have a tragic commonality. He feels that there is nothing called pain in his life and it would be very important if he has to become a rockstar.

Enter Heer (Nargis Fakhri) is the diva of the college campus; she has it all – beauty, wealth, talent and is arrogant to the core. Janardhan likes the fact that she has broken many a heart and would like his broken too. He ultimately gets what he desires but in the end, loses his heart as well.

What works for Rockstar:
It starts off with a lot of promise and one starts to expect much from the film. The music by A.R.Rahman is delightful, the songs are not just situational, and they also track his journey from nobody to somebody. The cinematography of the movie is really interesting every frame is like a painting that you’d like to cherish. The dialogues are also simple, real and lucid. One of the most instrumental factor that can win accolades for the film is the lead actor-Ranbir Kapoor, he is just amazing in the film.

What does not work for Rockstar:
The film falters big time after second half, it becomes nauseatingly slow. Also the writing is erratic and so is the characterization. Ranbir’s character is shown moody, inconsistent does not have any explanation, we were not looking for any kind of flashback but at least there should be some clarity. His relationship with Heer also does not hold much interest, they look unreal. Even the ending of the film is going to leave some people mystified as they will wonder what happened to one of the movie’s main characters.

Imtiaz Ali is known to be a good director who has made the cult Jab We Met and the decently good Love, Aaj Kal but this one falls way below expectation because two main things in the film, script and screenplay let the film down heavily. You may take some good moments from the film which includes Ranbir Kapoor and Rahman’s music but nothing else is there to write home about.

Performances in Rockstar:
Rockstar is the late Shammi Kapoor’s last film and as you watch him, you will understand why he was such a brilliant student of cinema. Shernaz Patel is convincing in her role, Aditya Rao is shortchanged with an insignificant role. Piyush Mishra and Kumud Mishra are scene stealers. Nargis Fakhri may still have a long way to go in terms of acting but in terms of screen presence and looks, our current crop of actresses do have a competition. The rockstar of the film Ranbir Kapoor comes with a rocking performance. This is an author-backed role for him just like Rocket Singh Salesman and he does it exceptionally well.

Conclusion:
This is the weakest Imtiaz Ali film, the screenplay is the biggest culprit. If you love Rahman and Ranbir Kapoor, you can watch the film but not with much expectations.

Rating:** (Average)