Imtiaz Ali takes a step up from his usual rom-com style of cinema and enters a new dimension of cinema in which he delivers what truly is a theatrical experience. Rockstar reminds me of Bhansali’s style of cinema in more ways than one. It is a grand cinematic experience riding high on melodrama with characters who display an array of emotions that are larger than life. And as for me and my opinion on this new Imitiaz, we melodrama just happens to be middle name! I went from being someone who watched the film after much procrastination to being someone who got all to easily swept away into the chaotic world that is the life of a man who loved like no other.
Rockstar may be called a saga by some or an epic love story or even a musical biopic. But for me its the story of a man who lived the quote that we hear all too often in life, be careful what your wish for. He wished for a heartbreak the kind that would inspire his music. Little did he know that the price he would pay for such inspiration would be paid in tears. By the time that inspiration came, by the time the pain came, the dream he’d set out to realise was no longer his.
Imtiaz Ali crafts one of the most impressive and complicated screenplays of recent times with Rockstar. Many I’ve heard have hated it and others have found it plain confusing. But in my experience a biopic makes for a rather boring watch if the writers don’t get creative with the screenplay. He had a definite idea in his mind as to how each scene and each situation would be explored and that confidence comes across onscreen. He set out to make a musical and made sure it was one in every essence. The most powerful of scenes are executed through songs, making A R Rahman and Mohit Chauhan the true star of the film because emotions make a far bigger impact when displayed with music than they do with dialogues. One perfect example is the ‘Aur Ho’ song which marks a leap in Jordan and Heer’s relationship. Imtiaz could have resorted to a usual sleeze fest in this portion of the film but instead chose to keep it poetic. There’s no dialogues but just Rahman’s compositions. The scenes’ structure displays the complicated emotions of the characters all too perfectly be it their confusion, uncontrollable love or guilt. Personally I truly found this portion of the film to be poetry in motion and perhaps one of the most powerful moments in the film.
If only Imitiaz had executed his casting duties as brilliantly as he had with the screenplay of the film, Rockstar would have been taken to all new heights! Yes I’m talking about the female protagonist’s role. Heer is one of the most ‘meatiest’ female protagonists written in recent times. We’ve somewhat stopped writing such powerful and emotionally charged ladies in romantic films as we opt for rom-coms more often than drama these days. Heer has an old worldly charm about her that reminded me of Paro (Devdas) but at the same time her naivety reminds me of a Geet (Jab We Met). Hence you can imagine why it is an utter shame to see such a rare role go to a girl who didn’t do even 10% justice to it. I think I should leave this topic now because I could honestly write a novel about how disappointing Nargis Fakhri was as Heer Kaur.
Whilst Nargis was as wrong as a choice could be for Heer Kaur, Ranbir was as right as an actor could be for the role of Jordan. I honestly have no words to describe the leap the actor has taken nor do I have words to praise what he has done in the film. So I guess instead of summing up the performance I’ll highlight somethings that stood out for me. His performance in songs for starters stands out. Secondly his ability to show us the various shades of Jordan from boyhood to manhood. It is a rather remarkable journey of a character and to understand just how his talking, walking and general persona would change throughout that journey is commendable. Kudos to Imtiaz for ensuring that his lead actor reached such a level of perfection as all too often I see performances that are obviously flawed and can’t help but question what on earth the director was doing at the time! Well like I said when it comes to saying things about Ranbir in Rockstar, less is more.
Contrary to what I had expected the film doesn’t function on a formula to attain critical acclaim, awards or results at the box office. Imtiaz had a envisioned a certain kind of film that can’t be slotted in the commercial or art category. So why am I so impressed by Rockstar? It has soul!
So how was it..well as predicted, predictable. Except I didn’t anticipate the formula the makers would adopt to fool the audience and critics into thinking that this one is a ‘different’ love story worthy of praise. And what was that formula? An open ending of course!
less-Desi avatar of Geet, Rianna. The woman can act. That is hardly a moot point. But why must she belittle her talent by signing such mediocre scripts is beyond me.
Comedy writers today have time and time again tried to write a comedy of errors but fail to capture the secret behind such scripts that we saw in this Hrishikesh Mukherjee cult film, Chupke Chupke. The Big B fans may not necessarily rush to this film as its a Om Prakash and Dharmendra show predominantly but like every Hrishikesh Mukherjee film, the storyline involves only a handful of character each with a very important purpose and place in the film. Dharmendra is hilarious as the mischievous botanist Parimal Tripathy who is out to prove to his wife Sulekha (Sharmila Tagore) that her beloved Jija-ji (Om Prakash) isn’t as intelligent as she claims him to be. Chupke Chupke also proves that an impressive and well written comedy film is a collective effort and never does one character stand out amongst the other. Watch this one for its brilliant ensemble cast and of course the very clever and well crafted writing.
