Its central performance aside, Rockstar also serves as fodder for the intelligent mind. Never once taking you for granted, it deftly presents its second half as more of a meditative trance than just a build-up toward the climax. Not that the first half is anything bad. In one of the film’s best written scenes, Janardhan stands behind Heer, who in her Kashmiri bridal wear, sits before a mirror and tells, ”Pooch mat, warna main sacch bol dungi.” He says, “Haan to bol de na.” “Haan,” comes her reply, implying that she is ready to elope with him. Naturally, Janardhan is too naïve to understand. This is a brilliantly written and performed scene which oozes just the right amount of subtlety and also goes on to show the contrasting patterns that both of these characters exhibit in the movie’s second half. On my second viewing of Rockstar, I found it to be even more enriching and engrossing and it seemed to overcome, what I thought were its flaws – its uneven structure and the actress. There is something in Nargis Fakhri that lends to the character of Heer. Maybe a mischievous twinkle in her eye, may be a certain reluctance, something which I can’t quite place a finger upon.
Alas, the same cannot be said about the cast that forms Heer’s family. When Jordan arrives at their home for dinner, I almost expected Heer’s husband to step up to him, shake his hand and say, “We are a family of such laughably horrible actors that we are thinking of saying grace just because you are here.”
So much talent has gone into making this film, that it would only seem befitting if I gave credit to everyone. But time, space and memory prevent me from doing so in detail. Bringing Ali’s vision to the final stages of fruition is a wonderfully assembled cast that comprises of the late Shammi Kapoor, Piyush Mishra, Kumud Mishra and Aditi Rao Hydari.
Giving the film a grungy feel in the rock concert portions, a foggy look to Delhi’s Pitampura and capturing Prague in all its glory, Anil Mehta deserves a loud round of applause. And we all have Aarti Bajaj to thank for, when it comes to the editing. On a side note, I must also add that Imtiaz Ali has said that the film was written with this particular structure right from the beginning. Putting behind all the flak that he had received for his recent tunes and compositions (Raavan, CWG anthem, Jhootha Hi Sahi remember?), A.R.Rahman does what he does best. From the soul cleansing Kun Faaya Kun to the melodious ballad that is Tum Ho, from the pulse-pounding Saadda Haq to the beckoning Nadaan Parinde, Rahman beefs up his oeuvre with yet another winner. The simple, soulful lyrics by Irshad Kamil complement the ingenious, masterful tunes of the maestro, thereby making this album one of the best soundtracks of the year. And it feels so gratifying to see Mohit Chauhan credited under Jordan’s vocals, without whom the voice of Jordan would be lost under all his angst.
Speaking of which, I would have to write an entirely separate post to give you an idea about Jordan in detail. Ranbir’s Jordan is a wildly compulsive eccentric who is as unpredictable as they come. Ranbir embodies the character of Janardhan and Jordan with equal ease and at times his Jordan becomes so unpredictable and wild-headed that it’s impossible not to marvel at this lad’s range and depth. Here’s an actor who is not afraid of dipping his character in the dirtiest of materials, one who is not afraid of making a complete ass of himself, one who rises above the script so that there can be no more scope for any sort of improvisation. Watch out for that scene in which Ranbir lets out a wail of anguish, trying to exorcise his demons in the middle of the Wings of Fire concert. This is not only a powerhouse performance; it is a textbook with a checklist of do’s and don’ts while acting. Ali intelligently steps aside from the clichés that movies like this are plagued with – he does away with the drugs and alcohol aftermath. Jordan is just a wandering soul, a lost loner. As Khatana puts it in one of the movie’s scenes, “Wo jo kucch ladke hote hain na ji, jinka dimaag kahin aur hota hai…”
As the film draws closer to its inevitable end, you feel a strange sense of relief flooding in on you. Poignant as it might be, it shows Imtiaz’s forte as a master storyteller. Ali shows a beautiful montage of Jordan’s and Heer’s moments together – the only memories that Jordan has with him in the end. And a journey is complete. The bird is home.
Written By: Gyandeep Pattnayak
