Rockstar Review

"Pata hai, yahan se bahot door... galat aur sahi ke paar... ek maidan hai. Main wahan milunga tujhe"

The multi layered couplet by Rumi and audible in Ranbir Kapoor's husky voice engulfs you as the movie begins. Then silence.

Soon you see Jordan (long curly haired Ranbir Kapoor) break away from cops, rush through public transport and land at his own concert held in a giant stadium. He strikes a chord on his guitar and wham! you are flash backed to all the phases of Jordan as the rockstar with a beautiful edit of "Jo Bhi Main".

Here, I am must take a break from the basic of reviewing and congratulate the editor, Aarti Bajaj for a fantabulous job!

We are now at the beginning of a young collegiate Janardhan Jharka's (Ranbir Kapoor) journey. He idolises Jim Morris but cannot take off in a similar fashion because something is "missing" in his performance. That something, as his well wisher (Kumud Mishra) tells him is "pain". Off goes Janardhan in pursuit of heartbreak.

Enter Heer (Nargis Fakhri) the serial heartbreaker and he is determined to get his heart broken too. Series of hits and misses later he strikes an unconventional friendship with her and together they go to fulfil her list of "to dos" before her inevitable marriage in a couple of months. They part as friends but not before she rechristens him "Jordon".

Jordon goes on to being kicked out of his house, taking refuge in a Dargah, being noticed by a celebrated Shehnai Ustad (Late Shammi Kapoor) and stands on the brink of being a Rockstar.

A musical tour takes him to Europe... and his heart takes him to Heer who is in Prague. It is here that the story of his soaring and decline begins simultaneously.

To reveal anything further is doing injustice to the film.

Rockstar works on many levels. It is devoid of cliches. The cinematography by Anil Mehta is mesmerizing. He captures the heart of Delhi, the cool of Kashmir, the colonial perfection of Prague and the roars of the maddening crowd with perfection.

Jordan's steady climb to being a solo Rockstar may seem hard to digest but that is not the film's flaw. India has never known a Rockstar before.

Imtiaz Ali knows his characters well. He has meticulously etched the character of Janardhan who is a buffoon, a dreamer, a companion, a Rockstar, a lover and a helpless human being in different phases of the movie and sometimes in the same phase.

Ranbir has given his careers best performance here. He is a revelation. His eyes speak volumes whether they are playful or intense with pain. His screen presence is something to reckon with and this performance has placed him far ahead of his contemporaries.

Nargis Fakhri is a beautiful find and has done a commendable job but her foreign demeanour comes in the way of the story telling. She shares an almost poetical chemistry with Ranbir in the film.

There are two Rockstars in this film. They are AR Rahman and Mohit Chauhan. Together they make Rockstar a MUSICAL. And musical it is. Frame by frame. Beginning with the moody "Jo Bhi Main" speeding to the lively "Katiya Karu" changing gears to the soulful "Kun Faya Kun" moving over to the distraught "Aur Ho" soaring up with "Saadda Haq" and coming to a grand on stage finale of Nadaan Parindey blending into the soothing Tum Ho...

Finally, take a bow Imtiaz Ali. At the crux of his each film lies a simple concept -- Soul Mates. Rockstar is no different. It is a musical, narrating with subtlety the story of two diverse individuals meant to be together. That no achievement high enough can make you happy if you don't have your other half by your side. It touches you the most when you see the despair in Ranbir's face and voice as he pleads with his mentor and manager reasoning that he could give up everything to not have his heartbroken.

The film will garner diverse and extreme views. To each his own. The film is about understanding the unsaid because saying it will scar its flow. Yes, there are things that may get you wondering "why?" but they are minimal.

The best advice I can give is that if you cannot connect to Rockstar in its initial 15 minutes, the journey there on is tedious. But then if you do --- oh yeah yeah... yeah yeah yeah... You'll walk out in love with Ranbir Kapoor.

(No prizes for guessing what happened to me)