Rockstar

November 11, 2011 0 By Fans
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Still of Ranbir Kapoor in RockstarStill of Ranbir Kapoor in RockstarRockstarRockstarStill of Ranbir Kapoor in RockstarStill of Ranbir Kapoor in Rockstar

Plot

An uninhibited youth woos the hottest about-to-be-married college girl. He rises to become a rock-star – then self-destructs.

Release Year: 2011

Rating: 7.4/10 (5,828 voted)

Director:
Imtiaz Ali

Stars: Ranbir Kapoor, Nargis Fakhri, Shammi Kapoor

Storyline
Dressed in Persian clothes, chased by hooligans, famous Indian-born Rockstar, Jordan, barely makes it to a Czech stadium to perform before a huge crowd. It was not too long ago that he was just an awkward uninhibited collegian wanna-be musician with a name of Janardhan Jakhar, who was ridiculed everywhere. His family wanted him to be inducted in their business but he refuses. He is counseled that music comes after experiencing pain, so he decides to woo Heer Kaul, the hottest girl on the college's 'Chicklist' in order to be rejected by her and thus experience pain. Initially he does face rejection from the sophisticated and cultured Heer, but quite surprisingly they subsequently become close friends, and he finds that underneath the stiff upper lip, there is a woman who is full of life and wants to experience it before getting married to Prague-based Jai. The duo hang-out together…

Cast:

Ranbir Kapoor

Janardan Jakhar
/
Jordan


Nargis Fakhri

Heer Kaul


Shammi Kapoor

Ustad Jameel Khan


Shikha Jain

Meena


Jaideep Ahlawat


Aditi Rao Hydari

Sheena


Piyush Mishra

Dhingra


Moufid Aziz

Jai


Kumud Mishra

Khatana


Shernaz Patel

Neena Kaul


Paritosh Sand

Doctor



Details

Official Website:
Official site |

Release Date: 11 November 2011

Filming Locations: Connaught Place, New Delhi, Delhi, India



Box Office Details

Budget: INR 600,000,000

(estimated)

Opening Weekend: INR 115,000,000
(India)
(12 November 2011)

Gross: $12,880,000
(India)
(25 November 2011)



Did You Know?

Trivia:

Ranbir Kapoor had to take many efforts to transform himself into a rock star. He practiced guitar at A. R. Rahman's studio for many days, read Kurt Cobain's biography and familiarized himself with him.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible:
In the scene just before the interval (when Jordan and Heer enter lush green fields on their bike), a shot is taken in which the equipment is visible in the shining back of the mirror of the motorcycle.



User Review

'Rockstar' leaves you with a feel-good hangover of itself, that is hard to digest at first watch.

Rating: 10/10


Love stories have always been Bollywood's thing. A trifle here and
there might have changed over the years, but the formulaic love story,
the one that we've all grown up on and savored, always takes you by the
hand, guides you through the film's ups and downs and leaves you at an
ending. But when you have a story as new, as fresh and as free-falling
as the one in Imtiaz Ali's 'Rockstar', then these are times that herald
a new change in today's Bollywood.

The story goes something like this. Janardhan Jakkad(JJ a.k.a Jordan),
a Delhi simpleton, has always wanted to be a rockstar. His
friend/mentor and college canteen manager, Khatana, gives him a
'get-your-heart-broken-and-you-will-be-a-rockstar' solution. JJ
automatically aims for the prettiest chick on campus, Heer, sure to
have his heart broken. But what follows is a story that goes from a
simple one of fame-mongering to a love story most unusual. The chapter
of Jordan and Heer never seems to end and their complexities take them
on a path that would ultimately destroy their lives.

It is very difficult to characterize the movie with a single emotion.
It is so beautifully layered that it will take repeated viewings to
form a consensus within yourself as to WHY you love the film. Just like
its soundtrack, 'Rockstar' is a movie you will have to allow to grow on
you. The film can best be described as a heady cocktail of love and
fame and how each has an effect on the other. It's the free-falling
nature of the story that gives it a feeling never before experienced in
Indian cinema. The movie borders on self-indulgence every once in a
while but wonderfully balances it out with realism.

The music, composed by A.R. Rahman, is in many ways a character in the
film. Every phase of Jordan's life is characterized by a song which
magically sets the tone for the next few minutes, till the next song or
sequence comes along and changes the mood. The music, in many ways,
drives the film. Its very obvious now why Imtiaz Ali replaced usual
collaborator Pritam with Rahman. Without the type and scale of the
music Rahman has given for this film, 'Rockstar' would have been very
handicapped. The music truly forms the soul of the film. Also, from the
snow covered mountains of Kashmir and Himachal and the dingy
discotheques to the old-architecture of Prague and the various concert
venues, the film looks beautiful in almost every shot, thanks to ace
cinematographer Anil Mehta. The right variations in angle, color and
focus gives the film a biographical feel where the scenes portray an
emotion as much as the actors in them do.

Which brings me to the performances. The film has few characters and
each of them are well-defined. Aditi Rao plays the journalist Sheena,
who tracks Jordan's life and though she has precious little to do, she
plays her part. Piyush Mishra as the shrewd record company owner
Dhingra, is the quintessential greedy man in the film and does well
too. Kumud Mishra as Khatana, Jordan's old friend and manager is
perfect and brings in a certain sincerity and authenticity to his part.
Shammi Kapoor as the shehnai maestro Ustad Jameel Khan is absolutely
charming every time he appears on screen. It is hard to miss the glint
in his eye and these being his last shots, will always be what
'Rockstar' will be remembered for. Now for the two lead actors. Nargis
Fakri is unfortunately, the weakest link in the film. She obviously has
a lot to learn in the acting department. She blatantly disappoints in
scenes where she is required to do more than just look pretty, and ends
up as the cold dish in 'Rockstar'. Nonetheless, she does look good in
every frame and with better acting, could go places. With her current
form, she will find it tough to make a mark.

However, 'Rockstar' completely belongs to Ranbir Kapoor, who has
clearly gives this film his all. He plays his part with utmost
perfection and with a depth that is so rare in Bollywood these days.
Through the film, it is Jordan, and not Ranbir Kapoor, that we see on
screen. He earnestly brings out the character transition from JJ to
Jordan with such ease, that this could very well be his career-defining
performance. He's clearly left his contemporaries WAY behind. Ranbir
Kapoor, as of now, owns Bollywood.

Having dared to make such an experimental film, director Imtiaz Ali is
truly the new-age doyen of Indian Cinema. His refreshing take on love
stories, from 'Jab We Met' to 'Love Aaj Kal', continues with 'Rockstar'
which will be remembered for a long time as the first movie of its
kind. Truly original and truly inspired from all the right sources,
Imtiaz Ali is the new age phenomenon of modern love in cinema.

Truly magical and spell-binding, 'Rockstar' leaves you with a feel-good
hangover of itself, that is hard to digest at first watch. I'd give it
a 4/5.

Don't miss.