Rockstar Review

Go watch this film. That's the best advice I can give you.

Rockstar is a peerless film, rich in texture and detail, and enriched by complex and well-realized emotions. It has an almost-perfect lead, and a literally and utterly flawless musician scoring it.

That said, it is a film which has many weaknesses - in the acting, the writing, and the point it tries to make - but warts and all, it is a film that is hard not to recommend.

It is easy to get into the defects - the music is informed by the locations, but never the emotions of the lead, never getting the genius behind the poetry; the lead actress cannot act, and frequent mistakes on stage by Ranbir don't help; the editing could use a little tightening; and the story is utter fluff.

It is, however, just as easy to pause, soak in the incredible atmosphere created by Imtiaz Ali, A R Rahman and Anil Mehta, and lose yourself in it. And then there's Shammi Kapoor in a delightful role.

Rockstar doesn't make it easy to identify with it as a film about rock music - and therein lies the biggest problem - but as with all Imtiaz Ali films, this is a love story between two deeply flawed but very real human beings, and how their love informs their decisions in the world around them.

Janardhan or JJ (Ranbir Kapoor) dreams of being Jim Morrison, and the only thing that separates him from greatness is the lack of true angst - or so he's told. Attempting to get his heart broken by a Stephens girl, Heer (Nargis Fakhri), he instead finds a friend who, unlike him, isn't a poseur - she is someone who truly wishes to live and experience life.

The loss of someone who he always wishes he could be is the recurring theme in this winter-soaked film - he loses Heer many times, each recurrence bringing him that much closer to finally realizing who he is, and that much closer to the music that was always inside him.

Rockstar works as a doomed love story better than it works as a study of musical genius, but ARR's score and a creatively sensuous on-stage performance by Ranbir help alleviate that. It is tragic that Ranbir and Imtiaz couldn't be bothered to pay attention to the guitar in Ranbir's hand more, but it is also petty to nitpick.

As the non-linear film plays out, we learn more of the past and the present of Jordan (the newly-christened Janardhan), but his flawed attempts to be a rebel, to be popular, are never truly explained. Not that Imtiaz is known to rely on short-cuts. There are small moments that create a complete picture of Heer's domestic life that are far more effectual than any exposition - but the effect is clearer than the cause.

Jordan's success hinges on his carefully-constructed rebel persona, but his music is true - from a place of deep wisdom, the film talks very effectively about celebrity and talent, and, how, even when they go hand in hand, they are never really bedfellows. It's that kind of film - with important things to say about its characters, and some major secrets left hidden.

Rockstar is a smart, well-crafted film, that I wholeheartedly recommend despite its lingering flaws. This is worth your time, even if you do not completely dig it - it is worth it for the dialogue, the thought and the music it has, and the introspection it is sure to trigger.