Nov 12, 2011 02:25 PM
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I’ll start with a bias. I don’t like Ranbir Kapoor. Period. I don’t think he can act. Double period. But, post Rockstar I stand corrected. I think all he ever needed was a director to extract a brilliant performance. And who better would he choose than Imtiaz Ali?(Remember, he turned Kareena into an actor post Jab We Met. Till the she was just a glam doll.)
Rockstar is a simple story of a boy who wants to be a rockstar. Who looks up to Jim Morrison. Who is a simpleton at heart. Disconnected from the real world. For some unexplained reason Imtiaz has told the story in such a complicated manner, that one fails to understand the logic behind several parts of the script.
Rockstar goofs up quite a bit in the writing and editing department. The movie could’ve been much shorter, without cutting the songs…which means some scenes are just too stretched…like the Prague sequence. Writing is flawed at many places…Ranbir’s love barely looks like love.whenever he meets Nargis he’s on some testosterone overdose…most unlike an Imtiaz Ali treatment(the love stories in Socha Na Tha or Jab We Met were based on feelings and not feeling each other). The first half of the film does have its moments, so does part of the second half. I guess about 20 mins after the interval the film gets stretched and irrational. What was the reason for Nargis’ illness angle? Aise hi movie ka running time badhane ke liye? The opening sequence leaves you wondering what the hell happened and the movie’s end joins back to where it began(the entire story is told in non-linear flashback)…even after the movie ends you don’t know anything about the opening sequence…add to that a supremely confusing finale.
Ranbir’s emotional graph is so damn erratic…forget the aam junta, I’m sure even he must’ve got confused while seeing the preview screening. For no reason whatsoever he’s losing his cool, picking fights, bashing up people, etc. And much as I would’ve loved to bash Ranbir’s acting…actually he’s really good at it…. it’s the characterization that is flawed. Ditto for Nargis Fakri’s character…completely disconnected in parts. It’s like both inspired by Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde. Having said that, Nargis really got a raw deal in the film…she’s got no big scene, no big lines…bah…could’ve been any other model(yep, she’s still a model…not an actor). Kumud Mishra who plays Khatana has possibly the best written character because it is consistent….and he’s really good in his role. Piyush Mishra is very good too. Aditi Rao is completely wasted. The rest are just there as fillers.
Two departments where the movie scores is music and cinematography. A.R.Rehman’s score is amazing. Every song has something special.though some of them take time to grow on the listener, eventually you’ll love the entire soundtrack. Regards cinematography….if someone shoots the most picturesque locales in Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Kashmir and Prague, how wrong can the visuals go?
There are a few sequences to be watched out for….the Junglee Jawani sequence…Ranbir-Shammi’s first meeting….Ranbir tearing the agreement…some sequences in Stephen’s college.
Overall, Ranbir puts in an earnest performance but is let down by the writing. I’d recommend watching it for Ranbir’s performance and really good music.
