A journey of Desire, Passion, Fame, Pain, Destruction

Rating: 10/10 (18 October 2015)

Music by Oscar winner A.R. Rahman carries a convoluted love story written and directed by Imtiaz Ali.
Delhi boy Janardan (Ranbir Kapoor ) and exotic Kashmiri girl Heer (newcomer Nargis Fakhri) meet as students in a Delhi college. Heer dubs him "Jordan," and the name sticks. Jordan is a bit of a nerd, but he has music in him; the one thing he's missing, according to an old friend, is angst. "Nobody can make great art until they've experienced real pain," says his friend. When a family misunderstanding ends up with Jordan thrown out of his family's home, he seeks refuge at Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, sleeping on its floors with other city outcasts and eating the simple, free food from its kitchen. Gradually, the charity he experiences there and the power of its Sufi music change Jordan, and — guitar in hand — he learns to hone his craft by playing for whatever audience will have him, be it a shrine full of Muslim worshipers or a Hindu gathering, random listeners on the street or even the prostitutes in a local brothel. These scenes are the absolute high point of the film, sparked with Rahman's inspired music and convincing guitar and vocal performances by Kapoor (with the dubbed vocals of singer Mohit Chauhan ). Technical aspects are well handled, especially Anil Mehta 's camera work capturing the grand vistas of Kashmir, Dharamsala, Delhi and Prague (the film was shot in association with the Czech Republic's film commission). Guitar wonderland Orianthi Panagaris (This Is It) lends her blazing licks to the film's background score as well. One incongruous image sticks in the mind. During the film's most blistering rock anthem, Jordan sings to an audience of Tibetan refugees in Dharamsala, the Dalai Lama's home in exile. The careful viewer will note that a banner in the background that reads "Free Tibet" has been digitally blurred out — at the orders of India's censor board, reportedly bowing to Chinese government pressure. The song Jordan sings in the scene, "Sadda Haq," speaks about freedom and truth. Director Imtiaz Ali has not spoken out publicly about the issue, but young Indians have been vocal in appreciating its irony. Real piece of cinema!
~Emily