Original story execution, believable character portrayal and rocking music - makes it one of my all-time favorites

Rating: 10/10 (23 January 2012)

Rockstar is perhaps the most misunderstood movie I know of, in Bollywood. Ranbir Kapoor's acting is among the finest ever seen. The movie is artistically edited to be chronologically not in-order. Flashbacks are inserted where it is meaningful. It does get a little confusing in the second half, but this is where you are supposed to sink in a decade long love story. The movie gets very dark in its story, but has been executed very carefully. Perhaps, this section can be improved, but the movie must be taken for what it is. It is engaging throughout and can be watched multiple times.
The storytelling centers around Janardan's tragic journey to become Jordan. Ranbir is believable and honest in his role as a young, small-town and foolhardy college student from Delhi University as well as the agonized rockstar a decade later. He adopted the persona and dialect of his character with great flair. His slow transition from Janardan to Jordan and his absolute love for Heer, is an act that deserves many accolades.
The music of the film is genius work. I would label the album as "originally Indian rock compositions" that fit very well into the situations and the story. The lyrics are amazing and each of the songs have a purpose.
I don't care if the movie can be improved or not. I enjoyed it while I watched it, and I enjoyed it even more afterward. The movie stays with you and grows on you; there is more than one interpretation possible. I have watched such movies in Hollywood which inspire discussions - like Inception, Butterfly Effect, Memento, The Matrix, Fight Club, Pulp Fiction, Minority Report and others - but none of these are predominantly a love story. Besides, very few in Indian cinema have created the same effect in its audience.