Everything rocked in Rockstar!

Rating: 8/10 (23 November 2011)

It is difficult not to like Rockstar. The movie itself transcends many genres- biography, romance, and musical, and yet retains Imtiaz's trademark connect with modern day youth. It begins when a simpleton is told to find pain to succeed in music, who takes it as a joke at first, and in it search, finds his muse. The intensity of the relationship between the main protagonists and their portrayal by Ranbir and Nargis knocks the stuffing out of other purported Bollywood romances. Their chemistry is sizzling, and both do a stupendous job in making their changing relationship- platonic at first and then intimate, believable.
The good in the movie is essentially the people behind it. In Nargis, we have an actress who in her very first outing has displayed that god gifted ability to mix sincerity with spice, and us ooglers have an equally ravishing alternative to Katrina. And what a Rockstar we have- Ranbir in probably his toughest assignment yet, plays the titular role with élan- people up North will vouch for the originality of his Jat accent, and he actually gets better as his role becomes multidimensional in the second half- that of a person unconditionally in love with someone unattainable, and a musician trying to find his place in the sun. And then there is this delightful cameo by the first rockstar of Bollywood. AR Rahman's score is worth a million hearings itself- and it would not have been so unless Mohit Chauhan was not singing, oh what talent, what talent (remember Silk Route, anyone?)
And then there is Imtiaz who has this rare talent of making ordinary things look extraordinary. The movie itself is a labor of love- like Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Khamoshi, Imtiaz Ali has poured his heart out to make a love story that satiates himself i believe, if not necessarily the audience. I don't know why i like Imtiaz- is it the Jamshedpur connect, or is it because he makes simply beautiful films, which makes you want to be a part of them? In Rockstar we have gorgeous locations- from Hauz Khaas, to Prague, to Kashmir, the scenes stay will stay in your mind for ever.
And yet, it is not without flaws. Unlike Jab We Met, I would not look forward to a second viewing, partly because of the movie's inconsistent pace, a 10-15 min shorter version would have made it a lot tighter, and I definitely wanted more of the tub thumping soundtrack because all the songs do not feature in the movie. However, as a musical, and as a love story, Rockstar remains a stellar effort.