A promising first-half of the movie, Rockstar very rapidly nosedives to a confused and aimless second half of the movie. You’re rocked just long enough to know that you’re almost dozing off to the drone of the rock-like beat in the many dargahs and mandirs that Jordan, the rockstar, finds himself in, on and off. Which might actually be the more innovative parts of the film considering the rest of it is a haphazard attempt at portraying the making of a rockstar along with a young woman who doesn’t know what exactly she’s looking for.
Which again, is not the worst thing ever, except for the fact that all those repeated flashbacks and flashforwards tend to get a little monotonous. But then, you soon realize that the end is near, and horror of horrors, the grand culmination is an Erich Segal-style Love Story ending!
So, what are the highpoints, you ask? Hands down, the cinematography. Great shots of Old and New Delhi, and breathtaking panoramic and closeup views of the city of Prague. Also, the script notwithstanding, the acting of the two friends and lovers was quite good, not to mention that they’re both easy on the eyes, especially the girl who could pass for Jennifer Garner’s twin, by the way. The whole Kashmiri motif in the decor and the clothes is also very refreshing.
And the most entertaining character of the movie is Mr. Rockstar’s agent: the typical Delhi bhaisaab/uncle who has reams of advice on life and love, and is actually quite instrumental in allowing for our hero to fall in love, if only for the explicit purpose of experiencing a broken heart– which is the quintessential requirement to becoming an authentic artist, it seems. Pain, you see, is the one thing you need in order to write, to sing, to give, to be!
The musical score, surprisingly, was mediocre at best, even if it is the mighty A.R. Rahman at the helm of that enterprise. I honestly cannot recall a single bar of any of the half-dozen songs liberally interspersed throughout, and neither is there a signature theme tune, the kind that would instantly recall a face or a scene.
Oh, well. You rock some, and others not so much, I suppose. But to end on a somewhat higher note, I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw these two– Ranbir Kapoor and Nargis Fakhri–in more Bollywood offerings in the new year. 2012, bring it!
