After numerous powerful performances, Ranbir Kapoor rocks again with his new endeavor in film ‘Rockstar'.

 
That's pretty much the essence of Rockstar, whose core lies with Janardan Jakhar AKA Jordan , and his journey into fame, love and longing.
 
A Pitampura Jat, Janardan has no aim in life other than to become a rockstar like Jim Morisson. However, with no sense of 'cool' or image, nor life-changing experiences enough to create true art with his music, he finds himself struggling. That is when his man Khatana advices him to find pain in his life, to turn him into a true artiste, and Janardan finds Heer Kaul, the hottest girl in college, who, while being an archetypal Stephenian elite, also has a desi wild side. Though their romance starts off on an odd footing, it quickly turns into something of a friendship. Things take a darker turn just when Janardan, now Jordan, is on the cusp of fame, and Heer leaves Delhi to marry in Prague, even as the two realize that there's something deeper than friendship between them. The realization sends Jordan into a spiral, where he is neither pleased with his music, nor his life. And even as he tries to chase Heer across Delhi , Prague and more, he finds that the harder he tries to be with her, the further she goes from him.
 
With Rockstar, director Imtiaz Ali tries to tell a story that's truly appealing. The operative word there is 'tries', for he manages to do so only in halves. Ali, for whom Rockstar is truly a labor of love, is a talented filmmaker, but perhaps, finds himself too close to the subject this time. He carves out a fine first half, with the chemistry between Jordan and Heer sparkling the screen every second. Ali also uses A.R. Rahman's brilliant soundtrack to the movie to great effect, joining the story together in the most unanticipated ways.
 
However, it is in the second half that he loses his way, as the disorderly chronology of his narrative becomes too much to follow for the standard viewer. Perhaps it is the simple relationship between Jordan and Heer that keeps the first half so charming. When it goes missing post-interval, things quickly get mixed-up, particularly with Imtiaz's intercut-laden story structure. There are also quite a few inexplicable elements in there, especially the parts where Jordan reconnects with Heer towards the end, that seem a bit over-the-top. While one expects all the various threads of the tale to come together towards the end, regrettably, that never happens, as Imtiaz chooses to exit the movie in the most open-ended of ways, one that leaves the spectators truly uncertain of everything that happened through the movie.
 
If the film's chronological structure is a weakness, then its strength truly comes from the character it is built around. In Jordan , Imtiaz Ali creates a 'rockstar' of epic proportions, one who is the very meaning of an enigma. And it is to his full credit that Ranbir Kapoor truly throws himself into the role, living the idea of Jordan . Though fictional, Jordan 's travails are efficient and convincing simply because of the total sincerity and emotion that Ranbir plays it with. Indeed, if there's one reason that one needs to watch the movie, it is to watch the actor play a man really possessed by his craft and his love.
 
In case you're looking for another reason, though, perhaps A.R. Rahman's soundtrack should meet your requirements. Indeed, more than a soundtrack, the music of this movie, perhaps, narrates the full story it tries to tell. In a sense, Rockstar seems like a musical, one where the scenes exist simply to link the brilliant sounds together. Though there are a few mistakes in the visual choices; in tracks like nadaan parinde and katiyan karoon, Rahman has created an album that'll stand the test of time.
 
Another debutant is Nargis Fakhri, who charms in her role. As Heer, the Czech-Pakistani beauty shows great promise, though there's more than a little scope for perfection. She shares a great chemistry with Ranbir, and connects wonderfully with her role, especially in the first half, where she's still in college.
 
Kumud Mishra, as Ghatana, is an unexpected charmer in his role and plays his character with honesty. Piyush Mishra is a bit over-the-top, but does a quite good job as the crooked music label owner.
 
Rockstar made quite a bit of news for being the late Shammi Kapoor's final movie, and the original 'rockstar' of Bollywood is a looming presence here. The film's opening credits feature a beautiful painting of the legend in his 'Yahoo' avatar, and the movie sees Heer and Jordan even recreate his famous tareef karun kya uski number in their own way.

However, when one sees the sort of passable characterization that Shammiji gets here, one surmises that a lot of the tributes might be afterthoughts. Still, while one may have hoped to see the legend in a better, more impact role in his final appearance, it is a sheer pleasure to watch him in action again, well.
 
The film's cinematography is top-notch across the board, whether it's in Delhi , Kashmir or Prague , and DOP Anil Mehta earns full points for it.
 
On the whole, it is worthy to watch.