Rockstar cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Nargis Fakhri,
Director: Imtiaz Ali
Rating: ***1/2
The Doors cast: Val Kilmer, Meg Ryan, Kyle MacLachlan, Frank Whaley, Kevin Dillon, Michael Wincott
Director: Oliver Stone
Rating: ****1/2
“…I think of myself as a sensitive, intelligent human being but with the soul of a clown which always forces me to blow it at the most crucial moment...”
Says a rugged, bearded, pot-bellied Jim Morrison (Val Kilmer) in 1991 Oliver Stone-directed biopic The Doors. You can’t help but miss the mop-haired, charmingly cute boy obsessed with death, spirituality of an admirable type and talent worth rebelling for. This Jim is in stark contrast of the Jim we see early on.
For the un
initiated Jim Morrison was a part rock band The Doors that made waves in the late from 1964-1971 (the year Jim died aged 27! FYI Janice Joplin also died in the same year, at the same age). Band members Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger and John Densmore did not always approve of Jim’s eccentric on-stage behaviour but it drove women crazy. We’re shown all this in the film written by Randall Jahnson and Oliver Stone.
Val Kilmer immortalised the 1960s star with fervour, induced by the alcohol, sex, lies and drugs. Of course on screen. That film, without a doubt is a masterpiece, a fictionalised (to an extent) yet believable account of the rise of rock band The Doors, and the rise and death of its lead vocalist Jim Morrison. Kilmer is killer.
In Imtiaz Ali’s Rockstar, Delhi boy Janardhan Jhakar (JJ in short and later Jordan) worships Jim Morrison. Played by the impeccable Ranbir Kapoor, JJ’s wall at home is plastered by posters of his icon. Desperate to imitate Jim, attitude, music et al, JJ is told “music comes from pain” by his mentor and later manager one Khataraji.
The vulnerable joker fakes falling in with a stunningly beautiful dancer from the college across the road. He approaches the college tota (I learnt this is what Delhiites call an ‘item’ of a woman) Heer, only to strike an unusual friendship with the otherwise suave, homely Kashmiri girl. He even helps in her wedding preparations and all the while there’s not a whiff of impending romance that could take life-altering turns. But, predictably, it does.
The makers of Rockstar stay away from the usual culprits causing degeneration of these rock star type: alcohol, drugs, abuse, sex. In contrast, Oliver Stone’s The Doors focuses on exactly that, apart from the other paramount factor: the music. We see how the iconic ‘C’mon baby light my fire’ got a life of its own, with a hazy promotion of free love, drug use and sex. We see Jim’s journey from a nobody to a sought-after rockstar to a degenerated alcoholic wanting to have no relationship with responsibility.
We miss that journey of Jordan’s musical genius, but we see/hear AR Rahman’s haunting score that is weaved beautifully in the screenplay of Rockstar. Being angry at the press, his fans is JJ’s nature — wonder what makes him so cross with life when his serious romantic side is seen only in a Czech field when he shares a passionate kiss with the now not-so happily married Heer. Fame hasn’t done much for inner peace, he admits. Brawls with the police are normal for JJ. The parallels between JJ and Jim are inevitable.
Stone’s baby-faced Jim is a rebel when it comes to his music. Here’s what he answers a journalist’s “What are your songs about Mr. Morrison?”
“...love death travel... revolt... we're interested in anything about disorder, chaos, especially activity which seems to have no meaning... I think when you make peace with authority, you become authority.” (Yes, I played this again and again so I could write it down and quote it).
JJ aspires to become Jim and while Rockstar, a love story at the heart, gets tedious after a point (the second half in particular), The Doors never does. Oliver Stone uses enough irresponsible behaviour to keep you hooked, apart from the love angle involving Jim Morrison’s longtime girlfriend Pamela Courson (played by Meg Ryan). Imtiaz Ali’s rock star is more about anger and pain, he doesn’t even drink. And if there’s any use of drugs, we never see it on screen. Ranbir is captivating, love or no love, drugs or no drugs.
And what on earth could be wrong with Nargis? With a face as pretty as hers she could get by anything, but her dialogue delivery and expressions are just misplaced. Babe, how about just sly smiles and killer looks with lips sealed from start to end? Sounds fun, no?
Rockstar’s music is heavenly. Apart from Ranbir, it’s only the second reason the film needs to be watched. Naadan Parindey, Kun Faaya Kun,Tum Ho and of course Saada Haq are best among the lot. From the maker of love stories Jab We Met (my all time favourite) and Love Aaj Kal, Rockstar could be just another story without the Rahman touch.
Rockstar deserves to be watched at least once. The Doors will need more than just 2.20 hours of your time.
Enjoy these trailers. Decide for yourselves.
