Rockstar : Denoting deviant outlook

Rockstar : Denoting deviant outlook                                                     

Rockstar : Denoting deviant outlook  

                 It is hard to fade away the magic of Jab We Met, and every time Imtiaz Ali releases a new film, he is never spared of the comparison to himself and his JWM. But he dares to think beyond candy-floss Rom-coms and hence he bangs hard again with his new flick, Rockstar. I went to the theatre with a rehash of Jim Morrison and The Doors in mind, but was elated to find much more than a “rags-to-riches” story of a labeled Rebel. It gave me an opportunity to think about the film in terms of sociological theories and how it’s still relevant to the young and rebellious lot.

                The sociological perspective of the film gives us a chance to rethink about the structure and effects of the society. The protagonist JJ (Janardan Jakhad) is a product of the society. The society can not function without deviance and vice versa. Deviance is described as a recognized violation of the cultural norms and it changes over time. It is not necessary for all the deviance to involve action or choice. The mere presence or existence of the labeled “deviant” individual could be enough to provoke condemnation and claims of deviancy.

                  Often in a society, the youth is considered to be deviant because of their perceived propensity of “Youthful Rebellion”. Here as Imtiaz Ali put the graph of the character of the protagonist, we witness that, he is not an anticipated rebel at an early stage. He desires to be famous and he pursues “pain” to achieve that, without having a notion of “pain”. He gradually was labeled as a “Deviant” and “Criminal” when he crosses the limits of social behavior.

Ranbir Kapoor and Nargis Fakhri

                   The Interpretivist perspective tries to explain the meanings behind the human behavior. JJ tries to turn famous, but instead turns infamous for all the wrong reasons. He did not intend to act as a deviant, but the violation of social norms termed him as a deviant and criminal. Female protagonist Heer (Nargis Fakhri) knows her social limits, and henceforth she plans to fulfill all her desires (which are not socially acceptable as “proper”) before she gets married. Because she knew after her marriage she will be a part of the “Elite” and then she will be confined within the social and cultural norms of the class. The class divide is expressed through the characters and their respective colleges, St. Stephens and Hindu College. Despite being known as the best colleges in Delhi University, they have this hitherto existing class and ego conflict along with rivalry. But Heer breaks that mental divide and explores the filthy lanes of the capital city with JJ, which otherwise she could not have done. Here we can bring in another area that Interpretivist focuses in. They rely on gaining In-depth knowledge of cultural meanings and personal experiences of the people being studied. The use of local lingo like “Gund Machayenge” is evident of the fact that the Director does his research well to portray the young minds of DU.

Jordan : Defying the Social Norms

                    JJ’s character reminds us of Sub-cultural theories of deviance. As a protest to the social oppression and as a sign of rebellion, some youth groups of the society follows a different path by both visible and rebellious outlooks. The examples have been Punks, Mods and Rockers which JJ also falls into. They tend to contravene society’s norms and values and gain status within their sub-cultures.

                      The negative publicity seemed to be working for JJ and from a Pitam Pura Jat boy Janardan Jakhad, JJ becomes Jordan, the rockstar. Agony, stress and frustration burn him from inside, which in turn shape his behavior as an angry, aggressive and violent rock singer. His social conduct throws a spotlight into the fact once again that there are reasons behind human behavior. His cultural history and personal experience decides his manners, again in terms of societal acceptance.

Ranbir Kapoor and Nargis Fakhri

                    Another area that Imtiaz Ali realms into is carefree representation of extra-marital affairs through the characters of JJ and Heer. Heer tries to confine herself within social norms and values, but finally gives in. JJ unaware of his growing love for Heer, keeps on giving her company until he realizes that it’s Heer only his heart is searching for. The track of the movie moves fast, along with humor and creativity till first half. After the interval, it suddenly loses its pace. It could be intentional by the director. It could be a reflection of JJ’s state of mind, where he becomes restless and passionate. He has all the fame and money which he dreamt of, but no peace of mind. There is a big void inside him. His confusion of dream and desire makes it even worse for him.

                     The narrative moves ahead with pathos and agonies of the protagonists and their defiance of social restrictions. They grew as personalities from college kids to grown up individuals.

Kun Faayaa Kun : Recreating magic

                 Music plays a pivotal role in the narrative. As the name suggests, it’s a film on a musician. AR Rahman again sets another benchmark with Rockstar. JJ’s pain, existential angst and restlessness are expressed in his music. Rather JJ uses music to release all the agony. Creative Lyrics is complementing the rich tunes by Rehman, giving it a new stature. Songs like “Ud chala”, “Jo Bhi Main” and “Nadan Parindey” carries elements of separation and desire. In “Hawa Hawa” and “Sheher”, Rehman introduced Western Salsa and Egyptian beats to his tunes, with a marvelous mixing, while Punjab comes alive with “Katiyan Karoon”. With “Faya Kun Faya”, he recreates his magic of “Khwaja Mere Khwaja” and “Maula Mere Maula” once again with his awe-inspiring and soulful music. One really can feel the presence of the almighty with the tunes. Like most of Rehman’s music, Rockstar’s music gradually grows into the listeners’ mind.  

Ranbir Kapoor in Rockstar

                     In the song picturisations as well, Ranbir Kapoor has enacted them so well, that it looks as if he is actually rendering the numbers himself. Here comes another zone, the Acting. It was truly a Ranbir Kapoor flick and he pulled it off really well. Living up to the legacy of the legendary RK family, he was just immaculate in certain portions. Grabbing the mannerisms and lingo of a Delhi Jat Boy and delivering it without an effort, was the surprise element. I think, no else could have carried off the characters of a Jat boy and an aggressive Rockstar together, apart from Ranbir. Nargis Fakhri also did not let her grand debute go wasted. As a fresh face, it was a role that comes without any pre-conceived notions of other female actors around. So, that works as an advantage for Nargis here. The film pays tribute to the original Yahoo man Shammi Kapoor, as this was his last appearance on the Silver screen.

                    The Camerawork is stylish, slick and snappy. Use of colors that signifies the mood and the feel of the protagonists add to the look of the film. The production value looks fine. Use of camera movements all along the stage show performances of RK, emphasizes on the unrest embedded in his soul. The locales of Prague and Kashmir look picturesque on screen as always.

                  Story and script by Imtiaz Ali and Muazam Beg is off the beaten track. They want to narrate an usual story of a College boy’s rise to stardom in an unusual style. It progresses interestingly in a snappy way, but loses its grip post interval. It becomes very predictable and dragging. The abrupt ending adds to the sluggish second half. May be the audience were expecting a better and logical ending (Happy perhaps??). In fine, all we can say that Rockstar is a far cry from the usual Rom-coms and Imtiaz Ali has grown into a more matured director with this film.

Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu : A Rom-com minus the gimmick

Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu : A Rom-com minus the gimmick                                                                         

Kareena Kapoor and Imran Khan in EMAET

              The same good-old formula of Boy-meets-girl, girl-tweaks-boy’s life plot that is proved to be a cracker of a formula, is repeated in this debut venture of Director Shakun Batra. It’s a story of Rahul (God! Why can’t they get out of this Raj-Rahul fixation?), the reticent child of the high society couple, stepping into a confused and depressive adulthood. And then enters the full-of-life, sparkling Rihana who reminds us of the remarkable performance of Kareena Kapoor as Geet in Jab We Met. The look, feel and psych of both the characters Geet and Rihana are similar, but represents different backdrops and stories. The resemblance ends there, but the story marches forward, as Miss Feisty bumps into Mr Depressive Soul in a vibrant city like Las Vegas.

              Here are a few things that set EMAET apart in the plethora of rom-coms in Bollywood. Despite being a rom-com that carries almost all the necessary elements of dynamism and wit, the lead pair is in no hurry to put the screen on fire. The chemistry grows steadily and silently with a few scenes which renders a sense of alienation between the lead pair, despite Rihana being inquisitive and forcefully helpful to Rahul. They end up getting married under drunken stupor on the Christmas night and they wake up to a nightmare next morning, when they realize that they don’t have a thing for each other.

           Well, my intention here is honestly not to spill the beans. The narrative moves vigorously with a lot of humorous moments depicting the plight of the poor-soul Rahul, under the restrictions of the high-society parents. Boman Irani does not have much to offer but Ratna pathak Shah carries of the character delightfully. Ram Kapoor comes as a surprise and he too does well in the role of a wealthy businessman, delivering non-stop tips to Rahul, to spice up his dull life. The film scores on its narrative that does not force the lead characters to fall for each other and rather gives them a chance to retrospect their past. May be that was missing in films like Break Ke Baad, where the lead Imran Khan and Deepika Padukon were constantly trying to steal the scene from each other. And that’s where the chemistry is lost forever. Here the flawless casting of Rahul and Rihana and their nonchalant behavioral pattern creates the chemistry.

EMAET can not be considered as one of the nest from Dharma Productions. But it is an honest film that does not try to be pretentious. The film lacks the punch and a moment of conflict. The rich-boy-poor-girl formula does not suffice these days to ring the box office, whether or not it is plotted against glittering streets of La Vegas or silent corridors of a South Mumbai school. But the fact that the film leaves us with a ray of hope that may be some day Rahul might discover something more than a plain friendship with Rihana, works as a an off-beat or rather an open end.

               The music by Amit Trivedi fails to strike the right cords and lacks the recall value. We expect more from this music director who gave us melodies like Iktaaraa and films like DevD which earned him a National Award for best music. Cinematography by David Mac Donald is snappy, colorful and stylish carrying a trademark Dharma Stamp on it. The editing is sleek and adds to the narrative by slicing out the rough ends and putting the film together. In fact, a little more changes here and there in the screenplay could have taken the film to a different level. But as Karan Johar himself put it that no two films are same, we are pleased to agree with him on this. He proves it with evidence by releasing to diametrically opposite films EMAET and Karan Malhotra’s rehash of the Amitabh Bachchan starrer Agneepath, within a span of two weeks.

              In fine, the film is full of little moments of joy which never lets you stop smiling. The sparkling jibes between the couple add to the grin and re emphasizes on the fact that may be the future has arrived where the actors might chose not to sing and dance. They don’t have to stick to melodramatic, hyper-real acting anymore. It gives us a chance to think that we still can have films, vividly told without any endeavor of publicity gimmick or being pretentious.

Agneepath: The Return of the bollywood Revenge thriller

Agneepath: The Return of the bollywood Revenge thriller

Hrithik Roshan As Vijay Dinanath Chauhan

                  Ever since the sleek, snappy promos are up on youtube, the expectations were pretty high for this remake of Amitabh Bachchan starrer Agneepath (1990). The original film which received a cult status over the years, as it was considered to be a film which was made much ahead of its time, according to its producer late Yash  Johar. His worthy son Karan Johar made this film as a tribute to his father as Yash Johar always wanted to remake this film, as it was a commercial disaster. And I must say this remake meets the expectations with reasons and evidences, setting the bar high for the films to come in 2012 with a noteworthy production value and fine performances. The film has already set a new record of the Maximum Collection on the opening day, with a sweeping 23 Crore (approximately), breaking the records set by Wanted and Dabaang.

                      I heard it from the grapevine that the Director Karan Malhotra and his assistants watched the original for more than 200 times, just to avoid any similarities. Keeping the lead characters in the narrative, the director and the script-writer reworked on the storyline to set the film on a different tempo. As Karan Johar 

says, they kept the main characters, but changed the world around them. While jettisoning a few of the original characters, they added a few, which can’t be said definitely adding to the narrative. The much loved character of Krishnan Iyer MA (the Nariyal Pani wallah), a sidekick of Vijay Dinanath Chauhan with a love-track has been deleted and a new villain is added apart from Kancha Cheena. Mithun Chakravarthy’s remarkable performance in the role of Krishnan Iyer MA earned him many accolades. Now a new character of Rauf Lala beautifully played by Rishi Kapoor is an excellent example of credible anti-casting.

Rishi Kapoor as Raoof Lala

                    Although the lead characters and a few others are kept intact, the remake is shot in colorful, vibrant, lavish backdrops unlike the gritty, murky, filthy reality of the Dockyard and Mandwa of the original. The cinematography adds to the aesthetic value along with the multihued frames. The vivid colors of Ganesh Chaturthi and Dahi- Handi (Govinda) speak of the brighter side of the real world of Mumbai, than the gory images of gang wars. While the original Vijay turned to be a “Veto Corleone-ish” sophisticated Underworld don, this new Vijay leads a very low profile life living out of a 10X12 Chawl in Mumbai. In contrast to a very powerful, popular Vijay Dinannath Chauhan in the original, Hrithik here is just an ordinary boy Vijay, vulnerable and vindictive.

Hrithik Roshan as Vijay 

                  To portray the character of Vijay Dinanath Chauhan, great challenge for Hrithik to match Big B in the original. Comparison is inevitable and while Big B was the Angry young man, here Hrithik is poignant and sad rather than angry. He acts with his eyes and facial expressions rather than dialogue delivery. We miss here the deep baritone of Big B and that signature “Hain”. But Hrithik plays the character with great conviction and intensity and conveys a lot of agony, desire and passion with his eyes, which are much stronger than spoken words. Undoubtedly this film belongs to him and without his impeccable performance; it would not have been acceptable despite all the colors and aesthetic values. It’s another feather to his crown and an addition to his list of performances in Jodha-Akbar, Koi Mil Gaya and Guzaarish.

Sanjay Dutt as Kaancha Cheena

                     Here comes another excellent performance by Sanjay Dutt in the role of Kancha Cheena. Keeping the dreaded violent nature of the original Kancha (played by Danny Dengzongpa) in place, Sanjay Dutt wears a new robe of terror and strength. While the original Danny’s Kancha was a sleek, polished smuggler wearing Raybans, this Sanjay Dutt’s Kancha appears to be more raw, ghastly and sadistic. His hideous look is said to be inspired by Voldemort of Harry Potter fame which adds to the terror. While penalizing someone this Kancha Cheena talks about Karma and Dharma, chanting the verses from the Sri Madbhagawat Geeta. He finds no difficulties in pronouncing himself as the Raavan and his territory Mandwa as Lanka. He depicts a character which could be termed as a return of the larger-than-life villain in the hindi film industry. Either it was missing for a long time or it was mixed with humor (e.g. Prakash Raj in Wanted and Singham). But certainly, Kancha Cheena signifies the return of the original dirty, cruel villain of the films.

                     The film not only explores the characters with integrity, but also throws a light on the kind of world they belong to. The details are maintained here with a greater focus on the narrative. But sometimes it missed out on explaining relationships and the reasons between characters. Policeman Gaitonde’s intention in saving Vijay’s life and his relationship is never explained well enough. Also the character of Vijay’s mother lacks the intensity played by the original Maa Rohini Hatangadi. Rohini Hatangadi’s role was much pivotal in both establishing and taking forward the narrative in the original. Here the Director Karan Malhotra pours in melodramatic moments and scenes, but that can not match the silence of Rohini Hatangadi’s original Maa. Unnecessary song and dance sequences could have been avoided, although Katrina Kaif in Chikni Chameli is ruling the charts.

                        Nevertheless, the film stands alone, despite borrowing the structure from the original. This remake has very different tonality, texture and syntax.  Karan Johar pays tribute to his father by making a hit remake from a box-office flop original. In fine this film can be considered to be the return of the original “Bollywood Masala Revenge Thrillers”. Hrithik’s performance is the main attraction here, where comparison with Big B should be restrained from. This film is expected to make Hrithik a Life Member of the very distinguished “100Crore Club”, apart from three Khans and Ajay Devgn. They are different films and different actors in different periods of time. It will be injustice to compare their performances. This portrayal of Vijay Dinanath Chauhan , earned Big B the National Award as a Best Actor with his memorable recitation of his father’s poem “Agneepath”. Hrithik too is not far behind in reciting those lines which forms the soul of the film,

“Vreekhs Ho Bhale Khade, Ho Ghane Ho Bhare

Ek pattra Chhaon Bhi Maang mat, Maang mat, maang mat,

Tu naa thakega Kabhi

Tu Naa Thamega Kabhi

Tu Na Mudega Kabhi

Kar Shapath, Kar Shapath, Kar Shapath.

Yeh Mahaan Drishya hai, Chal Raha Manushya Hai

Ashru, Swed, Rakhta Se lat pat, lat pat, lat pat

Agneepath, Agneepath, Agneepath”.