Spoiler Alert:
My review of Rockstar -though admittedly the only reviews I myself read of any Hindi movies are of thevigilidiot's.
Pros- 1.I liked the fashion trendsetting value of the movie. The use of the mid Eastern headgear and salwars by a trendsetting 'rockstar' was a very nice touch indeed.
The protagonist's sudden awakening of the sense of style is somewhat unexplained though. Listening to Sufi music is one thing but to realize that one can take Sufi style clothes to a different (and refreshing) interpretation is something that I thought only someone with at least some exposure to fashion could have done. During his college time, all that we see of JJ's (as he was back then) sense of fashion are the unflattering, unbranded tight jeans and rather mundane shirts.
2.Music : I've started liking the music of the movie after repeated exposure to the songs of the movie -courtesy 'H' (a.k.a husband).
Now the bashing:
With the exception of the songs 'Main saari raat', 'Sadda haq' and probably 'kun faaya kun,the only value of the other songs in the movie is to serve as the background score if I am busy doing something else. I don't think I can listen to the songs with silly words like 'nadaan parinde ghar aa ja' and enjoy the song for the sake of the song.
Emotions: The movie does takes one on an emotional roller coaster or at least tries very hard to. The only problem is that every time you start to identify emotionally with the protagonist, you wonder why he needs to act as he does -and there goes the balloon.
I did feel that the main character isn't emotionally mature himself. I mean, isn't he being rather selfish when he leaves his comatose lover in India to rush off to Prague to sing-after first fighting with the authorities to reach the venue. Either that, or it's an error on the part of the director who lost the basic funda of 'unity of place, time and action' funda that he should have read before beginning to direct movies!
On a different note, I wonder why the Czech authorities are preventing him from going onstage when he is not at all anti establishment -the guy sings in Hindi for heaven's sake in a country where they understand only Czech or some mix up of Slovak and German (from what I remember from my visit there). The authorities of course, have given full permission to the organizers to set up the stage in a public place and allow the crowds to assemble there and only have a problem with Jordan turning up on the stage.
Characters: Why does Heer, who has apparently grown up in a strong, secure and loving family, have to rebel to the extent of doing crazy things which no high society dudette would want to do.Even if she does want to rebel against some unseen demons of her own, did she not manage to find a drug dealer that she had to depend on desi liquor for getting a high?
I won't even go in to the whole 'doing such things in the rape capital of India and getting away with everything'...
Jordan, while seemingly motivated by his true love, when he finally gets there emotionally that is, treats her only as a muse for his creativity. The love does not motivate him to propose a divorce with Jay and a marriage with him but only to have an affair with her...even when he sees how it seems to be tearing her up internally. That again does not make sense -Heer's sense of adventure is rather childish -eat the forbidden apple just because someone told her not to. If that is the case, then why does having an affair suddenly awaken her 'good girl' sense? Or perhaps it didn't...she only wanted to brush the evidence of her weakness under the carpet rather than own it up to her husband.
Instances of real shabby editing in the movie:
When Heer is shown for the first time in Prague, she is shown resisting her sister in law's persuasion to buy something for herself. When her sis in law mentions how Heer never buys anything for herself, she mentions an appointment with her 'psychiatrist' and refuses to buy anything (how can you ignore the gorgeous Prague crystal woman! I would have loved to buy half a store if only I had more time and money when in Prague). In the next scene we see her carrying at least 2 shopping bags!
Heer doesn't mind sharing the knowledge that she has an appointment with a psychiatrist (rather than a counselor) with her sister in law. One consults a psychiatrist only for serious mental disease that requires medication.
(From a simple Google search- Psychiatrist are trained doctors, who work largely through diagnosis of illness and then by prescribing a treatment - usually involving medication. Counselors are normally non-medical personnel who work by talking and encouraging you to find your own solutions.)
The affair scenes reminded of the movie 'murder'. The husband in 'Murder' was at least shown to be someone who was still scarred by the death of his first wife. Heer's husband is eye-candy, looks caring enough; is admittedly dumb to marry what he thought would be a trophy wife but at least has cash bags. He and his family all stay in one big joint family set up but are cuckolded easily by a woman who does not even drive a car herself but has to make use of a dedicated chauffeur. But, well, no on notices that the bahu is missing and chauffeur is still at home/garage.
The sister in law easily decides that a woman who has never worked in her life can easily work as the event manager of an international rock event just because the rock star of the show is Heer's old friend!
I guess that's enough venting of my thoughts for now. Back to a reasonable life away from Hindi movies. Better to repeat Downton Abbey and pray for a Hindi movie that I can watch and still walk away happy from (I am not cynical or highbrow about all Hindi movies. Jab We Met, Kal Ho na ho..are movies I enjoyed tremendously).
My review of Rockstar -though admittedly the only reviews I myself read of any Hindi movies are of thevigilidiot's.
Pros- 1.I liked the fashion trendsetting value of the movie. The use of the mid Eastern headgear and salwars by a trendsetting 'rockstar' was a very nice touch indeed.
The protagonist's sudden awakening of the sense of style is somewhat unexplained though. Listening to Sufi music is one thing but to realize that one can take Sufi style clothes to a different (and refreshing) interpretation is something that I thought only someone with at least some exposure to fashion could have done. During his college time, all that we see of JJ's (as he was back then) sense of fashion are the unflattering, unbranded tight jeans and rather mundane shirts.
2.Music : I've started liking the music of the movie after repeated exposure to the songs of the movie -courtesy 'H' (a.k.a husband).
Now the bashing:
With the exception of the songs 'Main saari raat', 'Sadda haq' and probably 'kun faaya kun,the only value of the other songs in the movie is to serve as the background score if I am busy doing something else. I don't think I can listen to the songs with silly words like 'nadaan parinde ghar aa ja' and enjoy the song for the sake of the song.
Emotions: The movie does takes one on an emotional roller coaster or at least tries very hard to. The only problem is that every time you start to identify emotionally with the protagonist, you wonder why he needs to act as he does -and there goes the balloon.
I did feel that the main character isn't emotionally mature himself. I mean, isn't he being rather selfish when he leaves his comatose lover in India to rush off to Prague to sing-after first fighting with the authorities to reach the venue. Either that, or it's an error on the part of the director who lost the basic funda of 'unity of place, time and action' funda that he should have read before beginning to direct movies!
On a different note, I wonder why the Czech authorities are preventing him from going onstage when he is not at all anti establishment -the guy sings in Hindi for heaven's sake in a country where they understand only Czech or some mix up of Slovak and German (from what I remember from my visit there). The authorities of course, have given full permission to the organizers to set up the stage in a public place and allow the crowds to assemble there and only have a problem with Jordan turning up on the stage.
Characters: Why does Heer, who has apparently grown up in a strong, secure and loving family, have to rebel to the extent of doing crazy things which no high society dudette would want to do.Even if she does want to rebel against some unseen demons of her own, did she not manage to find a drug dealer that she had to depend on desi liquor for getting a high?
I won't even go in to the whole 'doing such things in the rape capital of India and getting away with everything'...
Jordan, while seemingly motivated by his true love, when he finally gets there emotionally that is, treats her only as a muse for his creativity. The love does not motivate him to propose a divorce with Jay and a marriage with him but only to have an affair with her...even when he sees how it seems to be tearing her up internally. That again does not make sense -Heer's sense of adventure is rather childish -eat the forbidden apple just because someone told her not to. If that is the case, then why does having an affair suddenly awaken her 'good girl' sense? Or perhaps it didn't...she only wanted to brush the evidence of her weakness under the carpet rather than own it up to her husband.
Instances of real shabby editing in the movie:
When Heer is shown for the first time in Prague, she is shown resisting her sister in law's persuasion to buy something for herself. When her sis in law mentions how Heer never buys anything for herself, she mentions an appointment with her 'psychiatrist' and refuses to buy anything (how can you ignore the gorgeous Prague crystal woman! I would have loved to buy half a store if only I had more time and money when in Prague). In the next scene we see her carrying at least 2 shopping bags!
Heer doesn't mind sharing the knowledge that she has an appointment with a psychiatrist (rather than a counselor) with her sister in law. One consults a psychiatrist only for serious mental disease that requires medication.
(From a simple Google search- Psychiatrist are trained doctors, who work largely through diagnosis of illness and then by prescribing a treatment - usually involving medication. Counselors are normally non-medical personnel who work by talking and encouraging you to find your own solutions.)
The affair scenes reminded of the movie 'murder'. The husband in 'Murder' was at least shown to be someone who was still scarred by the death of his first wife. Heer's husband is eye-candy, looks caring enough; is admittedly dumb to marry what he thought would be a trophy wife but at least has cash bags. He and his family all stay in one big joint family set up but are cuckolded easily by a woman who does not even drive a car herself but has to make use of a dedicated chauffeur. But, well, no on notices that the bahu is missing and chauffeur is still at home/garage.
The sister in law easily decides that a woman who has never worked in her life can easily work as the event manager of an international rock event just because the rock star of the show is Heer's old friend!
I guess that's enough venting of my thoughts for now. Back to a reasonable life away from Hindi movies. Better to repeat Downton Abbey and pray for a Hindi movie that I can watch and still walk away happy from (I am not cynical or highbrow about all Hindi movies. Jab We Met, Kal Ho na ho..are movies I enjoyed tremendously).
