Rockstar: Away from the Wrong-doing and the Right-doing

Fifteen minutes into Imtiaz Ali's Rockstar, Khatana Bhai (Kumud Mishra) says to Janardhan Jhakar (Ranbir Kapoor), "Toote hue dil se hi sangeet nikalta hai, jab dil ki lagti hai na, tukde tukde hote hain, tab aati hai jhankaar." A few seconds later, Janardhan, holding a Cinthol soap in his hand, looks at the posters of famous musicians, such as Jim Morrison, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and Kurt Cobain, and says that these people have suffered a lot of pain in their lives. He wonders that, in contrast to them, he has had no pain in life and has never faced any problems. He never had to beg for food, never struggled for anything, his parents are still alive, he was not beaten as a child, he was not molested, and he is not even adopted. He is disappointed by the numerous comforts of his life and believes that if he remains like this, he will never become a big star. Little did he realize that sometime later, he would be begging to go back to those same comforts that he had dismissed and would be regretting his wish for some pain in his life. Rockstar, then, takes us on a journey, depicting the metamorphosis of Janardhan into Jordan, from an unknown Pritampura Jat boy to one of the biggest musical sensations in the world, and this journey, like any Imtiaz Ali film, spans not only continents, and time periods, but also, spiritual realms.

Imtiaz Ali's name is synonymous with love stories. All his films revolve around that complex emotion called love. In Rockstar, Imtiaz takes inspiration from one of the most famous love stories of the yore — Heer-Ranjha. In Rockstar, the heroine is named Heer Kaul (Nargis Fakhri) after Heer herself, and if we think, Janardhan is actually a distorted anagram of the word Ranjha, making it clear to us that this is a modern interpretation of that classic story. In fact, Wikipedia tells us Ranjha's full name was Dheedo Ranjha. He was a Jat of the Ranjha clan, and also was the youngest of four brothers in his family. Being his father's favorite son, unlike his brothers who had to toil in the lands, he led a life of ease playing the flute. After a quarrel with his brothers over land, Ranjha leaves home. He arrives in Heer's village and falls in love with her. She is mesmerized by the way he plays his flute and eventually falls in love with him. They meet each other secretly for many years until they are caught by Heer's family who is, then, forced to marry another man. Ranjha is heartbroken. He wanders the countryside alone until eventually, he becomes a 'jogi', and later, both of them die. This, in essence, is the story of Rockstar as well. Janardhan (notice how the name Dheedo Ranjha fits perfectly now) is also a Jat, and he leaves his home as his brothers throw him out after accusing him of stealing family money. He falls in love with his college friend Heer, who gets married to someone else. By fate, he goes to meet her and realizes his immense love for her. After some time, Heer starts suffering from an incurable disease, and not able to withstand his separation from her, Jordan takes refuge in music. Imtiaz Ali's previous film, Love Aaj Kal, took a contemporary look at love. In that film, Meera's (Deepika Padukone) profession of art restoration referred to giving love a new look; in Rockstar, Imtiaz himself takes up that profession and gives us a contemporary version of Heer-Ranjha. With a bit of digression, I am curious about Imtiaz Ali's treatment of his heroines. All his female characters have a double 'e' in their names—Geet (Jab We Met), Meera (Love Aaj Kal), Harleen (Love Aaj Kal), Heer (Rockstar), and Veera (Highway)—the only exception being Socha Na Tha where the heroine is named Aditi. I do not know if it is a conscious decision by him or not, but clearly, there is a pattern. And, all his heroines are either married or engaged to the wrong guy at first. No exceptions here. It is only later that his female characters realize the person that they actually love. I am fascinated by such patterns and quirks in a filmmaker. 

Rockstar begins by paying tribute to Shammi Kapoor. The film shows us a lovely poster with the word Yahoo! written in a ribbon style, referring to the most iconic song Yahoo from his film Junglee. It is as if Shammi Kapoor is a symbolic representation of the film's title Rockstar. The similarity of Shammi Kapoor's dancing style with Elvis Presley made him no less than a rockstar. Isn't it some fabulous play of the gods that the man's last film was Rockstar, just like Yash Chopra's was Jab Tak Hai Jaan? Not only the poster but the film also pays tribute to Shammi Kapoor by referring to some of his films. At one point in the film, when the lecherous friends of Janardhan are likening the unmatched beauty of Heer to that of Kashmir, there is a picture of her behind, which is written Kashmir Ki Kali, and we all know Kashmir Ki Kali, was one of the most popular films of Shammi Kapoor. This explains the reasoning behind Heer belonging to Kashmir, and her being called Kashmir Ki Kali. In fact, later, we see an imitation of the song Tareef Karu Kya Uski from the same film, done by Heer and Janardhan on the Dal Lake, like Sharmila Tagore and Shammi Kapoor did in the original.

Heer is Kashmir Ki Kali

Shammi Kapoor also plays a small role in the film. He is Ustaad Jameel Khan and is a famous shehnai player. He sees Janardhan singing in the Niazumuddin dargah, comes to the Platinum Records office, and advises Dhingra to put the money on him because he knows that Janardhan has God's blessing. He says that Janardhan is God's child and will make his own music someday and that he is a bada janwar who will not fit into a chota pinjra. What I found intriguing was the presence of two guards with Ustaad Jameel Khan. The two guards were always with him, and they were dressed in the exact same colored clothes. Even their hairstyles were made similar. I am not familiar with Islamic culture, but I felt it was related to the concept of guardian angels. Many believe that God assigns guardian angels to protect and guide them throughout their lives on Earth. Muslims, sometimes, say As-sallamu Alaykum while looking at their left and right shoulders as they believe that their guardian angels reside there. This belief comes from Quran, which says, "Behold, two guardian angels appointed to learn a man’s doings learn and note them, one sitting on the right and one on the left. Not a word does he utter but there is a sentinel by him, ready to note it." Were the two guards, who were always with Ustaad, his guardian angels, too? Just like Janardhan has God's blessing, the same way Ustaad has it, and the guardian angels were representing that? Moreover, Ustaad has green prayer beads in his hand, so there is definitely some connection.

Guardian Angels

Later, we see in one of the most moving scenes of the film, Khatana Bhai, after he sees Janardhan singing in a brothel, gives a lecture to him on the road, and says that the way he is behaving, his popularity is taking a nosedive. In fact, the exact opposite was happening. People gathered all around Janardhan and screamed his name. Then, Janardhan says that he does not want to be big and wants to go back to what he was. It is as if bugs are biting him every minute, and he cannot bear it anymore. He goes and meets his old friends from college who are not interested in talking to him but only want to click a picture with him. These all instances depict the dichotomy of fame, and that is why, a few seconds after this scene, we see a song that is called Dichotomy of Fame where Ustaad and Janardhan are in a jugalbandi. The song's title and placement are perfectly thought about. Dichotomy is one of my favorite words, which is clear as this blog's title also contains the same word. It means a division or contrast between two things that are or are represented as being opposed or entirely different, like the Western guitar, and the Indian shehnai. Janardhan's wish of going back to being small when he was actually a big star, or his old friends only wanting to click pictures with him represent the dichotomy of fame. That you have everything, and yet you have nothing. And that you had nothing but had everything. That is the price of fame. Again, were the two guards a representation of this dichotomy? These were some of the most thought-provoking and poignant scenes in the film. I was instantly reminded of the contrast with Luck By Chance, where Shah Rukh gives the advice to Vikram (Farhan Akhtar), "Unhe mat bhoolo jo tumhe tab jaante the jab tum kuch nahi the, kyunki yahi log hamesha tumhe sach bolenge." Here, Janardhan remembers them all, but his friends do not want to talk to him.

Dichotomy of Fame

In Love Aaj Kal, Imtiaz portrayed his understanding of love. Jai (Saif Ali Khan) and Meera (Deepika Padukone) broke up because they were moving to different regions, but, in reality, they never broke off. Meera, at one point, talks about Jai and wonders about "Yeh tum vali feeling, aadat." In Rockstar, Heer says the exact same thing. Lying on her bed, she says to her husband that she crossed the line, and despite knowing that she is betraying him, she cannot control herself and, then says, "Chali jayegi yeh feeling." When Meera is getting married to Vikram (Rahul Khanna), she knows that she is doing something wrong. Jai comes right before her wedding and asks her about them. Here also, Heer knows she is in love with Jordan just about when she gets married. In one lovely scene, she even asks him to hug her. Later, dressed in her wedding gown, she randomly says to him, "Haan," even when he has not asked her any questions. And then, Jordan jokingly asks her if she is in love with him. She looks at him, and in her heart, she knows she is, but she simply changes the topic. Like in Love Aaj Kal, they could not live apart and move on. Here also, they thought they would forget each other, but they could not. In fact, the love between Heer and Jordan is so strong that when they are apart, they actually fall apart. She starts getting sick, and he starts becoming violent. The relationship between Meera and Jai provides the contours of the relationship between Heer and Jordan. Imtiaz magnifies the scale of that relationship to a more passionate Sanjay Leela Bhansali-type style. In fact, at times, I get a distinct feeling that I am watching a Bhansali film. The filming of Rockstar in the opera house in Prague had a grand Bhansali Guzaarish type touch. It is as if Rockstar is a reverse Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. In Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, a married Nandini (Aishwarya Rai) travels to Europe to find her former musician lover Sameer (Salman Khan). In Rockstar, the musician Jordan travels to Europe to meet his former but now married lover, Heer. Just like the Chain Bridge of Hungary that was shown prominently in the climax of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam where Nandini runs to meet Vanraj (Ajay Devgan) halfway; in Rockstar, Jordan runs over to meet Heer halfway on the famous Charles Bridge; the bridge symbolizes the love that binds both the lovers and that they have to come and meet half-way. Recall that in Love Aaj Kal, the bridges were quintessential. Most of the conversations of Veer and Jai happened near a bridge. Most of the film's scenes were shot near a bridge. Even the iconic poster of the movie showed the Golden Gate bridge. The bridge connected the love of the aaj and the kal, the present and the past. Howrah bridge was shown for the love kal as it is located in the East, and the Golden Gate bridge was shown for the love aaj as it is located in the West—symbolizing that old love was more traditional and oriental. Modern-day love has more Western influences. Another similarity between Love Aaj Kal and Rockstar was that the husbands of Meera and Heer understand their wives' love choices. And, if these Love Aaj Kal references were not enough, there is even a mata ki bhent titled Sherawali Sherawali Ambe Maa that Jordan plays in Rockstar that takes its tune from Thoda Thoda Pyar from Love Aaj Kal. That is why I felt Rockstar was a concoction of Heer-Ranjha and Love Aaj Kal, utilizing grand vignettes, like that of Bhansali. There is even a Czech folk-style dance number called Hawaa Hawaa like the Hungarian tap dance in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam.

Love Aaj Kal

Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam

There is another fabulous aspect of Imtiaz Ali's notion of love in Rockstar. At one point, Jordan says to Heer, "Tujhe samajh nahi aayi, yeh kuch aur hai jo tujhe aur mujhe saath la raha hai, reh nahi na paaye alag, main aaj itni badi hasti hun, star hun main, itne saare paise hain mere paas, main famous hun, par andar sirf pata hai jalan hai mere andar, bechaini hai, main sirf tere saath hi set hun yaar, itni si baat hai, aur tu bhi vahi, mere saath nahi hoti to koi jaan leva bimaari ho jati hai tujhe, khoon banna band ho jata hai tera." After they stay together for some time, Heer starts getting better. The doctor even calls it a miracle. What is also interesting is that Jordan, unlike a conventional rockstar, does not take any drugs or alcohol. It is as if the film is telling us that love is a drug for both of them. She starts getting cured of her disease by his love; he is not addicted to any psychotropic substance, but Heer is the drug that gives him a high and cures him of his jalan. But, again, when someone takes too much of a drug, it is harmful, like when they became too obsessed and even made love with each other, despite Heer's terrible health, they sowed the seeds for their destruction. The love drug has its consequences when she goes into a coma because she was most likely pregnant and later, most probably, dies.

Early in the film, Janardhan remarks to his friends that Jim Morrison once showed a middle finger to the entire crowd in his concert, and here, all he was doing was entertaining some people at the bus stop, and the police started beating him. Of course, he idolizes Jim Morisson. Like the name Janardhan is a distorted anagram of Raanjha, the name Jordan is adapted from Jim Morrison. Later in the climax, we see that just before going to court, he shows a middle finger to the entire world, as if he can now understand Jim's pain and suffering. He has also become like his idols, whose posters he put in his room, and shares the common traits that bind them all—grief, desolation, heartbreak, and despair. Raanjha and Jordan's characters were inspired by Jim Morrison's.  In one of the film's most beautiful scenes, during the song Nadaan Parindey, Jordan is sitting in a bathtub and sees a burning guitar. The burning guitar represented his soul burning because of Heer's health. She is in a coma because of him, and he feels helpless without her. Earlier in the film, he had even called Heer a guitar. The burning guitar was as if his Heer, who is his soul, is slowly dying. If we do some research, Jim Morrison was found dead in a bathtub. Like his idol, Jordan also thought of dying. In fact, there is an article that was published before the film's release. It says, "Ranbir Kapoor's on-screen death in the upcoming Rockstar could shock fans, it has been reported. The film's lead character, which updates the tragic romance Devdas, is reportedly modeled on Jim Morrison. The script's climax originally has Ranbir's character performing on stage and dying while doing so." In the film, we do not see him dying. Maybe Imtiaz Ali changed his mind at the last minute, but this confirms the bathtub connection to that of Jim Morrison. I also think Jordan eventually died which I explain further.

Jordan = Jim Morrison

The film begins with a quote from Rumi, "Pata hai, yahan se bahut door, galat aur sahi ke paar, ek maidan hai, main vahaan milunga tujhe," which means, "Away beyond all concepts of wrong-doing and right-doing, There is a field. I'll meet you there." Heer and Jordan were not fit for this world. It is only when they will go away from this world that they can be together. This world has only given them despair. In another beautiful scene in the climax, Heer and Jordan put a white bed sheet over themselves. Heer says that this is their world, away from everyone, away from the journalists, away from the photographers, away from the society, away from the suffocating rules, away from Bone Marrow Aplasia, away from the hospital, away from the doctors, away from the contracts, away from the court cases, and away from her marriage. There is nothing to stop them in this world; there are no limits or bondages. The world sees everything in antipodal terms—positive and negative (that is why Dhingra names one of Jordan's albums as Negative). Then, Jordan says that he will not be able to live outside. Heer says that they anyway do not have to stay outside. The white bed sheet was symbolic of the heavenly and pure shield that they wanted to build for themselves, away from the right-doing and the wrong-doing. In the film's final scene, we again see the Rumi quote—this time in words—where Heer and Jordan are holding their hands together and singing Tum Ko Paa Hi Liya. There are no more barriers between them, and they are, at last, together. Bandishe naa rahi, koi baatein tum ko, tum ko paa hi liya. That is why I felt both of them died and went to heaven, away from everything. We never see their deaths, even though Heer is supposedly in a coma, but we see her spirit in the concert, but the deaths expressed are quite subtle and understated. And, as Heer and Ranjha died in the original story, our Heer and Jordan, thus, had to die.

Away from negative and positive

And as always, a paragraph that I always write while blogging about any Imtiaz Ali film. Whether it is Socha Na Tha, Jab We Met, Love Aaj Kal, or Highway—all his films involve some element of a journey involving traveling to different places, and these places could even be spiritual zones. In Rockstar, we see we travel to different places. Imtiaz always does a terrific job of depicting the beauty of India. The scenes in Kashmir are fabulously shot. Also, Jordan's albums are names Sheher — A Journey and Banjaraanama, both of which refer to journey (what else!). Even his concert is named Wings of Fire and there is a leitmotif of flight in the songs Phir Se Ud Chala, Kun Faya Kun, and Nadaan Parindey. At one point, he says he is looking for the birds that flew away when the jungle was cut. Rockstar is, in many ways, a spiritual journey of Jordan where he gets freed from worldly inhibitions and goes to form his own world with Heer. As I talked about the concept of symmetry in his films, there is a similar template in Rockstar. The beginning and the ending with the Rumi quote, the repeat of the hug scenes, and the depiction of the middle finger scenes show this concept. But what is different is the non-linear narrative style of the film. It is not a flashback; the film goes back and forth and leaves it to the audience to figure out the pieces. At one point in the film, The Odyssey is written on the board in Heer's classroom. The word odyssey means journey and is also an epic poem that centers on the Greek hero Odysseus and his journey home after the fall of Troy, just like Rockstar.

Journey

I was deliberately avoiding writing on the music. I tried to analyze Highway's music, where every song of the film related to some aspect of Veera's journey. But in Rockstar, the music is so deep and so enriching that I do not have the ability to analyze and write it in words. I really wish I understood music a little better. AR Rahman's music, Irshad Kamil's lyrics, and Mohit Chahuhan's voice conjure some Sufi magic. My favorite was Phir Se Ud Chala, which I liked more than Kun Faya Kun. Both are splendid compositions. Jab kahin pe kuch nahi, bhi nahi tha, vahi tha, vahi tha—When even nothingness existed, he only existed. Such a beautiful line is this. The songs are in line with the film's mood, going from a playful Katiya Karun and cheerful Phir Se Ud Chala, to a more serious Meri Bebasi Ka Bayan, and, finally the climactic Nadan Parindey. I might be wrong, but there is again something common between the songs. In Phir Se Ud Chala, there are the following lines:

Phir dhuaan dhuaan, dum bhar har badli chali aati hai chhoone

Par koi badli kabhi kahin kar de tan geela ye bhi na ho

Kisi manzar par main ruka nahi

Kabhi khud se bhi mein mila nahi

Ye gila to hai main khafa nahi

Shehar ek se gaa'nv ek se

Log ek se naam ek ooo..

Again some cloud, filled with smoke, comes to touch

but some cloud might get my body wet, it never happens

I never stopped at any scenery,

I never met even myself,

I have this complaint but I am not angry,

all cities are same, villages same,

people are same and same names.

Notice the line where he talks about that the clouds were not able to make his body wet and that he never met himself. In Kun Faya Kun, we have the following lines, 

Sajra Savera Mere Tan Barse

Kajra Andhera Teri Jalti Lau

Qatra Mila Jo Tere Dar Par Se

O Maula… Maula…

O Mujhpe Karam Sarkar Tera

Araz Tujhe, Karde Mujhe, Mujhse Hi Riha

Ab Mujhko Bhi Ho, Deedaar Mera

Karde Mujhe, Mujhse Hi Riha

Mujhse Hi Riha

The morning showers rain on me

And it cleans up the dark soul of mine which is like darkness of night.

It's only for the drop of nourishment that flows from yours,

Oh Lord, 

It would be your generosity upon me, Oh master

My request, Free me from myself

Even I should see myself

Make me free from myself

From myself

Again, notice the lines where he says that when he got a drop from the master, he got cleansed, whereas earlier, even the cloud could not clean him. He also says he wants to get freed from himself here, just like earlier, where he said he has not met himself, but now he wants to see himself and get free.

Finally, in Nadaan Parindey, we have the following lines,

Kaate chahe jitna paron se hawa ko

Khud se na bach payega tu

Tod aasmanon ko phoonk de jahanon ko

Khud ko chhhupa na payega tu

Koi bhi le rasta

Tu hai tu bebasta

Apne hi ghar aayega tu

However much you cut the winds with your wings

You'll not be able to fend yourself from yourself

Break the skies and burn the worlds

But you can't hide yourself

Whatever path you take

You are homeless

You will come to your home only

Now, he calls the bird that flew in Phir Se Ud Chala to return home. Again, some lines talk about how you cannot escape from yourself. Was this an answer to his plea to make him free from himself in Kun Faya Kun? You can see yourself, but you cannot run away from your own self? These are some of the deepest songs.

Some trivia:

The clerk of Hotel Decent of Jab We Met, and the taxi driver of Love Aaj Kal, became a music producer in Rockstar.

Books In Movies:

Jordan's friend carries Studies in Sikhism and Comparative Religion

Subtitle Credits: I want to become a subtitler

There is a Reliance Laundry as well!

Imtiaz Ali also pays a tribute to Kanti Shah. And, yes, the film with the poster of Ravi Kishan called Rangbaaz Daroga is a real film starring him and is available on YouTube.

At one point, Heer's mom says, "Hum samajhte hain hum zindagi ko jaante hai, lekin zindagi humein surprise de deti hai." That was the way I felt while watching the film. It continued to surprise me with its emotional and spiritual depth. At one point, Jordan says to Heer's mom, "Main nahi ja paaunga." Sometimes, I wonder if passionate love such as this really exists? I have never even experienced normal love and I don't think I am the sort of person who can love anyone for that matter, forget passionate love. I am a very selfish person. But I really want to know the things that drive these filmmakers to make a film on something so intangible. Is it their personal experience? How do they get such pensive instincts? In the DVD edition, Imtiaz writes, "The film wanted to get itself made. It decided when it wanted to get made, how it wanted to get made and by who. I decided to never to get in its way. Because I always knew that this film was bigger than me." Perhaps that is the true characteristic of great filmmakers. As Ustaad Jameel Khan says about Jordan, "Is par uska (khuda) ka haath hai, uski inayat hai." That is true for some of our filmmakers as well. 

This film shows yet again why Ranbir Kapoor is one of the finest actors of this generation. I have so much more to write on so many films, I wish I had God's inayat as well.

Earlier thoughts on Imtiaz Ali's films on the blog here:
Jab We Met: Link
Love Aaj Kal: Link
Highway: Link

Dialogue of the Day:
"Mujhe ye sab kuch nahi chahiye, mujhe nahi banna bada, mera dil nahi tootna chahiye, Khatana Bhai, mera dil nahi tootna chahiye, please kuch karo, mere paas aur kuch nahi hai."

— Jordan, Rockstar