A cult classic as some may call it, Imtiaz Ali’s Rockstar has aged well. Nearly a decade has passed since its sensational release, still, it continues to be a favourite of many. I remember getting bored when my mom was watching this movie back in the days of a ‘World Television Premiere’. As a teenager, I was in awe of its sheer beauty and complexity. The film has a genius construction; one is truly moved as JJ becomes Jordan. While there was a time when I could watch this metamorphosis on repeat, now, I am sure I would lose interest before he reaches Prague. And this is a very weird feeling, because I was really into it, till I realized how problematic certain aspects of the story were. Behind the inviting blend of multiple cinematic effects lie, in my opinion, many tropes. These tropes reflect certain ideas of aesthetics, love and self-development.
- Pain shall make success The journey from JJ to Jordan was of a heartbreak. While artists have time and again channelized their melancholia into art, the channelization by Jordan was extremely self-destructive. He ultimately didn’t care about the music, which only became a tool to express his angst, but not reduce it. In fact, the movie should be called ‘Loverboy’ instead of ‘Rockstar’. It certainly is true that a perfect composition must have a ultimate balance of all emotions. However, this movie impinges on a single extremity of destructive passion, showing life as unidirectional.
2. Performers are from outer space Why do people usually seek an artist with a good story? Rather what makes a good story? JJ’s soliloquy of not having suffered in life shows how artists are always expected to have a very interesting story. It seems as if the audience is not interested in the balance of emotions, and in a performer, they seek something different from the ordinary. More than the talent, it’s the experiences of the one that performs that set them apart. The experiences are relatable in an aspirational way, not the mundane, like getting up, getting chai, walking or any other everyday task.
3. The passivity of sick/dying girl This character has been widely used across time and space. In a YouTube video titled ‘the tumblr girl is coming back’, YouTuber Mina Le gives examples of the sad girl being an inspiration in Victorian art and literature. William Butler Yeats, in the poem, “He wishes his Beloved were Dead” romanticized the death of his beloved. Edgar Allan Poe in his work, “The Philosophy of Composition” wrote, ‘…Beauty: the death then of a beautiful woman is unquestionably the most poetical topic in the world, and equally is it beyond doubt that the lips best suited for such topic are those of a bereaved lover’. This character or ‘muse’ is sought for her voiceless passivity, lack of protest and immobility. She’s a pretty, white canvas for a man’s imagination. In that sense, we know about Heer only through JJ’s life. Script wise it seems that Heer’s suffering was a prop for giving Jordan depth and purpose. And maybe that was the point because the movie itself was about the ‘rockstar.’
4. The Sufi love for dummies Sufi ideals of deep personal love(Ishq) to God have been used for love between mortal forms. But to what extent does the passionate devotion of love between mortals relate to love for God? Now, full disclosure, I haven’t experienced it either and am speaking a purely third-person perspective. Sufi aashiqui, in the ultimate analysis, makes the mahbooba (god’s lover) a better being- kind, calm, peaceful. On the contrary, the Sufi ishq between mortals, at least in the movie, materialized into destruction for both parties. Jordan’s music became better but at what cost? After all, at the end, the audience finds itself crying over the aching sadness of this tragedy. Feeling painful happiness and hope that at least Jordan and Heer’s love will shine in the planes beyond right and wrong. I am no expert of Sufi literature, but using Rumi’s verses for Allah (who was an orthodox Muslim) was a perfect ending to this obscure story. Inspiration is subjective and nobody can question that, but contextualizing your inspiration is also important.
Rockstar is a masterpiece in film construction, and its cinematic appeal, even after a decade of swift techno-aesthetic transformations, does not appear dated. The story is one of normative ethos and aspirations of a previous time. The ideals of self, growth, love and life have changed for the better. Finding magic in mundane, seeking stories that are beyond the hero, being wary of nuances, striving for self-love, loving with your heads on, moving on, are some of the values that encapsulate the God, who I and the people around me seek to unite with. We would dismiss anything contrary but also respect its goodness. Go Little Rockstar!