13 years of Rockstar: Legacy of Imtiaz Ali's cult classic and Ranbir Kapoor's iconic role

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13 years have passed since the release of Rockstar, leaving little to say about the film. The Imtiaz Ali film, which set a benchmark with its musicals and tragic love story, has gained cult status over the years and will continue to do so. Until the filmmaker ventured into the genre with the biopic Amar Singh Chamkila earlier this year, no other fictional film had entered it. Rockstar even became a career-defining role for Ranbir Kapoor, who swept off several accolades that year.

Star cast and musical highlights

Directed and written by Imtiaz Ali, Rockstar is a musical romance drama film from 2011. In addition to Ranbir Kapoor and Nargis Fakhri, the film has Sanjana Sanghi, Aakash Dahiya, Kumud Mishra, Aditi Rao Hydari, Shernaz Patel, and Piyush Mishra in supporting parts. An album by A. R. Rahman serves as the soundtrack. After passing away on August 14, 2011, Shammi Kapoor makes his posthumous movie appearance in this flick.

Plot summary and Jordan’s transformative journey

In the film, music fills Janardhan Jakhar's (Ranbir Kapoor) life, and he dreams of enchanting audiences everywhere with his voice. "Great pain gives birth to great music." This Delhi lad learns a valuable lesson from his mentor pal after a string of failed auditions and musical endeavors. The profundity and intensity of magnificent music are incomprehensible to those who have never felt the anguish of heartbreak.

The next step for Janardhan is to seek out the anguish that will elevate his life and music above the mundane. He then proposes to Heer (Nargis Fakri), a college student who is breathtakingly beautiful. In spite of his reserved demeanor, Heer possesses an ocean of boundless energy that's just itching to burst forth. Janardhan and Heer's tale begins with light-hearted banter but grows increasingly dramatic as the days go by, revealing more and more of their vulnerability.

Her marriage to a Prague nobleman separates Heer and Janardhan. Janardhan's lyrics and music transcend the heart and spirit, expressing the pain of separation. While grieving and embracing Heer's absence from his life, Janardhan assumes the identity of Jordan and pursues his love with unwavering zeal. As Jordan flies into the sky in his career, he comes to terms with the fact that his and Heer's story takes place in a realm outside of reality, where genuine love is the only substance required and the music is innocent.

Box office success and global reception

Rockstar hit theatres on November 11, 2011, all across the globe. The film, which attracted a large number of young urbanites and was made on a budget of ₹600 million, became one of the highest-grossing films of the year, earning ₹1.08 billion globally. Critical reception was overwhelmingly positive, with compliments heaped on the film's innovative premise, plot, script, dialogue, score, and acting, particularly Ranbir's pivotal role.

Rockstar and its soundtrack have both become cult classics, with many critics praising them as the finest albums of their respective decades. Following its re-release on May 17, 2024, the movie made between 10.5 crore (US$1.3 million) and 11.5 crore (US$1.4 million) in India.

Inspiration behind Jordan's character

Ali's Jat friend from a small town in Pitam Pura served as the inspiration for Ranbir's portrayal of Jordan. His earlier feature film Jab We Met (2007) starred Kareena Kapoor Khan, and he sought to replicate her success in this film. But the plot called for passionate exchanges between the protagonists. Many people saw the fact that Ranbir and Kareena were cousins as an issue. The producers also insisted on casting Ranbir alone for the role, saying they couldn't imagine anyone else playing the part. After first considering Sonam Kapoor and Diana Penty, they decided to replace Kareena with Nargis Fakhri as a group.

Irshad Kamil wrote all 14 songs on the soundtrack. Chennai, London, and Mumbai were the locations of the album's recording sessions. Mohit Chauhan had provided his vocals for a total of nine tracks. Critics highly praised it upon its premiere. Sadda Haq, the album's most successful track, gained widespread recognition as a "youth anthem."