Box Office : Rockstar earns Rs 64 crore over the weekend

Director Imtiaz Ali's latest release Rockstar has rocked the box office by grossing Rs.64 crore worldwide on the opening weekend.

Veteran actress Shabana Azmi has praised Ranbir Kapoor's performance and said that the film "tugged at my heartstrings...Hindi cinema is finally coming of age".

Co-produced by Shree Ashtavinayak Cinevision Ltd and Eros International, the film released on more than 2,000 screens worldwide and registered Rs.53 crore in India and Rs.11 crore overseas in first three days of its release, said a statement.

The musical thriller, made on a budget of over Rs.60 crore, opened with mixed reviews, but everyone praised Ranbir's performance as an aspiring singer who turns into an aggressive lover after being jilted.

Both critics and fans describe it as young actor's finest performance to date and Shabana agrees too.

"Ranbir's performance in Rockstar is totally original he inhabits Jordan's complex world and infuses it with childlike honesty that's believable," she posted on micro-blogging site Twitter.

"Imtiaz Ali's writing in Rockstar is surprising and unpredictable. Tugged at my heartstrings...Hindi cinema is finally coming of age..wow," she further added.

Rockstar introduces two new faces--Pakistani-American model Nargis Fakhri and Brazilian model Moufid Aziz.

IANS

Rockstar actress Nargis Fakhri bags three endorsement deals before film release

 Nargis Fakhri, an American fashion model who made her Bollywood debut with Rockstar, bagged three endorsement deals worth about Rs 9 crore even before her first film released on Friday, creating a record of sorts. 

Fakhri has agreed to sign deals to endorse apparel brand Van Heusen's women's line, a premium brand of Tata Motors and Marico's Parachute hair-care brand, taking home a total of about Rs 9 crore, a person with direct knowledge of the deals said.

Anirban Das Blah, MD of celebrity management firm Kwan, which manages Fakhri, confirmed that the 24-year-old actress has accepted offers from three leading brands, but declined to mention the names.

"It's not surprising, considering she's had one of the biggest career debuts with Ranbir Kapoor and Imtiaz Ali," he said.

Fakhri, a New Yorker born to a Pakistani father and Czech mother, told ET, "I'm actually quite speechless to have received such warm feedback from brands that consider me appropriate to represent them."

It is a first for an actor to grab three endorsement deals before making a career debut.

Deepika Padukone had endorsed two brands- UB Group's Kingfisher and Tissot watches-before her first Hindi film, Om Shanti Om, was released. Sonam

Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor too were signed by L'Oreal and Pepsi, respectively, before the release of their debut film Saawariya.

Atul Kasbekar, fashion photographer and CMD of entertainment management firm Bling, which manages Sonam Kapoor, says it's a calculated gamble to sign new faces before any big success.

The upside could be huge if the star becomes successful, because the deal price will be much less than what they will charge when they become big, he says.

It is expected that Fakhri's deals will be announced within 10 days. Spokespersons of Van Heusen and Marico declined comment. An email sent to Tata Motors remained unanswered.

Film trade analyst Komal Nahata says introducing new faces in films is largely driven by advertisers wanting to present new faces to their audience.

Movie Review : Rockstar

Director: Imtiaz Ali; 

Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Nargis Fakhri, Shammi Kapoor, Shikha Jain, Jaideep Ahlawat, Aditi Rao Hydari, Piyush Mishra; 

Running time: 160 mins; 

Certificate: PG

 Borne entirely of the imagination of Imtiaz Ali, Rockstar is the fictional story of Janardhan Jhakar, a small town boy with big dreams of becoming a rock star like his idol Jim Morrison. Lacking any personal tragedy that might infuse his music with passion, Janardhan goes on a quest for love and unwittingly embarks on a journey that culminates in his dramatic descent into oblivion. Using a non linear narrative style, the film depicts his emotional journey, from Janardhan the college geek, to Jordan, the angst ridden rock god who fills out stadiums.

The film opens with a bedraggled Jordan, fighting off police as he makes his way to his own concert. The footage is interspersed with flashbacks to the character in his youth, a gawky guitar wielding rock star wannabe, who sings to queues of people at bus stands.

Rockstar engages you from its very opening sequence through to its emotional denouement. Director Imtiaz Ali adeptly employs a range of elements that, in combination, render the film enthralling. The film is smattered with wry humour and witty dialogue where you least expect it. The non-linear style works brilliantly, maintaining a sense of escalating drama and building to a crescendo, as piece-by-piece we discover the incidents that lead to the genesis of the tormented artist.

Key to the film's authenticity is an outstanding performance by Ranbir Kapoor, who has immersed himself in the role. Kapoor's performance as the wilful Jordan, a loose canon and a free spirit with a sense of entitlement, belies his years, as he undergoes a dramatic transformation. We trace the emotional trajectory of Jordan over a period of seven years, and with subtle nuances Kapoor captures the character's unravelling. Jordan's burgeoning angst is conveyed in his physicality as he transmutes into a Che Guevara styled urban guerilla. Kapoor reportedly learnt to play the guitar for the role and his performance is so realistic that, coupled with the documentary style concert footage, it's easy confuse the film for a real life biopic.

Nargis Fakhri, meanwhile, is well cast as Heer and makes a bold cinematic debut. She brings naturalism, effervescence and incandescent beauty to the role, though her lack of experience is evident in the more intense stand-offs with Kapoor. Both actors have a natural chemistry and convey the unfettered spirit that unites the lovers, and depicting the carefree lunacy of their youth which is displaced by the torment of a forbidden passion and illicit love.

The music is integral to the story and bears all the hallmarks of A.R. Rahman's personal brand of genius. The soundtrack complements the emotional peaks and troughs in the narrative, and set against the backdrop of the stunning planes of Kashmir and Prague, is entirely compelling.

With subtle allusions to classic stories of forbidden love such as Romeo and Juliet and Heer Ranjha, Rockstar is a riveting portrait of the destruction that ensues in the face of passion and desire borne of forbidden love.

A simple story, beautifully enacted, perfectly crafted, there is not much to fault in this film. Exemplary cinema by any standards. 

 By Priya Joshi 

Rockstar earns Rs 11.25 crores on day 1

Call it the coincidence of its release date 11.11.11 but the opening day figures are in the same range. However, the fate of film depends on its weekend collections.

Ranbir Kapoor's much-awaited Rockstar which released all across yesterday might have received mixed reviews but has got a decent opening. The film has opened in the range of 70-100% occupancy at most centers thanks to the immense hype surrounding the film. Also the fact that it was a solo release helped the film get a good initial. The business is certainly good at multiplexes as compared to single screens with the film catering to the elite audiences than the masses.

Call it the coincidence of its once-in-a-lifetime release date of 11.11.11 but the opening day figures are in the same range. Early trade reports reveal that the opening day collection is around Rs 11.25 crores. This is Ranbir Kapoor's biggest opening-day collection till date, beating the Friday figures of all his earlier films.

However the overall fate of the film largely depends on the weekend figures. With mixed response, the collections could vary over Saturday and Sunday and Monday morning figures will decide on the final destiny of Rockstar.

Karan Johar praises Ranbir Kapoor

High praise for Ranbir Kapoor flowing in from all sides for his portrayal of rockstar Jordan in his latest film. 

However, his most recent "certified fan" is none other than B-town biggie Karan Johar who recently expressed his liking for RK junior on a microblogging site. Significantly, the film-maker has been shooting for his next "Student Of The Year" for quite some time now. Noting how hectic his schedule has been, Johar posted on the site, "Been shooting crazy hours..hectic but super fun...watched ROCKSTAR...and am a certified Ranbir Kapoor fan!! His performance is unbelievable!" Interestingly, most fellow actors, directors and veteran film stars have also been praising Ranbir for his performance. Well, we do like the admiration club in B-town.

Sreemita Bhattacharya, TNN 

Catch me if you can!

Nargis Fakhri is almost put under 'house arrest' by 'Rockstar' director Imtiaz Ali apparently to retain the mystery surrounding her. Mauli Singh reports on the 'surprise element' strategy and if it really works in favour of films

She has not yet proved herself onscreen, but Nargis Fakhri seems to have already caught the imagination of Bollywood followers thanks to her mentor Imtiaz Ali.

The filmmaker is pulling out all the stops to maintain the mystery surrounding his American find before their Rockstar hits theatres this year. Not surprisingly, she'll be kept out of all the promotional events, too.

Confirms a source, "Nargis will not interact much with the media till the film's release. Ranbir Kapoor (the film's main protagonist) will mostly promote the movie. This is all part of the promotional strategy."

Apparently, this is also the reason why the half-Pak, half-Czech hottie was missing from the music launch event held in Delhi recently. "The makers want people to see her work and then introduce her to the media.

They don't want her to get over exposed before the release of the film, and lose her charm. They want to retain the mysterious air around the supermodel," the source adds.

Avoiding the paparazzi
Even during the making of the movie, Imtiaz did everything possible to keep Nargis under wraps. She wasn't even allowed to go to public places and get photographed by the paparazzi.

The only gossip we did get to hear about her included romantic link ups with co-star Ranbir and later model/actor Shayan Munshi.

Since the film's publicity has started, the actress was expected to finally surface.

But Imtiaz seems to be very protective about her, like he has been with all his girls (Giselli Monteiro was introduced to the media only post Love Aaj Kal release). But it's not just the Rockstar director.

Of late, several producers have been adopting this strategy of introducing (and fiercely guarding) surprise elements, be it a debut actor, a new look, special effects or a special appearance by a well-known superstar in a film

Due to the media boom it has become all the more difficult for filmmakers to keep their reel secrets under wraps.

To ensure that the story or the 'surprise' doesn't leak out, production houses have started signing non-disclosure contracts with their actors and directorial crew.

It doesn't stop there. Besides the lead cast, no other actor is given the full script.


Anushka Sharma, Giselli Monteiro and Nargis Fakhri

A character artiste confirms, "We don't get to read the whole script of the film. We are given a gist of our roles and we get the script scene-wise only a night before our shoot. It's done to ensure that story doesn't leak out."

An assistant director of another hyped upcoming film adds, "We are starting the shoot of our film in a few days and we still haven't been told who the lead actor is as the makers don't want to disclose it."

All the big film studios have become extra cautious about guarding their films that are under production.

In fact, only recently Karan Johar spruced up the security of his forthcoming Agneepath after Mid-day leaked Hrithik Roshan and Priyanka Chopra's look.

Hit or miss?
But do such strategies work? Does it really make sense for Nargis Fakhri to be kept away from the media, especially when Ranbir is the main protagonist of the film? Film historian Dinesh Raheja says, "If the heroine is in the titular role (Heena, Julie, Bobby) keeping her under wraps makes sense because there is so much curiosity about her, but not if it's a second fiddle or an arm candy. Actresses take a huge risk by agreeing to remain low profile.

If you keep a heroine under wraps and the film fails, she stands to lose the most. No one will be interested in talking to the actor of a failed film. Between Anushka Sharma (who was also kept under wraps for Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi) and Giselli, the former benefited more since her films were bigger hits."

Giselli says, "Yes, every film has a pre-decided publicity plan, which is in the best interest of the project."
No wonder then Imtiaz seems to be backing off his stance a bit.

The spokesperson of Rockstar informs, "We are going to reveal Nargis at a dandiya night in Ahmedabad on October 2. She is also walking the ramp for Manish Malhotra next month.

She will also have media interactions before the release of the film, but we still have to work out the details." Let's just hope Nargis is worth the wait and not a disappointment like many other 'surprises' sprung on us by filmmakers!

Surprise cameos...
Juhi Chawla in Kabhi Haan Kabhi Na
John Abraham in Mere Brother Ki Dulhan
Salman Khan in Deewana Mastana
Abhishek Bachchan in Lage Raho Munnabhai
Salman Khan in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai

Surprise looks...
Sanjay Dutt in Agneepath
Arjun Rampal in Don
Akshay Kumar in Joker 

Source: Midday

Download the Latest full songs of Rockstar (2011) Movie

Download the latest movie songs of Rockstar (2011)

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 04 Kun Faaya Kun (2.7 MB)

 14 The Meeting Place (0.5 MB)

 11 Tum Ho (1.9 MB)

 09 Tum Ko (2 MB)

 13 The Dichotomy of Fame (1 MB)

 01 Phir Se Ud Chala (1.6 MB)

 08 Nadaan Parindey (2.3 MB)

 10 Saadda Haq (2.1 MB)

 06 Haawa Haawa (2 MB)

 03 Katiya Karun (1.4 MB)