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  Ranbir Kapoor as Janardan/Jordan
  
   He’s a simple middle class boy, from a simple Delhi family. But his dreams are far from simple. Not only is his icon Jim Morrison, he wants to be an iconic rockstar himself.  Little realizing what havoc a real heart break can cause, he’s naive enough to believe that if he gets his heart broken, he will suffer enough anguish required to become a great musician.  But then he meets Heer and he’s drawn like moth to a flame to this cool and classy beauty, who seems absolutely unattainable.   He finally gets that heart break he’s wanted so much;  and the torment of that unfulfilled love unleashes in him the musician that he always wanted to be...but also extracts a terrible price...  Ranbir , in his most challenging role as he metamorphoses from a  wannabe  Delhi geek to an iconic , charismatic and pioneering  rock star, whose edgy, angst ridden music is but a  reflection of his anguished soul.

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  Nargis Fakhri as Heer
  
  In an astonishingly layered debut performance, Nargis is the stunning, classy,   campus diva, who has the world at her feet, but prefers to keeps everybody at arm’s length.  But then a nerdy boy earnestly requests her to please break his heart and she’s undone. For beneath that prim and proper demeanour, there’s a carefree soul, wanting to break free of all conventions... to let go in abandonment...to ride on the wild side... to do things she’s never done before. She realizes that only this odd ball character called Janardan, who she’s renamed Jordan has the key to unlock her wilder side. She also knows that time is ticking away and soon she will be imprisoned into boring domesticity forever.

• Shammi Kapoor
  
  Ustad Jameel Khan
  
  The iconic star makes his farewell appearance as the wise Ustad who is the first to recognise that Janardan’s formidable talent cannot be caged, he needs to be set free as a musician to explore and invent his own music.

• Aditi Rao
  
  Sheena
  
  She’s the journalist who’s followed and chronicled Jordan’s graph from struggling artiste to rock star. She thinks she knows him best, but hasn’t even come anywhere close to understanding the demons that drive him on and on.

• Kumud Mishra
  
  Khatana
  
  He’s the college canteen manager, the only friend Janardan can bare his soul to. He’s the one friend Janardan can count on, the only friend who gives Janardan unconditional support through good times and bad.

• Piyush Mishra
  
  Dhingra
  
  The owner of Platinum Music Company, is a shrewd and astute businessman. Rather than nurturing talent, he prefers to mis use it to maximise his profits.

• Shernaz Patel
  
  Neena Kaul
  
  Mrs Kaul wants nothing but the best for her daughter and tries her best to understand the special bond between Heer and Janardan.

Jordan, the protagonist, is inarticulate and can express himself only through music. His music is influenced by not only his situation but also by the music of the place he visits. So when Jordan is in Prague hanging about with gypsies, he imbibes their spirit and makes gypsy music. Likewise, when Jordan is thrown out of his house, he goes to Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, spends time with the Qawwals, absorbs their music and plays with them. Jordan’s journey is not only about understanding music, but also about understanding life. As Jordan’s popularity with the masses hits full force in the story, I felt there was a need to demonstrate this craze with an anthem song. Lyricist Irshad Kamil and I spent a lot of time just thinking of phrases, such as Ban jaa, Banjaara, before stumbling on Sadda Haq, Aithay Rakh ((It’s our right, keep it here). This fit well with my story. At that point in the film, Ranbir’s character is asking for his right to be himself. A human being is nature and society has no right to make him plastic. That eventually became the hook. I never have to fit songs in. They simply take the story forward. And just as you cast actors, you look for the best guy to compose that style of music. Most often, the best guy is Rahman sir . In this case, he very specifically was. . I was told Rahman sir doesn’t respect your time. We were supposed to have nine songs, but there are 14 tracks on the CD and around six extra pieces in the film; which makes it 20 in all. None of this has come late. I only had to tell him that I am shooting and the song would reach well in time. Ranbir, too learnt the guitar and spent several days and nights at Rahman’s studio.This way, he had greater ownership of the music while being on stage during shoots. He didn’t have to pretend he knew the music, because he actually did. 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.

Imtiaz Ali
11/09/11

The Rockstar Team

• Imtiaz Ali
  
  Writer/ Director
  
  Imtiaz Ali is the talented writer and director of critically acclaimed films and commercial successes such as Socha Na Tha, Jab We Met, and Love Aaj Kal.  They are all journeys of discovering love that have brought romance back into Hindi cinema. Described as 'an honest filmmaker', Imtiaz Ali's unforgettable story-telling abilities are complemented by contemporary, witty dialogues and locations which span from San Francisco to Patialia and, now, from Kashmir to Prague in Rockstar.

• Shree Ashtavinayak & Eros International
  
  Producer
  
  Shree Ashtavinayak Cinevision have produced mega-hit films such as Dabangg, Golmaal 3, Jab We Met, delivering a continuous supply of great entertainment to audiences across all age groups.  Over the last 10 years, they have developed a reputation for cost-effective production and maintaining excellent relationships with acclaimed directors such as Imitiaz Ali, Rohit Shetty, David Dhawan and Raj Kumar Santoshi.  They have also distributed films from reputed banners and production houses, including Main Hoon Na and Om Shanti Om, ensuring successful reception of films in the marketplace.  For Rockstar, they have come together with director Imtiaz Ali for the second time.  
  
  Eros International plc has over three decades of experience in successfully creating a global platform for Indian cinema.  The company is a market leader in its field and not only produces and commissions film projects but also globally distributes films across all formats including cinema, digital, home entertainment and television syndication.  It is also one of the largest content owners in the industry.  Among their upcoming recent projects will be Desi Boyz and RA One.

• Sumit Basu
  
  Production Designer
  
  With a degree in Visual Arts, Fine Arts, Drawing and Painting, from the Government College of Arts and Crafts, Kolkata, Basu began his film career as an Assistant Art Director with Nitish Roy. In 1991 he went solo as Art Director and has since then done television mega-series, and more than 40 music videos. In 1991, he received the FJA-Lux Award for Best Art Direction for the Bengali film Ek Poshla Brishti. He is also heading the art direction & aesthetics dept of design firm Acropolis . His filmography includes 3 Idiots, Hey Baby, Houseful and Guzaarish, for which he won the Zee Cine Award for best production design. His forthcoming projects include Agent Vinod, Ferrari ka Sawari, Dhoom 3 and Housefull 2.
  “Straight after completing Guzaarish, I went on to do Rockstar. Playing with real locations is always very challenging. And Rockstar was all about real people and real locations. For Sadda haq, we created a stage for 200 people that seamlessly changes into a stage for thousands – and we did this using just ropes and bamboos! Rockstar was a wonderful experience - we had lots of fun and lots of food – so much food that I came back 20 kg heavier!”

• Irshad Kamil
  
  Lyricist
  
  From writing scripts for TV serials to journalism, Irshad Kamil has done it all and finally found his niche as a film lyricist. He first rocketed to fame through his lyrics in Chameli and continued the upward march through outstanding lyrics in films like Shabd, Socha Na Tha Thodi Life Thoda Magic, Ahista Ahista, Neal ‘N’ Nikki, Karam, Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani, Love Aaj Kal, A Wednesday,Jab We Met, etc; as well as albums like Ustad & Divas and Rabba. He won the Screen Award for his ‘Chorbazari’ song of Love Aaj Kal, while the Ajj Din Chadeya from the same film got him his first Filmfare Award. He also won the Mirchi Music Award for Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani.
  “The way romance and love is generally depicted in our films, is quite misleading and handicaps us from finding our own meaning of love. Through my lyrics of Rockstar I’ve tried to break the barriers of comfort and bring everyone to a cliff where love is painful. Love tears you into shreds yet each shred breathes more life, and each shred feels more alive than the whole of you put together...you are finished, destroyed, yet more alive than ever before. Penning these lyrics has put me in a place where I have effortlessly unleashed myself. The real me is a rebel and this rebel has come to the fore while writing for Rockstar. The songs are romantic, yet they cannot be bound to our definition of romance which is mushy and glossy. There is a rawness which tears you apart and seeps deeper into life then the dressed reality we are so used to. Working with Rahman Sir and Imtiaz Ali was like going back to my roots and coming face to face with the poet and the lyricist in me... it felt like being born again.”

• Aarti Bajaj
  
  Editor
  
  She has edited all the films of Anurag Kashyap to date like Dev D, Gulaal, No Smoking, Paanch and Black Friday, for which she received a Star Screen Award nomination. She has also edited Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd., Do Dooni Char, No One Killed Jessica, Karthik Calling Karthik and Rajkumar Gupta's Aamir for which she received her second Star Screen Award nomination. She had done Imtiaz Ali's Jab We Met and Love Aaj Kal, and is now editing Rockstar.

• Dileep Subramaniam
  
  Sound Engineer
  
  After doing his B.Sc from Bombay University, he went on to FTI, Pune, where he specialized in sound recording/engineering. After doing a number of TV shows, he veered towards films and his filmpgraphy includes Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic, Tara Rum Pum, Quick Gun Murugan,Fanaa, Maqbool, Saathiya, Jab We Met, Love Aaaj Kal, My Name is Khan and Guzaarish.
  “I had great fun on Rockstar because for the first time I was working with Dolby 7.1, this gives additional spread that is ideal for a concert milieu. The spread of this film was vast – from Delhi to Kashmir, from Dharamsala to Prague and lots of other places in between. The challenge was to use local sounds everywhere that were cohesive and geographic specific. And it was awe inspiring to work with Rahman. He’s creative to the core and yet so relaxed, so open to changes and modifications.”

• Manish Malhotra
  
  Costume Designer - Nargis Fakhri
  
  Manish Malhotra’s name is synonymous with fashion in Hindi films. He’s dressed all the divas of Bollywood from Urmila Matondkar, Rani Mukherjee, Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri Dixit to Kajol,, Karishma and Kareena Kapoor. He has won numerous awards including the first and only Filmfare Award for Costume Design for Rangeela, the Showtime Opinion Poll Award for Raja Hindustani, the Siemen's Viewer's Choice Award for Dil To Pagal Hai, the Lux-Zee Cine Award and the Bollywood Award in New York for his work in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Manish has managed to achieve that delicate balance between designing for film, as well as haute couture and is the most sought after designer amongst Indian celebrities. Manish also designed for Michael Jackson for the Bollywood Awards in New York. In 1991, this talented designer presented his much awaited first fashion show and the clothes were sold out within three weeks. The high point of his collection was the embroidered denim wear that became a range of the city. In 2004 he launched, India's first dedicated diffusion label " Manish Malhotra". Presently retailing at various parts of India, the label stands for an unique style that blends rich, lush colours with detailed textures in each and every piece.

• Aki Narula
  
  Costume Designer - Ranbir Kapoor
  
  His inborn creativity made him leave his chosen field in accounts and management and become a designer. He launched his own brand, Aki, in 1996. In 2001, his entire collection was lapped up by Selfridges UK) and, in 2002, he was appointed the design director at Sheetal Design Studio. Bollywood beckoned and he designed clothes for Yash Raj Films’ Bunty Aur Babli, and turned Patiala salwars and kurtis into a nationwide craze. Narula has played an important role in defining the new Bollywood chic, and this has made him one of the most sought-after fashion designers in the industry. This explains a rather elaborate film calendar that includes forthcoming releases such as Rockstar, Agent Vinod, Ladies vs Ricky Bahl, Barfee and Housefull 2. “Rockstar was the most enriching journey of my career... a quest that led all of us to delve inwards to portray an expression to find the Jordan within all of us. Working with Imtiaz was like finding your creative soul mate...every meeting ...interaction...outdoor schedule was an exhilarating experience. I must say that the crew of Rockstar was put together by sheer love and destiny... all of them with a dedication that came from the passion within...Dilip sir, my drinking partner.... Anil sir, who noticed every detail that I had adorned Jordan with, the best ADs, costume assistants...we all became what we believed in ...Kun faya kun...

• Anil Mehta
  
  DOP - Director Of Photography
  
  A prominent cinematographer, writer and director of Bollywood movies, Anil Mehta studied cinematography at the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune. He has shot films like Lagaan, Khamosh - The Musical, Saathiya, Veer-Zaara and Wake up Sid. His directorial debut film Aaja Nachle was released in 2007 marking the comeback of Madhuri Dixit. He won the National Award for Best Cinematography for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam.
  “Rockstar is an epic love story; but told in an intimate way. So it was mounted and filmed for intimacy rather than on a grand scale. My connect with Imtiaz was immediate; in the pre production itself we realised how totally in sync we were, so the actual shooting went off smoothly. And this was one unit where instead of a wrap party at the end of the film, we would be having a wrap party at the end of every scene!”

Here, Jordan will share with you some special notes about his music, love and life.