Most movies are made out of order for different reasons, like location availability, actors’ availability, or production constraints. However, Imtiaz Ali took it to a whole new level in his film Rockstar, in which the director filmed the movie in reverse. Several of the scenes towards the end of the movie were filmed before the beginning, including the climax of the movie. The decision was not taken merely for artistic reasons; it was mainly taken to give the most authentic portrayal of Ranbir Kapoor’s transformation into Jordan.
The journey of Jordan in the film is not just about his physical transformation from Janardhan “JJ” Jakhar to an international rockstar but also an emotional transformation as well. Initially, he is a naive college boy with a clean-cut look before he turns into a celebrity rockstar with long hair, a beard, and rugged looks. The filmmakers did not want to use wigs or artificial hairpieces to achieve that. Instead, they first shot the scenes showing Jordan with long hair and gradually cut Ranbir’s hair while progressing towards earlier scenes in the story.
Ranbir Kapoor had to go through intense preparation because he had to embody both the devastated and popular Jordan and the sweet college-goer JJ. Thus, not being allowed to follow the natural path of filming, he had to move between the varying emotions and keep Jordan’s psychological development consistent.
Preparing the role did not end with managing the appearance. He was reported to spend time learning guitar in A.R. Rahman’s studio and read the biography of Kurt Cobain since he wanted to understand how to think like a troubled rock musician. His efforts to understand his character in the film are one of the reasons his performance is still regarded as among the finest of his career.
Rockstar was released on November 11, 2011. The film initially got mixed reviews as it was not conventional, but gained a cult status over the years.
Next time you decide to watch Rockstar again, remember this: although Jordan’s story is shown chronologically, the film was shot in the opposite order. Because sometimes, telling a story backwards behind the scenes is what helps it feel completely real on screen.
