The Making of a Cult Classic: A.R. Rahman, Imtiaz Ali, Ranbir Kapoor and More Reflect on the Legacy of ‘Rockstar’

10 years since Hindi Cinema auteur Imtiaz Ali’s musical drama Rockstar made its debut, the film has taken on a life of its own, cementing its cult status and garnering a passionate fan following. The Bollywood movie about a student from New Delhi who becomes an international rock icon went on to strike an unforgettable chord with the masses; it has even been hailed as a searing portrait of a successful musician in volatile times. To mark the milestone, Rockstar’s director-writer Imtiaz Ali, composer A.R. Rahman, lead actor Ranbir Kapoor, lyricist Irshad Kamil, production designer Sumit Basu and actor Sanjana Sanghi convened on Zoom to celebrate the movie’s legacy and impact. In this hour-long documentary, the creatives gather to reminisce about the making of the film, delving into never-before-seen and heard pages from Rockstar’s bible.

In the 1-hour documentary, the movie’s cast and crew delve into anecdotes and memories from the filming of Rockstar. Amongst the many revelations, Ali spoke of how the music of the film became its soul. From Rahman’s timeless compositions to his samplings of actual sounds that played during the making of the music, the soundtrack of Rockstar became the lodestar for the movie. Kapoor shared at length about how a moment when he was trying to connect with Rahman over call to rehearse a part actually made it into the film. He disclosed that a sound made by his cellular network service during that phone conversation was ultimately used by Rahman in the final track in the movie (heard right at the start of the film). Kapoor added, “It’s such a rare experience; I don’t think I’ve [ever] worked with such a close-knit group of people who inspired me, who I was truly in love with. Everybody, from the assistant directors to the lightmen to the cinematography crew, the music department… Everybody was so close to each other. I haven’t really repeated that experience again in any film. In this industry, inspiration is a luxury and with ‘Rockstar,’ it just came free.”

Speaking of the music, Rahman divulged that while everyone loved the album during the making of Rockstar, Kapoor’s late father Rishi Kapoor didn’t like any of the songs. Rahman opined that was probably because the soundtrack was too complicated at the start; that point of feedback started the condensation of the record into the legend that it is today. About the making of Rockstar, Rahman said, “Rock legends like Jim Morrison and the Sixties rock people have set a very very high standard in poetry and in the way they express thoughts. This is not a culture… rock musician things is not a culture [in India]. So, I think the way we put flesh and blood into something that is not a culture, but still people can own it, was the biggest achievement, and it couldn’t have come from one person, it was a whole team.

Ali ultimately also opened up about how, if he could go back in time, he would change the ending of Rockstar — a finale that would be a lot more desolate and tragic than the actual conclusion. Reflecting on Rockstar’s impact, Ali said, “We were just in the flow. It’s not one thing; it’s everybody’s energy coming together at a point of time. I had no idea that this (‘Rockstar’) is going to be significant to people. It’s a coming together of many, many things and we were lucky that we were somehow pure in our earnestness. We weren’t even looking at success. We were just there.”

Ten years is a long time. The film has become a cultural cornerstone since its release. Rockstar was a seminal work in mainstream Bollywood, influencing how artists would approach making a portrait of musicians. It also introduced India to a rock and rockstar that was accessible and transcendent. The film took the roots of India’s rock movement in the Nineties and spun a story of how a simple boy from New Delhi could go on to achieve worldwide fame and acclaim. Inspiring and moving, Rockstar has continued to shape and impact cinema and music, giving rise to a generation that believes in the power of its voice. A decade on, the message of the film, taken from Rumi’s immortal words, endures: “Away, beyond all concepts of wrong-doing and right-doing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there.”