Enough of star lives, now we are interested in the struggling stars or the superstars in the making. Living Bollywood dream seems to be the flavor of this year. We again have the similar saga told in a double rolled movie, this time from Shree Ashtavinayak Cinevision Ltd.’s ‘Superstar’, which released this week, starring Kunal Khemu in the lead role. The movie has been directed by Director Rohit Jugraj. James, his debut movie, could not make any impression over the audience but hinted enough to stir a kind of unrest that is caused due to some open sores. So this time Jugraj tired his hand at making a superstar with Kunal Khemu. Every actor has to do a dual act sometime or the other during his career, but this came pretty fast for a youngster of 20. Kunal Khemu seems to have all the luck in the world to be termed superstar so early in career. If not in real then on the silver screen, Kunal comes to us as a superstar.
Rating: 2.5/5
Superstar has a very run of the mill theme. We already have seen many a movies with mediocre double roles; date it back to Dilip Kumar’s ‘Ram Aur Shyam’ to Salman Khan’s ‘Judwaa’. The prince and pauper plot has been a favorite in our dear Bollywood. We also have dream come true movies like ‘Rangeela’ and ‘Om Shanti Om’ which have taken the film industry as it backdrop. With all these typical theories, Rohit Jugraj tries to deal with with his movie with a refinement and intricacy. But what sets the whole thing in for a little surprise is the fact that this time we don’t have good fighting bad but fame fighting identity. I think Rohit did make his point after all and gives away a little unrest traded in for soul-searching. Some of the sequences in this movie are very touching and deserve applause but he could have done better keeping the subtleties intact in the movie. He has the talents all he had to do was give the film a better treatment. Rather than trying to make a light entertainer, he could have tried to make a passionate statement with it.
Tulip Joshi, Kunal Khemu in Superstar
This is the very reason why not Rohit Jugraj but Kunal Khemu caught my fancy in this movie. Born to Kashmiri Parents, Kunal is the true baby of Bollywood. We have loved him no matter what he role he played and just think about the tough roles which this young one has picked, so early in the career, a true dare devil. Be it his childhood prankster roles in movies like ‘Hum Hain Raahi Pyaar Ke’ and ‘Raja Hindustani’ or an understanding young adult ones like ‘Jakhm’ or his latest brave and courageous performance-oriented acts in ‘Kalyug’ and ‘Traffic Signal’, he has proved his worth and made a niche for himself, which is a dream for many youngsters now. Kunal again unveils his power-packed talent for unleash in ‘Superstar’. This one is a superstar in the making, where are the Subash Ghai types, watch out for this young one, if you wish to make money.
Tulip Joshi in Superstar
The movie revolves around Kunal Mehra and Karan Saxena, both played by Kunal Khemu. Kunal is the youth of today, and represents the thousands of middle-class young men, who dream to make it big in the film industry. While Kunal is struggling with his junior artist profession trying to get to get some good offers, Karan is the son of a big time producer who wants his son to be a superstar. Now, Karan loves to lead his life along side the pool with sexy blondes and has no intention of doing any work other than partying. The obsessive father soon realizes the worth of his son’s acting capabilities and finds out Karan’s acting talent to be much better. Now he proposes to put Kunal in Karan’s place make a better movie. But this whole gag made sure that the credit goes to the starlet, with Kunal being labeled as a look alike. It is like trading off the soul for fake recognition. We also have two lovely chics accompanying our superstar in the movie. Tulip Joshi plays the role of Mausam, the childhood sweetheart of Kunal and Aushima Sawhney as Barkha, who is an actress and the love interest of Karan. We also have two sets of parents for both character played by Reema Lagoo, Sharat Saxena as Kunal’s Mother and Father, with Darshan Jariwala and Kishori Shahane as Karan’s parents. As the two main characters come closer to each other, looking into the transparent souls of the other, the movie turns in for a surprise as one of them dies in an accident. Now, the survivor is in a dilemma and so are the others because he has to fit in two different pairs of shoes.
Aushima Sawhney in Superstar
Rohit Jugraj did not put much variation into the two characters and it was indeed a great performance by such a young actor to juggle between the seemingly likenesses as well and differing souls. Not only lighter moments but Rohit also pulls in the ever debatable ethical issues to the foreground, the battle between choices, the dilemma between duty and dreams, the intense juggle between fame and identity. The similarity of the characters not only gave Kunal something to worry about but his different looks must have given the make artists a tough time. We have some nail biting suspense also aiding Rohit Jugraj to solve the mystery of identity. Over all a decent attempt by him The movies music is good and Shamir Tondon has done a good job, especially the numbers ‘Do I love You’, sung by Adnan Sami and Sunidhi Chauhan and ‘Aankohn Se Khwab Rooth Kar’ by Rekha Bhardwaj are pretty hummable. Acting wise, other than Kunal, the rest of the folks have done an average performance
I think, the movie is enjoyable and even if the intensity could have been more, we do not dismiss the light entertainment that this one provides. Go with friends and family, take my words for it, won’t be disappointed!
Rating: 2.5/5
— Mahua Ray for Hamara Photos