After the unsuccessful James, director Rohit Jugraj is back with his next venture, Superstar, starring Kunal Khemu in a double role. Without it being the best of films, Jugraj handles his subject quite well, in the sense, that he is able to create a few touching moments and exercises a certain amount of restraint. But the highlight of the film has to be Kunal Khemu. The actor proves that Traffic Signal and Kalyug were not a flash in the pan. He is definitely an actor asking to be noticed and picked up. Jugraj manages to extract a very good performance from him indeed.
In fact, one would not be going overboard if one said that the film is actually worth seeing only because of this actor. He definitely rises above the script and turns in a very deft performance as both the poor wannabe actor and the superstar. One will definitely have a lot of expectations from this actor in the future as well.
Superstar's story has Bollywood as its background, as the field of its action. We do seem to be seeing a spurt of films based on wannabe actors, started in the recent past by Farah Khan's Om Shanti Om; then there was Sudhir Mishra's Khoya Khoya Chand. The story is not very original, derived as it is from the story of the Prince and the Pauper. Hindi films have done numerous takes on this subject. But this time the setting is Bollywood, with the two look-alikes swapping places and fortunes. One of them is a wannabe actor, Kunal, who has dreams of making it really big on celluloid. He is waiting for that one big role of his lifetime which will catapult him to the ranks of an Amitabh Bachchan, a Shah Rukh Khan or a Salman Khan. His father, played by Sharad Saxena, does not quite agree with his son's ambitions, but he has a fond, indulgent mother, (Reema Lagoo), who cheers her son's entry into the ranks of Bollywood. Kunal's look-alike, Karan, is the son of a rich producer (Darshan Jariwala), who is willing to spend any amount of money to make his son a superstar. But sadly the son lacks any talent and drive. He would rather while away his time with the good things of life—wine, women, etc. This where the junior artiste steps in. It is all part of devious plot hatched by the producer, who gets Kunal him to work in his son's place. Little does Kunal know that by playing into the producer's hands, he is signing off his life to him. Anyway, the two look-alikes become friends. They leave for Bangkok to shoot the movie, followed by the media at every set. But no one get a whiff of what is underfoot. All is going on fine, with the deception working well, everyone seems to be happy, till a fatal accident takes place and one of them dies in the aftermath. The truth, of course, comes out in the end. And Khemu puts in a moving performance in the end.
One allows for a certain suspension of disbelief where Hindi films and their implausible plots are concerned. But what makes even an implausible idea work is the manner in which the action is played out in the film. Sadly, neither the writers of Superstar, nor its director have the gift of a Manmohan Desai, who can make the audience buy just about anything, and love it as well. The film is very loosely scripted and seems to ramble on. It could have done with a bit of editing in the right places. The film's music is passable, with a couple of hummable numbers. The film's heroines, Tulip Joshi and Aushima Sawhney do not have much to do really, with Khemu grabbing all the attention and screen space. Reema Lagoo and Sharad Saxena as the Kunal parents put in a decent pertformance in roles which have no meat on them. Anjan Srivastav, who plays the friendly neighbour is just about passable. Darshan Jariwala, an otherwise extremely talented actor, hams it as the devious rich producer. Kunal Khemmu puts in a very sincere effort in his portrayal of Kunal and Karan. He tries to bring out the difference in the two characters that he portrays. He does succeed to a great degree and must be credited for his nuanced acting. He has the skills and just needs a better film to do justice to his talent.
Jugraj makes a film which works in a lot of places and fails in others. What probably lets him down is the mediocre screenplay. It lacks any punch and finesse. But he does show a lot of ability in the manner in which he handles a couple of moments in the film. But it is not a consistent effort and that tells on the film.
