Imtiaz Ali’s blockbuster musical drama Rockstar (2011), starring Ranbir Kapoor and Nargis Fakhri, is remembered for its intense love story, powerful performances and unforgettable music. The film also left the audience emotional with its tragic ending, in which Hare dies, leaving Jordan heartbroken even as he achieves rock star fame. However, the director recently revealed that Heer’s death was not part of the original script.
Imtiaz Ali’s blockbuster musical drama Rockstar (2011), starring Ranbir Kapoor and Nargis Fakhri, is remembered for its intense love story, powerful performances and unforgettable music. The film also left the audience emotional with its tragic ending, in which Hare dies, leaving Jordan heartbroken even as he achieves rock star fame.However, the director recently revealed that Heer’s death was not part of the original script.
Imtiaz Ali says Heer was meant to live on in the first draft
At a recent fan meet in Mumbai, Imtiaz said that in the first version of the story, Heer was supposed to survive. Reflecting on the original draft, he said: “I wanted it to be alive. I wanted a lot of different things at Rockstar. In fact, I had written a whole draft, but unfortunately I lost it.”He added that when the opportunity to finally produce the film came years later, he tried to locate that script but was unable to find it.
“Years later, when I had the opportunity to make a Rockstar, I tried to look it up and I lost it. It wasn’t on the computer,” he recalls.
Did you know that Ranbir Kapoor was not the first choice for Rockstar? Find out who was Imtiaz Ali’s first choice for the role of Janardhan Jakhar?
How the story changed while the film was being rewritten
According to Imtiaz, when he sat down to write the story again, the narrative naturally evolved in a different direction, partly inspired by the classic Punjabi love story Heer Ranjha.Explaining how the ending changed, he said: “So I wrote it again. This time when I was writing, I don’t know what happened.
In the end, Heer was no longer there.He also linked the decision to the influence of mythological romance. “I think it’s also because I was following Heer Ranjha a lot. That’s why the girl’s name was Heer and she died before Ranjha, so the film ends before Gordhan dies,” the director said.
The tragic ending that became iconic
In the final moments of the film, Ranbir Kapoor’s character Jordan performs at the Verona Arena in Verona, Italy, after losing Heer. Her death leaves him in a constant state of grief even as he reaches the pinnacle of stardom, echoing the turbulent journey of his idol Jim Morrison.Over the years, the bittersweet ending has become one of the most talked-about aspects of Rockstar, increasing the film’s standing among fans.
