The 1980s were known to be a bad decade for mainstream Hindi cinema, with many filmmakers producing cheap potboilers with nothing substantial to offer. The substance was preserved among independent and art cinema directors, but then even some directors from commercial cinema attempted to break the mold within these limits. Joining the ranks of Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Basu Chatterjee, such names as Shekhar Kapur and Mahesh Bhatt were associated with middle-of-the-road cinema, having dealt with real topics and real people. One name which is often if not completely missing in these lists is Vinod Pande, a talented and sensitive director who tried to enhance the beauty of mainstream Hindi cinema without ever giving up the credibility of his films, the gritty topics and the in-depth, fair representation of his characters.
Indeed, Star is one such film. Yes, the film is about an aspiring singer who dreams to make it big in the music scene. But no, you will see none of the corny plot elements that decorate so many movies of this sort. This isn't the Disco Dancer or one of the many types of films Mithun Chakraborty did in those years (which, I admit to like a well). Moreover, the main protagonist does not conquer the entire country becoming an overnight sensation - the proportions in this film are much more modest and down-to-earth. Above all, Star presents a most realistic portrayal of the urban India of those years, of middle-class families, and the struggle of parents therein to raise their children into good, educated citizens who are expected to get graduated and improve the family status down the generations. They are neither slum dwellers nor inhabitants of big mansions - they are real people who live in real houses, work regular jobs, and speak real dialogues just like most people do. A brilliant setting and a wonderful photography of the city streets are some of the assets contributing to this successful depiction.
The acting, as part of this wonderful premise, is excellent. Kumar Gaurav is highly competent as the main lead, doing a wonderful job which far outranks his debut performance in Love Story. Rati Agnihotri is wonderful and impossibly beautiful as the warm, sensitive singer and love interest. Raj Kiran is easily the best of the lot as the loving brother and son who works non-stop to keep the family together. A.K. Hangal and Dina Pathak are amazing as the elderly, worried parents who wish for their children to lead a normal life by settling down, getting graduation and a stable livelihood, and ultimately enjoying a healthy routine. Saeed Jaffrey, a great actor, was actually the weak link in this film, not because of his acting which is always up to the mark, but the villainous character he played. This character was probably the main stereotypical pitfall the writers could not afford to avoid and inevitably employed to meet the standards required in mainstream cinema, which is a shame. Padmini Kolhapure, in a miniscule part, is amazingly pretty, and with almost no lines, does enough with her presence alone.
Having mentioned the many assets of this wonderful little film, it goes without saying that it is the music that remains the film's triumph, which makes it memorable even today, so much that today the film is known for the great soundtrack rather than the story itself. The late Nazia Hassan and her brother Zoheb Hassan were the talented duo assigned to Biddu's exceptional compositions, with songs like "Boom Boom", "Yeh Dil Tere Liye Hai", the title song "Star", just to name a few, giving life to the film and making it an altogether fantastic movie experience. Star is a rare film which holds great nostalgic value, but is sadly very underrated in of itself, as was its capable director, who made other good films during the decade and contributed a great deal to the better part of the Hindi commercial fare.
