While Bohemian Rhapsody drew criticism for its apparent ‘straightwashing’ and downplaying Freddie Mercury’s sexuality, the Rocketman trailer appears to concentrate more on John’s drug use and ecstatic performance style
Bhubaneswar: After witnessing the biopic of British rock band Queen and its lead vocalist Freddie Mercury, Hollywood is flexing its muscles to cater to the entertainment needs of fans of another British musical star. English singer and composer Elton John well-known for his songs such as Rocket Man, Can You Feel the Love Tonight, Circle of life, Candle in the wind, Don’t go Breaking my Heart and many others, would get his life translated into the silver screen in the movie Rocketman.
The film tells the story of Elton John’s life, from his years as a prodigy at the Royal Academy of Music, through his influential and enduring musical partnership with Bernie Taupin, as well as his struggles with depression, substance abuse and acceptance of his sexual orientation.
The trailer of the movie was released recently in which Taron Egerton of Kingsman movies is playing the iconic role of Oscar and Grammy award winning singer Elton John.
The movie directed by Dexter Fletcher, Rocketman is described by him as “an epic musical fantasy about the incredible human story of Elton John’s breakthrough years.”
Fans of Elton John in the city are quite excited about the upcoming release and are comparing it with the recently released biopic of British rock band Queen Bohemian Rhapsody.
Sayantan Sinha, a city-based singer and musician, said the movie Rocketman is as colourful as Elton John is. “This is going to be a great movie. I remember the day when my father had bought me his album Candle in the Wind. It inspired me to become a singer,” he added.
Satyajit Das, a filmmaker, opined that the film would not be a conventional biopic as evidenced by the fantastical sequences in the trailer footage unveiled so far.
It may be mentioned here that the movie is also unique in the sense that Egerton has done his own singing, as opposed to being dubbed by the real Elton John’s vocals. Previously-released clips have offered a sneak peek of the actor leaving his mark on iconic tunes like Tiny Dancer and, of course, Rocketman in the film, as does the full-length trailer.
While Bohemian Rhapsody drew criticism for its apparent ‘straightwashing’ and downplaying Freddie Mercury’s sexuality, the Rocketman trailer appears to concentrate more on John’s drug use and ecstatic performance style.
Abhishek Parija, another fan of Elton, said it looks like a great production, like all Hollywood biopics totally in sync with the industry’s recent obsession with producing biopics on musicians as it has done so well.
Sarthak Mohapatra, a city-based musician, said, “I am really excited about the movie and hope it captures all the facets of his life.” He added that he felt Freddie’s life is pretty similar to Elton’s, both piano virtuoso, iconic vocalists and brilliant songwriters, both had problems with addiction.
Arindam Ganguly, OP
