‘Part of Me’ reveals Katy Perry

NIDA DAR

KARACHI: ‘Katy Perry: Part of Me’, which debuts on Thursday in 3D, is a real life story documenting the singer’s personal life.

It started as just another concert film, but as Katy Perry's marriage to English comedian Russell Brand unravelled, her new documentary transformed into what she called a "warts and all" depiction the pop star is happy to share with her fans.

Most entertainers wouldn't dare show fans how they look first thing in the morning, without make-up, or worse doubled over sobbing backstage in costume. But Perry insisted that everyone must see it.

While 2011 was a fine year for the singer and saw her named Artist of the Year by MTV, her personal life took a turn for the worse. She makes no mention of her previous relationships - but there's no shying away from her divorce last year from Brand, who features in the film at various times.

On the surface, the movie records the singer on her first world tour in 2011, but as the year played out, "Katy Perry: Part of Me" registers the end of her marriage to Brand, whom she wed in 2010. By December 2011, they had split and by February of this year, they were divorced.
The film shows Brand early on, happily visiting Perry backstage and picking her up in his car. But soon he disappears from the story, and Perry begins to suffer emotional breakdowns and fits of crying while her team of handlers proves helpless.

Perry hears from her husband of just 14 months that their marriage is over just before one of her concerts in Brazil after which Perry is shown backstage, bare-faced and broken, sobbing uncontrollably.

Faced with two choices - to cancel the show or put on a brave face and greet her audience - Perry opts for the latter, rising above the stage to the screams of thousands of excited South Americans.

Perry’s third studio album, "Teenage Dream," saw five singles hit No. 1 on music charts - a first for a female. She has sold 11 million albums worldwide and earned 8 Grammy nominations.

She originally wanted to document on film a period in which she felt "something big was happening" in her career but had no idea her marriage would crumble.

"I wanted to share it with my fans, but I didn't know in what capacity it would be," she said.

She has kept mum about the details of her split from Brand even though the media has speculated about the cause.

“I can't always be the candy queen, so maybe it's time for a little bit more meat and potatoes."

Cynics may say the self-funded “Katy Perry: Part of Me” is nothing more than a marketing tactic to sell more records. But while there is no doubt the film is sure to see a spike in record sales, it's still an incisive, entertaining and touching documentary if you let yourself - as one fan put it - be "shot with an arrow of Katy Perryness".