Rock On!! (2008)

SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

Abhishek Kapoor's 'Rock On!' is definitely an improvement when compared to his directorial debut 'Aryan' which was a 'Rocky' plus 'other boxing movies' ripoff. But, as a film itself, 'Rock On' struggles to be just strictly average. It's not a movie I would be willing to revisit. After discussing this movie with a friend, we agreed that 'Rock On' is a half-baked product. The story is too clichéd and predictable that I easily lost interest. For example, killing off the Rob character because he has no girlfriend. The rockband Magik is comprised of a typical Bollywood group of friends where Rob is the one who the audience shouldn't give much of a damn about, Joe the quiet one, KD the 'virgin' wooing the women without much luck and Aditya, the 'main one'. The characters just aren't interesting. The ending is laughably bad.Moreover, there are just too many plot holes that irritated me. Since we're all supposed to believe that these guys are so passionate about music, why do they give up just after one fight? So the band dismembered but they could have pursued their own individual career. Only, Joe is seen to be struggling with his career in music but that too is apparently because 'he's no good in anything else'. Why does Aditya dump his girlfriend? If he wanted to break all ties with Magik, such that he'd dump his girlfriend through a note, why keep the photos etc?On the technical side, it's not so bad. I liked the jump cuts. The background score and cinematography are alright. For a movie about rock, well, the music isn't rocking at all. I wonder what kind of the drugs the lyricist when writing those truly abysmal lyrics. The songs lack soul and energy.The performances are a mixture. Shahana Goswami performs well and for a newcomer Prachi Desai is good too. Despite of having a clichéd role, Purab Kohli is perhaps the best of the male cast. Luke Kenny is adequate. Arjun Rampal is passable. Farhan Akhtar looks confused and is wooden at times.Overall, 'Rock On' has nothing new to offer. It's not exactly a terrible film but I'll put it somewhere between average and below average. It's overrated. This movie just does not rock.

Ode to Dil Chahta Hain:: √ Farhan Akhtar plays an extended version of Akash.√ Arjun Rampal reprises Sid.√ Turn Dimple Kapadia into a male character and add them into a trio – voila, you have DCH of four! √ The misunderstanding/ breakup.√ The final moments before the credits rolls.√ The past narrated in flashback.Well, one should appreciate the makers were honest to admit publicly that the movie was DCH Part Deux.Performances:: √ Farhan Akhtar:: He doesn't falter a bit and delivers an eye-opener performance in terms of the subtle nuances and body language he bring in. Of course, his distinct voice is his his greatest asset. Hindsight, he should have done "Lucky" in Main Hoon Na, at least the role would have been more memorable.√ Arjun Rampal:: Probably first time one would take notice of his performance as it is very matured and restrained. Lets hope it does what DCH did to Akshaye Khanna.√ Purab Kohli, Luke Kenny & Shahana Goswami:: Should capitalise on the success of the movie to get a strong foothold in Bollywood. Good performances otherwise.√ Prachi Desai is good in her "Miss Goody Two Shoes" role. BTW – why was her character a bit pushy towards male bonding? √ Koel Purie is as usual OK.Too many flashbacks hinder the narrative. Should have been confined to a single one.The songs would take sometime to catch on as they belong to Rock genre and not the usual run-out-of mill.The protagonists passion for music give you a feel of Jhankaar Beats and so does the climax.The movie is handled extremely well on all technical fronts. A very well made movie. Looking forward your next outing Gattu Kapoor! PS: Javed Saab, does the usage of "Darling" refer to a previous experience of your in the Bollywood?

The movie failed to rock me as much as the hype. Farhan Akhtar chose not to direct but do everything else. Produce, sing, act. With a lisp that becomes irritating at times. Wonder why did he trust one-film-old Abhishek Kapoor to direct a somber, serious, 'grown-up-DCH', and made Papa Akhtar write some Kaale-Neele-Peele rock songs which became nonsensical and had to be somehow fitted in the drums and guitar. The soft ones like 'Tum ho to gaata yeh dil' and 'Kabhi khud pe hansa' are very good though. I did not like the basic premises of the plot that four very good friends don't interact for 10 long years just because of a stupid altercation. The pony-tailed Arjun Rampal and beautiful Prachi Desai provided some saving grace to the otherwise boring cast.

At last we have a movie on rock! At last we have a movie which appeals to the youth without getting preachy, at last we have a movie which has a soul, at last we have a movie which boasts of not just good actors but of great performances. That's all that "Rock On" is! Farhan Akhtar, take a bow! What a performance! I really cant recall someone doing so well in his debut film. And he does look like a rock-star! (We don't have many of them in India unfortunately) Arjun Rampal once again proves his critics wrong by his acting skills, Purab Kohli, a not really popular name in Bollywood shows that he cant be ignored anymore, Luke Kenny delivers a heart-warming performance and Prachi Desai is simply superb as Aditya's wife...Apart from some great acting what strikes you is the music. I haven't heard much of Hindi rock and the soundtrack of this movie is sure to start a trend in that genre. The vocals may not be good, but who did ever claimed that rock music was about vocals? The music is soulful and you will certainly have to leave your seats and applaud the music director as well as the vocalists.In short, Rock On is a welcome change for movie lovers. Let's just hope the film directors get the message and we get to watch such wonderful movie in the future...