Rok Sako To Rok Lo

This is the first comment i am writing on IMDb, despite being a regular here. The movie was so bad that it forced me to write this comment. You really need to see the movie to believe that it could be have made at all. Apparently, if you have a lot of money, and enough ego, a drivel like this can be put across.

This is THE movie to watch at a film school. All film makers in the making should watch this film to avoid pitfalls and obvious errors. Each scene is a class in itself. HOW NOT TO WRITE A MOVIE. Everything that could go wrong is incorporated in it. Almost as if it was designed to be bad. From the script to the incomplete characters, to the use of bad casting, to the hyperbole marketing. This movie shows what happens when one lacks aesthetic sensibilities in a domain.

The only reason i wrote this is to warn other wannabe film makers with lots of money in the pocket, but not enough time spent watching and studying the craft.... A clear case of "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing." the hack who made this travesty of a film (runing out of negative qualifiers), gives dilettantes a bad name. An even more casual dabbler of film making could have made a better thing (notice how i refrain from calling it a movie/ film)

A management "guru" can at best be good at transferring knowledge of academic nature. Trying to translate that academic knowledge into a living, breathing film is a totally different ball game. Look what happened when they put the worlds economy in the hands of MBAs. Come to think of it, the reason i am so upset, is the gall with which the movie was promoted, and proclaimed a hit even before it was released. Did someone forget the cardinal marketing sin? The fastest way to kill a product is to advertise a bad product heavily.

N.B. do watch the film, it will surprise you no end. Dekh sako to Dekh lo. Also, there are some comments in this section claiming it to be good enough to get a 10. I am quite sure they passed out of IIPM with good grades!

Rok Sako…is one of the most heart-warming films ever made in Indian film history. It sensitizes the youthful spirit inside every one of us. Rok Sako is all about the evergreen spirit of sweet romantic simplicity, which we are so deprived of in the contemporary world of complexity and competition.

The film is like a nostalgic trip down the memory lane, the teenage days, when we were caught in the conflict of dreams and expectations …the growing up years, of winning and losing, of mischief and punishments, of friendships and innocence, the crushes and heart breaks…

Dev, the protagonist of the film, is like any other eccentric teenager from the humble Bharti school, indulges in his own world of dreams with his friends Ganguly, Bhajji, Venky and naive Manjari.

These five friends are tied together in an eternal bond of friendship. As they bask in the freshness of youth and the spirit of innocent adventure. Together they find their way through a maze of trials and tribulations. They however live in a carefree illusory world where lofty ambitions and preparations for a secure tomorrow have little meaning. Though driven by an invincible life spirit – rok sako to rok lo, Dev and his friends are no match against Ranveer, the undisputed champion from the snobby Valley High School. Ranveer lives large. He has all the luxuries most young ones his age aspire for. He also has Sanjana, the gorgeous buzz of the Valley school. Intimidated by the high-handed winning streak of Ranveer, Dev and his friends falter and fail. Enters Kabir into their life. Kabir, whom they refer to as Phantom, is a mysterious and seemingly unapproachable Harley Davidson biker who inspires awe in all. In an unexpected turn of events, Phantom rides into Suhana's life and eventually make friends with her gang. A loner himself, Kabir is drawn towards them by the magic of their innocent and unconditional friendship. With his unconventional wisdom, Kabir provokes Dev and his friends to stand up and face the challenges thrown against them. Dev's faith in friendship and his friends is reinforced. He discovers his first love, his true love. The film climaxes into a grand operatic crescendo as Dev, Suhana and friends for the first time ever live their life spirit – rok sako to rok lo, in its truest form.

Rok Sako To Rok Lo is a rich canvas of colors, emotions and true to life characters, with a very earthy feel. It is well blended with brilliant and youthful melodies making it a wholesome experience.

For a débutant director, Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri does a good job with 'Rok Sako To Rok Lo'. The story of a group of teenagers from two rival schools - Bharti School and Valley High - is narrated by Namrata Shirodkar, who owns a café -- a common haunt for students from both institutions. While the group from Bharti School is led by Dev (Yash Pandit), the rival gang is headed by Ranveer (Carran Kapoor).

Valley High students turn up their noses at the Bharti School youngsters, always taunting them because of their lower social status as well as their inability to beat the Valley-ites at any sports event.

Enter teen siren Sanjana, who studies with Ranveer. Dev and gang tease the temptress and Sanjana, swearing revenge, ensnares Dev and pretends to be in love with him. Dev finds out only too late that he has been duped.

Kabir, watching this byplay, befriends the group led by Dev, and instills a sense of confidence in them, urging them on to finally take a stand and beat their adversaries. Unfortunately, their enthusiasm leads to both gangs engaging in a dangerous car race on public roads. During the race, Kabir is killed in a ghastly accident, once again plunging the Bharti School students into depression. To make matters worse, they are challenged to a marathon race by Valley School...

The lead pair, Yash Pandit and Manjari Fadnis, both selected through a talent hunt done by the producers, impress in their very first film with their high levels of confidence. Sunny Deol, who plays the role of Kabir – the mysterious man with a 'history' – pops up time and again to save the youngsters from sticky situations, and receives all the applause. While audiences in the North might clap for their favourite hero literally flinging the goons left, right and centre, the action could have been toned down a bit for the Mumbai viewers. Jatin-Lalit's music remains above reproach, especially the peppy and inspiring title track.

All in all, a fun-filled package of school pranks and youthful masti (with liberal doses of good advice) that will appeal to the younger generation.

Rok Sako To Rok Lo is Planman motion picture for the youth.Youngsters need to learn a lot from their journey and what the film is all about.Arindam Chaudhuri,director of the film could not have made it in a better way.The confidence that he showed by launching so many new actors in a film which is his first film as a director is commendable.The story about the rivalry about students of two schools has been brilliantly made by him.I really like the Sunny Deol in the movie.His entry brings lot of energy and also his character was very motivational.I really like his dialogs,the way he delivers it was excellent.The movie is for young generation and all should watch it at least once.

Note: The readers who have seen 'Jo Jeeta wohi sikandar' (1992) (JJWS) may skip the 'storyline' and directly proceed to the 'comment'.

The movie beings in scenic place with two rival schools Bharti and Valley High. Bharti School is a school for the modest lot (but who apparently live in palatial houses by Mumbai's standards). A group of friends led by the protagonist of the story Dev (Yash Pandit, a newcomer) and his dearest friends Suhana (Manjari Fadnis, another newcomer) Ganguli, Bhajji, Venki and Rati regularly freak together. Valley High on the other hand is the place for the spoilt brats Ranveer, Sanjana, Tango and Ziggy. A nearby coffee shop owned by Namrata Shirodkar is where the groups spend time regularly.

Both the schools have a predictable amount of rivalry in the Annual marathon (similar to the cycle race rivalry in JJWS). Valley is shown to be always interested in belittling the modest Bharti lot. Sanjana tries to play 'girl friend' with Dev and predictably, this causes envy to Suhana. But when Dev learns about Sanjana's motives, he is disappointed.

Enter Phantom (Sunny Deol) on a Harley Davidson. He seems to be the man Friday for Bharti's friends. He motivates Dev to go faster-higher-stronger towards winning the next year's marathon. Phantom gets a new Lexus SUV and takes his young friends out for a drive, with Dev driving it. A freak accident of the SUV kills Phantom. Dev is left grief-stricken. With a mixed feeling of guilt for Phantom's death and with a mind motivated by Phantom's words, Dev takes part in the marathon. The rest is predictable anyway.

Comment:

If you have read the above summary of the story, I'm sure that you would have been disappointed. Watching the movie would disappoint you further. The story absolutely lacks originality and is almost the same as JJWS. Arindam Choudhury's directorial skills are absolutely pathetic.

Performances are average, not due to the actors themselves, but due to the poor screenplay. Sunny Deol has no other role except showing off his Harley. Poor Namrata Shirodkar almost doesn't have a single dialogue in the movie. The lead actor Yash needs to shape up (viewers compare his role with the legend Amir Khan in JJWS). Manjari seems promising. The music is poor and there is hardly a song that you would feel like humming. The dance moves were hopeless.