Rock On!!

I didn't have many expectations from this one before the release. Then, came the reviews and they were surprisingly positive which raised my expectation bar. And after watching the movie, I realized that both (moive and the reviews) were Spot On!! Abhishek Kapoor's 'Rock On!!' is indeed a rocking and a refreshing film.

It tells the story about four young friends who put together a wonderful band called 'Magik' but could never make it big. The movie brilliantly depicts the life of aspiring rock stars in India and carefully handles their rise, fall and reunion. The whole movie see-saws between the past and the present which keeps the viewer interested.

Acting is also nice. Frahan Akhtar acts well and is a capable singer. Though I hope he doesn't become Himesh #2 and keeps his singing within limits. Rest of the cast- Arjun, Purab, Luke, Prachi and Sahana also do well.

As for the negatives, the movie was a little lengthy. Plus, I believe the incident with "Rob" was unnecessary which didn't suit the general "feel-good" mood of the film.

Despite some shortcomings, Rock on!! is indeed a noteworthy attempt and needs to be applauded. Well done.

Rock is all about employing electric and bass guitars, thundering drums with a mix of organ or piano or synthesizers giving you all a severe head-banging session. Well, that's what rock means to me and Rock On! is a great attempt bringing the same feel to 70MM! Rock On! is an ideal example of bridging cult with mainline Hindi cinema. Kudos!

The movie is about how 4 talented friends with same passion for music creates a band called Magik and wanted to become 'somebody' in music industry. The movie focuses on how they stay together, achieve what they want to, broke up with each other and re-unites one last time. Director has done a marvelous job in bringing all characters alive. He didn't allow more characters floating all around and coming in between. He simply focuses on Magik and their select close ones.

Soul of this movie lies in its music. The music of Rock On! is packed with extremely catchy kick ass numbers. Though all the numbers are rocking but my top three favorites are 'Zehreelay' 'Pichhle Saat Dinon' and 'Ye Tumhari Meri Baatein'. 'Zehreelay' is the heaviest soundtrack of any Indian movie so far. It's wild, full of energy and extremely noisy. Lyrics are weird and the interesting part is the vocal. You can do extreme screaming when you sing in English but when it comes to Hindi, it's a different ball game. It is tough to sing so loud and extreme that too with perfect vocals in Hindi. Simply hell yeah! 'Pichhle saat dinon' is a song that grows on you and later, you can't live without. The song is so popular that they have made a spl video for it. 'Ye Tumhari Meri Baatein' is beautiful song with a tinge of jazz to it. It will make you feel as if it is made for you and your love. Another wonderful track is 'Socha hai'. It's like back to roots, real rock song where lyrics come out from no where. Title soundtrack 'Rock On!', 'Sindbad the sailor' and 'Fir Dekhiye' are simply outstanding. Another special song is a slow rock ballad 'Tum ho to'. In age of one song wonder soundtracks Rock On! is a surprise package. Each and every song is a chart buster. In fact, I'm now so used to listening Rock On! songs where ever I roam! Office, Pubs, Music stores and channels, Radio its every where! It's like rock music in its purest form with a strong, insistent back beat, and a catchy melody!

The movie is well crafted but the plot is not something new. It's a predictable movie and you know exactly what will happen next. Also, dialogs don't have that punch like the songs and its theme. I like Farhan Akhtar as a director, singer, and actor but excluding his voice. I do not know why but some how he is not that great when he talks.

There are so many well crafted scenes that had lit up this movie. My favorite scene is where Magik performs at a local society to raise money. I will not reveal much of it but I just couldn't stop laughing like mad while watching it. Also, the scene where Magik performs at a music contest then fights with each other and split. Its sheer delight as director sketched those scenes brilliantly.

Rock On! truly justifies its title with some heavy dope of rocking music and acting. More important, it's the simplicity of the movie which will make you happy while coming out of the movie screen with a message to all- know matter what may come... keep rocking!

The basic idea of the movie is just as 'Dil Chahta Hai'- a fight between two friends and their reunion(But here there's' much more after the that). Let me clear first: THE SONGS ARE AWESOME 10/10.

Very nicely directed, the film has slow pace in the first half and the story may confuse some, as there are a lot of flashbacks. some unwanted characters too included. But the second half has the perfect speed and will cling you to the seats. the whole idea of ROCK ON!! gets concentrated here, no stupid incidences, no unwanted scenes-perfect The only thing which i didn't like was the reunion of MAGIK (not as great as it should be- could be much grand) Talking about performances- everyone does a great Job, special mention for Luke Kenny and Purab Kohli. Prachi Desai (cant say a newcomer, been in daily soaps) looks lovely, acts well. Farhan has surely some thing for Singing. The songs sound genuine as are sung by Farhan than some professional singer. Lots of light moments throughout the film, wonderfully shot. The end is wonderful.... you will probably guess the end, but it will turn out much greater.

For hardcore ROCK fans, don't expect NIRVANA, GREENDAY, or DEEP PURLPE, its bollywood ROCK

You will surely come out of the theatre with smiles- thats for sure.

If you loved Dil Chahta Hain, there's no way you'd not like 'Rock ON'. I have just returned from a small screening of the movie last night and it was 'Fantabulous'. I had been waiting for it since long and the wait was worth it. If you think that the movie is all about Rock and being cool, its not. It's about desiring something and breaking all the rules to get there.

I don't want to speak out the story here as it is among the best written screenplays I have seen in any movie so far – be it Indian Cinema or Hollywood. The flashbacks and the montages and the cuts were brilliantly placed. There are a few things that I'd specifically ask you to watch out for. First is Jason West's cinematography; absolutely commendable. Then there is the music and sound design which is powerful yet sweet and the star attribute of the movie – the performances. They are flawless, Farhan is good, Prachi is amazing, Suhana is complete and Arjun Rampal has delivered the best performance of his life (watch out for the climax).

The live performances in the movie were well done, Magic could have been more aggressive but they had good presence. 'Shair n Func', came and went and their song was pretty catchy. Chakravhyu was super sexy…and sheer evil and none the least RADIO were rocking as usual with 'Musafir' – beautiful song that one.

In the end Rock On is a really sweet movie and a must watch for the people, both young and old, who dare to dream and are willing to walk that road in order to achieve it. I absolutely loved the movie and am definitely going for it again. Indian Rock Bands rule!!!!!!!

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?