Rockford

Having seen Nagesh Kukunoor's "Hyderabad Blues" and enjoyed it very much, I was keen on seeing "Rockford" with nary of hint of what it was all about.

Obviously low-budget, this movie narrates the story of a boy's life at Rockford boarding school. There is some drama, romance, villainy, etc. more in the scale of a storm in a teacup. If one is not hooked on the "formula" Indian films, and enjoys simple stories fairly well told, it may be your cup of tea. For me, this was refreshingly enjoyable.

The dialogue is mostly in English, though expect to hear scratchy, and irritatingly bad sound a lot of the time. Not a technically polished movie, but likeable nonetheless. I would certainly see any more movies Nagesh Kukunoor makes.

Nagesh Kukunoor has presented one of the most wonderful, simple and realistic portrayals of pubescent kids growing up in a convent and dealing with their life, their world on their terms. A fantastic script that has been competently directed and crisply edited, Rockford had me smiling the throughout the film. Kukunoor deals with the issues of 12-13-14 year olds with such seriousness and sincerety that you appreciate his respect for the audience's intelligence. All of the child actors in the film are extremely natural and portray themsevles as aspriring adults that you can relate to (having been there, done that) rather than some cliched caricatures. The protagonists struggle with his self-esteem, his self-image; the influence of his mentor on his life and his victorious struggle with his demons (literally speaking) was funny, moving and most definitely brilliant.9.5/10.

Rockford is a simply-told story of day-to-day struggles of most adolescents who attend public boarding schools (at least in India). It has an excellent script, well directed, and fascinatingly enacted. The characters have been so realistically portrayed into their roles that a viewer is completely enmeshed in the plot and can relate to the boy (Rohan Dey) and his life. Every character has been shown in light of such seriousness and sincerity that even though it is a comedy, it is a "thinking" one. Boys aspiring to be men is a central theme (though the "other side always looks greener"). Although a few parts were a bit exaggerated, they did not feel out-of-place. The subjects of "sneaking" (tattling), child abuse, adolescent love, etc. in boarding schools have been handled very well by Nagesh Kukunoor. It is a film about hurdling life's barriers and dealing with its issues at your own terms. The use of music at the right places improves the film's appeal.

With 'Rockford', Kukunoor takes us into another less explored field of Indian cinema. It's about a young teenager, Rajesh, who's admitted to a boarding school, 'Rockford' and how he experiences growing up. The screenplay is written in a very realistic and impressive way. The teenagers talk about sex, masturbation and physical attraction, the bullying etc, something rarely portrayed in any Indian film and yet something so normal and common of teenagers to talk about. We're also introduced to strange characters and situations e.g. the priest who seems to 'like' the boys or the accusation of molestation but none of it is forced, nor overdone. 'Rockford' has several light moments and it is a nostalgic film many can identify with.

Rohan Dey as Rajesh is excellent. One of the best performances by a child no doubt. He just seems to play the part so naturally. Usha Krishnamurty is good and shares a nice chemistry with Rohan. Nagesh Kukunoor is different from what he played in 'Teen Deewarein' and 'Dor' but he doesn't seem at ease with his character. Nandita Das doesn't have much to do but she does bring grace and elegance.

The film doesn't score so high on the technical aspect as cinematography and sound effects are mediocre. Yet, it's the screenplay, editing and performances that easily outweigh everything else. Some of the sequences were done very well including the whole Dracula nightmare, Rajesh's get together with Malati, Rajesh's friendship with Johnny and Rajesh's fantasy with Lily Vegas. For some it's a pleasant trip down memory lane, for some a fun movie to watch.

You will like this movie if u were a naughty boy in your teen ages.You will like it because it is a movie about children's,but it is not a childish movie!The director has brilliantly showed us the funny,adventures,naughty,and a little bit erotic events of a bunch of 14 to 16s.In most movies about this age,we can see that,they are child!They don't know nothing!They cannot love a girl,they don't have attraction to kiss and sex!We all have seen these age so naive in most movies.But in this movie they are properly judged.They smokes,they rags juniors,they learn to masturbate!They also take risks for their own girl.So..all I have to say is..it is the perfect movie for the grown ups.Watcha these movie and compare it with your early ages!Enjoy!I sure you will!!