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.
