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.

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?

First of all,I must say I'm not a big fan of Hindi movies.I just see them for fun with friends and that's all.But for Rock On! I was expecting something different and I found it!

The story is so well written and the direction is superb that the 3 hours which seem like an ordeal with other movies went so smooth and effortlessly.The best part for me was to see Farhan Akhtar make his transition from direction to acting & singing.His was perhaps the best debut you could ever imagine.It seemed liked he had been acting for ages and his singing was way above par.Prachi Desai looked beautiful and did her part excellently.Arjun Rampal acted out his role so maturely you could actually relate to it.

Well,I must say this is a Hindi movie not to be missed at all.

"Rock On!!" is an Indian film about a group of guys who made up a rock/pop band a decade ago. The film begins in the present day and the lead singer of this group, Magik, is now a very successful businessman. He's so wrapped up in his job that he pushes his wife out of his life. She doesn't even know about this past life--and only stumbles upon his being in a band by accident. However, when she does, she contacts his other band mates and tries to get them back together. But Aditya isn't grateful--instead he treats his old friends like they are a part of the past he'd like to keep in the past. Can Aditya come around and finally open up his heart to these guys? And, he's not the only one with problems. Joe loves music and never left the music business...but his wife is a serious detriment and seems bent on squashing his dream. And then there is one other member with a serious problem...one you only learn about late in the film. Can all these problems be worked out so that Magik can once again find the magic?

This film is different from a typical Bollywood film because it's clearly targeted towards a younger and hipper sort of audience. This isn't a complaint---just an observation. I really like the style in which the story was told and the story is enjoyable. The only negatives I noticed are that the story seemed a bit predictable and only offered one big surprise. The other wasn't the fault of the original production but the DVD had serious issues. Instead of playing properly, often the film would play a portion and when it came to the next segment, it would bounce back to the scene menu! This is very odd and I've never had it happen before.

By the way, if you do watch the film, watch Joe when he plays guitar. Every time he does, a hidden wind machine catches his hair and it's actually unintentionally funny.

Okay, let me start of by saying that when I first saw a preview, my expectations were not very high for this movie. However, they don't matter anymore.

As the title aptly suggests, this movie ROCKS! y far one the most different, entertaining and wonderfully surprising films of recent times. Rock On meets, surpasses and blows the expectations of the viewer out of the window. Brilliant.

This movie is one of those rare ones that actually focuses just on the music. It doesn't move of into some romantic tune or dramatic effect. It stays true to it's heart and soul. The Music.

All the actors perform brilliantly with a special mention to Arjun Rampal and Prachi Desai who shines out in her debut film. But best of all is the showstopper. Farhan Akhtar.

This man is a genius! He can sing (only rock!) act and direct (not this one though). Brilliant. By far the shining star of this move. He carries his role out with exceptional ease and actually seems as good as any seasoned actor of a high caliber. Hats off.

In the end, this movie is what it is:

" Brilliant as it is, the message is heard as if in stock, this movieends in bliss, but only after making you ROCK!"

Superb! Watch it and ROCK ON !!!!!