You may not feel the way you felt after watching ”Dil Chahta Hai” but you are sure to feel good and contented to have something new on the Indian Celluloid. “Rock On” may not be a trend setter but it will surely act as a path opener for the budding film-makers.
Rock mania or Rock style of living have very limited takers in our part of the world. And that might be the reason the director doesn’t follow the hardcore rock styles but opts for a soft rock feel in the movie. But he does a fine and competent job, shifting from his acting to directing a movie he believed in. Abhishek Kapoor comes up with a movie which has a fresh appeal, a perfect script with perfect character sketches which are capable to hold even the viewers who don’t know what “Rock” is.
It’s about four friends and their rock band called “Magik”, their struggle to make it big, their break up and then their re-union after a gap of 10 years. Apart from the direction, the revelation comes from the acting department as almost every person in the movie has given a soulful and energetic performance, highly enjoyable and entertaining.
Purab Kohli as the Killer Drummer of the band comes up with a lovable and superlative act with his own unique comic touches. Luke Kenny as the keyboard player surprisingly gives a controlled & subtle performance, which is really appreciable. Arjun Rampal gives the best shot of his career, as the lead guitarist and he is surely going to surprise people who called him wooden faced. Critics would find it tough to criticize him this time around.
And now the man who was way above the expectations, Farhan Akhtar. Before seeing the movie I was having the opinion that Farhan has just tried one movie for fun and he was only satisfying his passion for music and singing with this opportunity which came his way. But he proved me wrong. Farhan is hugely impressive and convincing in his act of the lead singer of the band. He acts easily with no hassles at all and he is exactly like he was seen in the reality shows he judged. You may feel as he is your friend next door, having mood swings like we all have and nothing filmy at all.
The icing on the cake is the raw voice structure he has and his singing style. It seems that he simply doesn’t care about the details to be taken care of while singing. He sings brilliantly, screams at places, goes out of tune somewhere but he simply remains himself. And that’s the beauty of his un-comparable and fantastic realistic approach. At times he looks arrogant but that’s how his character is in the script. On the whole, with this fine attempt Farhan moves miles ahead in his career and would surely win many more fans than he had as a director.
Prachi Desai gives an impressive and lovable debut performance. She is sure to go places as she works harder on her looks and styling. Koel Puri in her short role is sweet. Every other supporting actor in the movie provides the required strength to the narrative and is worth praising. Director Abhishek Kapoor raises the bar of expectations and now his next venture will be highly awaited.
The movie is very close to being perfect with only few minuses. Firstly, there is no Base Guitarist in the group, who is considered as the backbone of a Rock Band. But that is only for the people who know a rock band's musical requirements, otherwise this can be ignored. The only point where I felt it could have delivered a lot more is its soundtrack. The concert song “Laundry Ka Bill” is good but the “Slow Love Song” lacked the depth. Interestingly its the movie and the characters who make you fall in love with the songs having some catchy hook lines or likable repeated phrases (but not the songs themselves). In other words such soundtracks actually work only when the film is also successful at the box office. Anyway the one feature that remains in your mind while moving out is the surprising Farhan Akhtar act and for many may be Prachi Desai too.
But keeping these thoughts aside, “Rock On” is a new and fresh experience for our Indian Viewers. It is a must watch for every youngster as it teaches the importance of your passions in life and the strength of a good team. Besides, it may also give you the much needed inspiration to follow your own paths or dreams and be responsible for them.
Rating : 3.5 / 5
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New Hindi Films Reviews, New Bollywood Movies Reviews, Rock On, Rock On Movie Review By Bobby Sing, Farhan Akhtar, Purab Kohli, Luke Kenny, Arjun Rampal, Rock on Review, Movie Reviews By Bobby Sing, Bollywood Movies Reviews, Hindi Films Reviews, New Hindi Releases
