Destiny is something you are born with, Dreams are those that you create. *In the end, if you so believe, Dreams become destiny.
*This quote forms the essence of "Rock On". I am not a hard core rock music lover so initially I had plans to skip this film, assuming that it would be a loud film involving drums and guitar and 4 nerds trying to break them.
The ironical part is that I was destined to watch it not once but twice on the big screen. So, it deserves a review coz I simply loved it and if any of you plan to finance my ticket I can watch it another time with you with no qualms whatsoever. For me the movie spelt **"Friendship and Passion for music" .
"MAGIK" - MAGIC with a K’ (Letter ’K’ has to figure somewhere, bitten by the "Kekta Kapoor" bug maybe !!!) When the movie starts, it’s been 10 years since ’MAGIK’ performed live.
The 4 friends had fallout & each of them moved on in life. How their undercurrents of friendship re-ignites their intense love for music and reunites them to once again hop on the stage and mesmerise the audience is what the movie is all about.
MUSIC
The music rendered by SEL, the trio who have been creating waves in bollywood for quite some time now is excellent. The drums, guitar, the entire music ensemble suits the tempo and overall feel of the film. With this film, the director Farhan Akhtar has turned an actor and singer and what a debut: OUTSTANDING. The lyrics penned by Javed Akhtar were really out of the box and lend film the conventional feel that we could relate to.
PERFORMANCES
Dil Chahta Hai which was directed by Farhan Akhtar is my all-time favourite film and has proved to be a milestone in countless ways. In Rock on Farhan as Aditya left an indelible mark both as an actor as well as a singer. Be it the Maggie-locks adorned rock-star look or the clean-shaven suave, investment banker look, he carried them both with élan. **A revelation: Farhan’s lovely locks in the first half were not his own, extenders were used, sniff sniff....!!! I feel he has a long road ahead in bollywood with the best part being that he can fit into so many portfolios like a glove.
Arjun Rampal has never appealed to me. Though he has the height, the body, the looks, but still he always looked too wooden-faced. But as Joe, at-times restrained, at-times outspoken lead guitarist of the band he really did wonders. He spoke minimal & conveyed through his deep seated eyes. He looked like the true rock star with his long hair flying in all directions.
Purab Kohli - remember the school show ‘Hip Hip Hurray’. As KD, he was the true scene steale. I can never forget his “goatee” in the first half. In school time we used to draw "Aladdin ka genie" and his goatee was exactly like KD’s. With his perfect comic timing, he was like a whiff of fresh air. The movie really gained momentum in the scenes featuring KD, His short jig on ‘I will survive’ song is definitely worth a “dekkho”.
Prachi Desai aka Bani of Kasam Se **fame also made her bollywood debut. She portrayed the role of Adi’s beautiful, petite and demure wife quite convincingly. Her 440-watt smile enhances her overall screen presence.
Shahana Gosami as Debbie– Joes’s talented but nagging girl friend and later wife gets a perfect 10 for depicting exactly what was expected of her. She came across as the most true-to-life character. You want to plead her to not keep Joe away from the band, but at the same time are fully convinced with her reasons.
Last but definitely not the least is Luke Kenny as Rob – MAGIK’s backbone. If he charmed everyone with his silky tresses in the flashback, he was equally appealing with his crew cut in the present time. Even with a terminal illness he was oozing strength and conviction beyond description.
Annuu Malik – Hope I have taken care of all the “n’s” and “u’s”. There is nothing worth mentioning about the short cameo where he was supposed to play himself. The “darling” (I urge you to watch the film to understand this) who played the music director of Magik’s first music album played his short role very commendably. I wanted to shoot him at sight for treating those guys so shabbily.
DIRECTION & MORE
Abhishek Kapoor deserves a standing ovation for pulling off this subject so well & directing "dil se". Aditya’s bungalow in the film was done up like our dream mansion. I squealed with delight …..kaassshhhhhh yeh mera ghar hota J. The scene that me laugh till I fell of my seat was where the 4 rock stars attired in long kurtas and head bands were performing at a “Dandiya night” on “Sanso ki zaroorat hai jaise” from Aashiqui.
MY VERDICT
For me nothing in the movie was over the top. They say, “Real friends are hard to find, but if you are lucky enough to find them, cherish them forever”. The 4 friends had dreams to make it big & reach out to thousands. Unfortunately, luck didn’t favour them and they went ahead curbing their passion for music and leaving their dreams behind. But opportunity came knocking on their doors again to unite them and help them realise their dreams. Hope I could justify my title “they were destined to rock" **and they did.
Thanks for reading & KEEP ROCKING.
Payal