From the first frame of the film you get the feeling of the Farhan Akhtar stamp on this film and going by his past records one can surely say that it’s a good feeling. Little surprise that ROCK ON does live up to the expectations set, though not entirely.
ROCK ON is a predictable story. Take DIL CHAHTA HAI and JHANKAR BEATS, make a gang of 4 friends instead of 3, subtract a little bit of humour, keep the pace of the movie tight and you have a new concoction…and it does not fail to impress…
If you do not wish to read the plot, skip the immediate 2 paragraphs:The story is about 4 friends Aditya, Joe, KD and Rob who had a dream to make it big as a Rock band. On the way to achieving it they fall out and give up on music to pursue individual lives. Ten years later Aditya’s wife, Sakshi discovers the past life of her Investment banker husband, which was concealed from her, while stumbling upon photographs and videos of his rocking days.
Meanwhile KD is into his own business; Rob is into small time jingle composition and other freelancing stuff while Joe sells guitars. Sakshi works to reunite Aditya with the rest but, Aditya is not too keen. KD, Rob and Joe however, get together and decide to revisit the past jamming sessions. Aditya fights the ghost of his past which was affecting his marital life as well and joins them.
They start jamming again and rekindle hopes of performing on stage as a band through a competition. Joe’s wife Debbie is kept in the dark about the reunion since she believes that Joe was a victim of Aditya’s ego. She secures a job for Joe on a cruise which will give them good money. Suddenly the band comes to know about Rob carrying a malignant brain tumour and realize that this could be his only chance to perform on stage and he wishes for it. Thus the story culminates into the predictable climax of the competition finale and the homecoming of Joe.
There are similarities between DCH and Rock on in terms of the ego clashes, the Gujarati friend who works hard to bridge the chasm amongst the group members while also trying to impress girls in his spare time. The climax provides a sense of déjà vu for those who have seen Jhankar Beats.
Farhan Akhter as Aditya is the mainstay and does a good job for his debut. He definitely looks a rock star. Purab Kohli as KD is funny and convincing. Luke Kenny as Rob does need to work on dialogs and Arjun Rampal as Joe has shown a delta improvement in his acting skills, little consolation that the kid who plays his son acts more naturally than him. Prachi Desai as Sakshi shows promise on her debut and Shabana Goswami as Debbie does a good job too.
Shankar Ehsaan and Loy’s music is first rate. The music is reminiscent of vintage rock and one would leave the hall humming ‘Sindbad the Sailor’ as well as the title track ‘Rock On’. Both are quite zesty and peppy. Farhan Akhter has a grungy voice and since he has sung these songs quite well, it makes the character that much more believable as a rockster. Javed Akhter’s lyrics show a new side to his talent. They are almost ‘Gulzaresque’ set on rock music. The direction is slick. The dialogues are average. The film does invoke a sense of nostalgia as well as belief to pursue what is closest to the heart rather than live a mechanical life to earn your daily bread.
The film will have limited appeal and will only pass muster with those living in metros and also among those who listen and enjoy Rock Music. People who fulfill these criteria should go and see the film. I would give it a 3 on 5 rating.
So go ahead and enjoy some cool Hindi Rock…!!!