Review : Rock On

Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2
Genre : Drama
Year : 2008
Running time : 2 hours 15 minutes
Director : Abhishek Kapoor
Cast : Farhan Akhtar, Arjun Rampal, Luke Kenny, Purab Kohli, Prachi Desai, Sahana Goswami
Kid rating : PG

Ever since “Dil Chahta hai” hit screens, I’ve thought of Farhan Akhtar as a very talented guy. His Lakshya was very good too, so I’d expected “Rock on” to show just the same high level of quality. Unfortunately it doesn’t live up it’s promise; it’s not bad yeah, but it’s not that great either.

“Rock on” is also about friendship, it’s weakening and strengthening, about the changes in life and about growing up. Four friends rocking together in college hope to get a record label to sign them up, but break up as differences arise – that’s the basic premise.

It could have given DCH some competiition had it had more substance. Not so much meat, you know ? As it was, it seemd to be rather thinly stretched over a few scattered events. Plus it failed in the “oomph” department. I mean I like Farhan and all, but he is not an Aamir or a Hrithik. The only star among those 4 was Rampal, and he didn’t shine brightly enough (he doesn’t ever but that’s another story). It’s probably wearing all those hats that did it – Farhan is an excellent director, he sings fairly well, but acting ? Probably not for him. Not that he doesn’t act well, but would you rather watch Farhan as a rocker or Hrithik ?

Now DCH and Lakshya, both did an excellent job of characterization; all those people in those movies felt real, and spoke like actual people. “Rock on” tried hard, I think, in this aspect, but the characters were a bit stilted. Take Aditya’s (Farhan’s) wife Sakshi (played by Prachi Desai) – pretty one-dimensional, smiling, sweet, not a nasty bone to her, hmm ? Or Debbie, Joe’s (Rampal) wife, who’s more real – she quit her fashion designing dreams for Joe, appears very narrowly shrewish. She unrealistically buckles down when Joe puts his music above all else, I’d pretty much expected her to leave him at that point, but she in a very filmi way, shoulders the burden and let’s him play music.

The film’s protagnists have problems, yes – like the rest of us. However they also have an overarching goal. What is not very easy to connect to is the need for them to fulfill that goal – that need for them to play music. We know it’s a missing part of their lives, but it lacks feeling, that deep-down gut-wrenching, visceral laying-out of emotion that can transport a film from being a regular old film on music and friendship to being extraordinary.

I must say though that I quite liked the sound-track. The 2 slow numbers, “Phir dekhiye” and “Yeh tumhari meri baatein” are beautiful ballads, while “Tum ho to” is almost there. “Socha hai” was interesting as is “Pichle saat dinon mein”. However music alone does not a movie make, so although this film is watchable, I’m not exactly recommending it.

Technorati tag : Review Rock On