“ROCK ON is…….. BANGGG ON!!!”

Many eyebrows were raised when Farhan Akhtar-the Filmmaker decided to slip into the shoes of an Actor for his production house’s next venture: ROCK ON. Being an ace Director, instead of sailing the ship himself, he handed over the oars to late 90s’ Super-flop Actor Abhishek Kapoor aka Gattu. When initial promos were rolled on to the floor, Farhan was seen crooning few senseless lines that constitute the music of the movie based on Rock Band. Add to it an allegation of being “Dil Chahta Hia“ kinda movie was doing the rounds, so comparisons was nothing but obvious. Phewwww….. So Far…So Bad!!!! First impression is the last impression, isn’t it? Well.. Not really; atleast not in this case. Sadly for the Critics, all the bad-things culminate to a sudden demise then and there, as Farhan and his “Few Good Men” are Bang-On in their endeavor.

Farhan Akhtar has done a commendable job donning three different hats as an Actor, Singer and Dialogue Writer. He was more than comfortable facing the Camera as he was behind it. As a singer his unconventional voice gels well with the mood of the movie and it’s rather impossible to think about the songs sans his vocal skills. All the songs sung by him:”Socha Hai”, “Tum ho Toh”, “Pichle Saat Dinon”, “Sinbad the Sailor” and the title track “Rock On” creates an aura of Rock Music around you. Other three pillars of Rock On troop - Arjun Rampal, Purab Kohli and Luke Kenny has done equal justice to their respective roles. Its hard to judge who was better amongst three of them; While Arjun played aggressive yet subdued character, Purab was his usual self with his tongue-in-cheek humor and Luke Kenny plays the peacemaker-in-chief. All these protagonists were never allowed to go overboard and emerge as a triumphant in their own shell of characterization. The credit should go to the debutante-director for taking the best out of his cast-n-crew. Prachi has made an impressive debut; she looked pretty and enacted both the lighter and emotional scenes with ridiculous ease. It’s refreshing to see her out of those trite K-Series and Saas-Bahu-sagas. Shabana Goswami, getting equal footage as her compatriot Prachi, was impressive both as a confidence-boosting girlfriend and as a middle-class frustrated wife. The rocking music by ever-so-experimenting trio of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy is heart-n-soul of the movie and is best suited to watch within the closed doors of the Theatre; but once you are out of it you will even love to beat your ear-drums playing the tracks through your personal iPods.

Being touted as first ever Rock Movie in Bollywood, it has its share of emotional, romantic and humorous quotient to make it enthralling and a complete must watch. Without any tinge of doubt, the movie is aimed towards Youngistaan and will (already is) appeal (ing) to the youth, immensely. It’s a story of four friends and there journey spanning more than ten years. It’s a story of chasing their dreams, their passion; it’s a story about the special bonding known as friendship. Its story about their clashing egos, their struggle, their compulsions to thrive in this cut-throat competitive world that forms the road block to relishing their dream of being a Rock Band. As a construed thought, actually it’s not just a story; it’s a mirror image of one’s own life – Yours’, Mine and all the Youth-Brigade in one way or the other.

Harjeet’s Verdict: Rock On gives an ample testimony of the changing phase of Bollywood. It delineates the different kind of genre all together and targets towards the niche audience. It would be awesome for some, mediocre for few and utter rubbish for others. So make your own choice as per the gist deduced from the review; either raise a toast for FRIENDSHIP and “Keep Rocking” or just lay back and “Stay in Peace”.

It’s never too late to Re-LIVE your dreams; Grab the second Opportunity and cherish it forever….n ever!!!