Why Rock On Is Memorable

I very eagerly await anything that has Farhan Akthar contributing in some way or the other. This one is a triple treat for the Farhan Akthar fan, he not only acts, he also croons and writes the dialogues as well. But despite all of that, does Rock On ROCK? It's certainly not landmark cinema, far from it, but it's got it's moments that will remain with you long after you've left the hall.

First of all, the movie has nothing to do with the rock genre of music or a 'Rock' Band and the chronicles of a Rock Band. It's much more about friendships than the struggles of cutting an album. It's very DCHesque and the languid pace of the film and the treatment makes it look like a major DCH hangover.

Aditya Shroff (Akthar) is a wedded to work zombie but highly successful investment banker making potloads of money for Jignes bhais and himself while banking on a booming India. His wife Sakshi (a charming Prachi Desai) is the kind that's only written about in fiction. Sakshi has oodles of patience, despite her husband being a 'stranger' to her in many ways. It's a beautiful character in that she stands by Aditya like a rock and the the kind of person she is you will know when she , organizies surprise birthday parties or throws a sumptuous dinner after a jamming session. A chance meeting with Kedar aka Killer Drummer aka KD (an extremely likeable and talented Purab Kohli) in his father's jewellery store sets of a chain of events that make up the movie. The movie keeps moving between the past and the present in the lives of the four band members who now live completetely different lives almost oblivious to each other ten years after an incident split the band. Joe Mascarenhas (played brilliantly by Arjun Rampal) is your idealist guitarist, who long after the band has split up now lives off his wife's hard work, pretty much doing nothing but reminiscing about the days of the band. He is the lead guitarist of the band and a perfect counterfoil to Akhtar's poetic Aditya. Rob (a nuanced Luke Kenny) is the only guy who continues to play his keyboard, but now for music directors such as Anu Malik. Anuji as he is known ,makes a cameo appearance as himself and even compliments Rob on being 'original'. Did he realize they were making a spoof on him? . Joe's wife Debbie (the performance of the film by Sahaha Goswami) runs the Mascheranhas household by running the family fish business. There's not much else to the story , but about how the Band reunites for what is their last concert together.

The music for all it's catchiness certainly does not befit a rock band. The songs would have sounded exactly the same or probably better even without the riffs and the drums that give it a rock like feel. Shankar -Ehssan-Loy try hard to give us a rock like experience, but succeed in giving us very hummable regular (non-rock) numbers in Socha Hai and Sindbad the Sailor. While Javedsaab, despite his credentials as a superb song writer fails to pull off poetry that fits into the rock genre. For all those who love the Floyds, the Sabbaths and the Doors or the Pearl Jams, a common thread running through their songs is that they are all dark. Rock numbers are by and large about the darker side of human nature and I am sorry to say that lyrics with "laundry Bills" and "unfinished novels" or "why the sky is blue" dont give it that edginess that's so essential in this genre. A contemporary rock number replete with brilliant lyrics is "Bandeh" by Indian Ocean. If any of the songs had something like that, it could have been different. Of the songs special mention must be made of "Sindbad the Sailor" , which is arguably the best song in the movie and has superbly written lyrics, again, not very rock-ish, but definitely better than laundry bills and sky is blue stuff. What director, Abhishek 'Gattu' Kapoor misses in detailing in most of the movie, he does brilliantly in one song that deserves special mention--Zehreelay. This is a song by one of the competing bands and it is complete with the most absurd lyrics about snakes and jungles and much more ridiculous stuff. It's also sung by a super wanna-be rock band whose only USP is noise. That's how most college bands are. Brilliant Gattu!! For this one masterstroke, I can forgive all your ignorance about Rock!

So What stays with you? Plenty. I haven't even come to the good parts yet. The final concert is filmed brilliantly by Jason West and performed magically by all the four band members. The seamless transition from "Tum Ho To" to "Sindbad the Sailor" and back to "Tum Ho To" and the camaraderie between the foursome, the entry of Arjun Rampal in the middle of the concert, all scripted so well , that it not only leaves a lump in your throat but also sends goosebumps down your spine. Pay particular attention to the last screenshot in black and white of all the four, hand in hand waving to the crowd. The penultimate scene, where Debbie requests Aditya to let go of Joe is so subtle yet so intense it blows you off. KD's outburst in the end blaming Aditya and Joe for all the band's ills and declaring he doesnt care who is going on stage but he will even if it means banging the drums all by himself for 20 minutes. This one scene captures the plight of KD and Rob, who though being a crucial part of the band suffer because of the ego hassles between Aditya and Joe. KD trying to hit on Sakshi's best friend (a classy Koel Purie) is another masterfully done scene.

I'll reserve the final for the best. In 2001, came this man with his explosive debut and it changed Bollywood forever. Farhan Akthar proves yet again , why he is so bloody good, when it comes to cinema. His acting is top notch , not once stealing focus from the rest of the actors but yet being the central character in the movie. The dialogues are succint and mint-fresh. And last of all , his voice--he pulls off some of the most difficult songs with aplomb and makes it look easy. Someone said his voice sounds like Chris Martin's? I would say to hell with that, Farhan you have a great distinctive voice and you can truly pull off a band of your own. And he is the true but understated star of this film. For this and many more, Rock On will remain etched in my memory for a long time to come.