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Star Cast
Rock On!!
Farhan Akhtar
Aditya Shroff
Prachi Desai
Sakshi
Arjun Rampal
Joe Mascarenhas
Purab Kohli
KD
Luke Kenny
Rob
Shahana Goswami
Debbie
Koel Puri
Devika
View All
Director:
Abhiskek KapoorProducer:
Farhan Akhtar, Ritesh SidhwaniMusic:
Shankar, Ehsaan, LoyLyrics :
Javed AkhtarScreenplay:
Abhishek Kapoor, Pubali ChaudhuriStory:
Abhishek KapoorGenres:
DramaCertification:
Parental guidance suggestedStatus:
Completed
Plot Summary
Rock On!!
The forthcoming film 'ROCK ON' is going to be something that a lot of youngsters in India will be able to relate to a great extent.
Why? Most of the people are blessed with some kind of skill or the other.
No one can deny that at least once in our thoughts or dreams we must have found a strange kind of pleasure imagining ourselves as a celebrity enjoying the life of a star who is adored by the people and forever hunted down by the paparazzi.
Some youngsters most probably in their college days must have been fortunate enough to experience the sweet taste of getting great compliments after an excellent performance of some kind or the other presented in front of the whole college or just for the classmates.
The mere recall of those magical moments of appreciation, encouragement and enquiries by certain aspirants and well wishers who are curious about how u accomplished the deed all gives a high.
This rush of blood is followed by the stark reality that those moments and after that the few hours or may be days of feeling like a king is now part of history and nostalgia.
You are reminded that what exists today is the fact that you are just one among a big crowd having nothing exclusive. And just like the thousands of guys and girls who lead a life being part of some big multinational company or any other organization, getting a decent salary, supporting a family and trying to be fully satisfied with the present life as it is not possible to go back to the younger days and start all over again.
Some might have dug the graves for their talents to rest for ever because of the circumstances, some others due to the families that does not support and believe in you, some just because of unfavourable circumstances and yet some others due to just because of the fear of failure when it needs every ounce of the guts, energy, perseverance and the strongest will to finally realize the real dreams.
In this urban movie just like what has been mentioned in the above paragraph, four men who had split off in their peak days of glory to pursue other lesser goals reunite to give a second shot for making their long held most cherished aspirations true and thus nail down the unpleasant frustrating thoughts that have been haunting them for long.
'ROCK ON' is the story of these four guys who try to kill of the demons of their inner calls which constantly mocked at them forcing to see themselves as real losers.
This is the film that speaks of the wild freaky guys who comes back to revive their younger days and regroup the band MAGIK which was once regarded as the hottest and most talented rock band in India.
The name of the band becomes the ultimate truth when the four guys with four different attitudes comes together and creates magic.
So what happens which acted as the death blow that shattered and destroyed the one big collective ambition that emitted the invisible powerful rays to make every hurdle that the band MAGIK faced so easy to cross at one point of time.
See the film to know the reasons that may end up not just providing you entertainment but could also inspire people to just go and get it following the gut instincts as it is never late as long as you are alive.
Character Sketch
Arjun Rampal as Joe Mascarenhas
An idealist. A man of few words and lets his guitar do the talking. His loyalty towards his girlfriend and his band makes him the hero. It seems like God filled him with all the talent in the world but forgot to give him an opening to share it. He is the lead guitarist of the band.
Purab Kohli as KD (Kedar Zaveri)
Prefers to be known, as K.D. "Killer Drummer" is the scion of a successful jeweler family. His father and he don't see eye to eye on most issues. If one had to see K D in his work environment, one would think that he would suffocate and die. On stage it may look like he is slamming those drums with a vengeance but actually, he's only just breathing. He is the heart of magic
Luke Kenny as Rob Nancy
The Laid back quiet fence sitter of the band. If ever a disagreement arose trust Rob to step in and resolve the issue. He was part of the band because he loved what it was really all about, the friendship and the Bond. His Keyboard was an extension of his mind.
Farhan Akhtar as Aditya Shroff
A bohemian with boy from Delhi who left the comforts of his parents home to chase his dream of becoming a singer in a rock band. He has flare for unconventional poetry but at the same time with a message for today's youth makes him an instant hit with Generation X. He is the lead singer of magic
Rock On!!
Maxabout Review
Very strongly recommended!
Friday, August 29, 2008
ROCK ON!! is not just about music. It's about relationships. And relationships can get really complicated and messy as all of us would agree. ROCK ON!! captures it so beautifully, so sensitively, so effectively on celluloid.
Everything is in sync here, everything is just perfect. Flaws? Perhaps, the slow pacing. But come to think of it, you can't play with the edit in a film like this. ROCK ON!! also works because you can relate to the characters, you can relate to the moods, the egos, the highs and the lows...
ROCK ON (Tom Hanks), but it could be a mere coincidence. Director Abhishek Kapoor sets it in the Indian milieu efficiently. Watch the bonding shatter into pieces for no fault of anyone in particular actually. It's the circumstances that play the villain here and Abhishek captures it on lens so beautifully. The fragile relationships, how piece after piece is put together and the journey to the climax… the narrative is so compelling, it makes you feel you're witnessing all of it first-hand. Abhishek ‘Gattu’ Kapoor fuses in the right blend of actors to carry each role with a certain amount of conviction. The narrative transitions, the friendship, the emotions, the alleys, the instruments…. You are jut drawn into all of it.
Every performance in the film deserves brownie points.
If ‘DCH’ was remembered for Farhan’s directorial skills, this one too is headed a long way for his acting credentials. And of course not to mention, for his share behind the music of the film. Farhan excels right through the film. To say that he was better than the rest will be absolutely unfair in a film that highlights teamwork. He delivers with ease and with a great amount of conviction. The transition in character from one phase of life to another is not just brought about in his attire but very well with his body language. Farhan’s unconventional voice works in his favour and the myth that a hero should have a heavy baritone is done away with. The sequence where Farhan breaks out into an argument with his wife (Prachi Desai) and talks about the compromises of life brings forth brilliant dialogue delivery. Farhan often reminds you of Aamir Khan from ‘DCH’ and is in no respect less competitive.
Arjun Rampal delivers his finest performance to date. Watch him emote those tough emotional moments and also as a failed person in the latter parts and you'd realize that he has only grown with the passage of time. Superb is the word! Arjun carries the lead guitarist, rockstar look with ease. The complexity, the inner turmoil, the passion for music is brought out so well with the moustache embedded Arjun moving around from place to place with the guitar. Arjun delivers his lines really well especially in arguments with his wife(Shahana Goswami) and the scene where he reminds the band of its rules and gets into a spat.
Purab Kohli is tremendous as the ‘Killer Drummer’and brings in all that humour and all that true ‘masti’ associated with any band. He is so full of expressions and entertains you right through. He brings in those smiles even through the emotional sequences.. Purab has always delivered fine performances, but he's touched a new high this time. Luke Kenny as Rob is another revelation. Many often wondered whether Luke ever spoke Hindi and here he comes out with a fine convincing performance. Luke often acts as the backbone of the band and binds the characters well enough. His scenes with ‘Anu Malik’ are funny but realistic enough.
Prachi Desai scores in her very first feature. She has a challenging role and footage-wise too, it's substantial. Prachi brings in a lot of freshness and poise. Plus, she's a competent actor. Prachi Desai does a very decent job as the soft spoken wife of Farhan. She speaks a lot through her smile.
Shahana Goswami is a talent to watch out for. Her performance is one of the most difficult ones for a newcomer and the confidence with which she carries it deserves to be lauded. Koel Purie has a brief role and she enacts it quite well.
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's music is perfect. It's completely in sync with the mood of the film. Connoisseurs of music have already showered the music with rave reviews and rightly so! Jason West's cinematography is fantastic. The screenplay and dialogues are commendable.
Put your hands together for one of the finest films of our times. Put your hands together for a director who pulls off a challenging subject with élan. Put your hands together for the actors who pitch in superlative performances.
On the whole, ROCK ON!! is an amazing experience. The highpoint is the emotional quotient, the skilful performances and the superb execution of the subject. At the box-office, this urban film holds tremendous appeal for metros and mini-metros. Business at multiplexes of Mumbai, Pune, Delhi and NCR, Kolkata and South in particular should be excellent.
In a nutshell, here's a film you just can't afford to miss. Have a look at a film that India can proudly showcase to the West. ROCK ON!! simply rocks!
Trivias
Rock On!!
- To give the film and its characters authenticity, the actors underwent personalized training for their portrayal of the band members. Purab Kohli trained with Lindsay D'Mello on drums, Arjun Rampal trained with Chandresh from the band 'Dream out Loud', Luke Kenny worked with Loy and Farhan trained with Shankar for vocals and Ehsaan for rhythm guitar.
- Jason West, the DOP of the film is a drummer himself. So during lunch breaks the band would have jam sessions with the DOP on the drums