Rock On

I had first outrightly rejected Master's idea to watch Rock On. This habit of reading - everything that is available to eyes - has it's own side effects. The reviews were all praises. The hype was, as usual, excessive. A story of reunion (observing pattern, that's another habit) was a dampener; same things, different presentation style, essentially a pattern. On the top of it, the music was western. And of all types, rock. All this in one package is way too much to endure. But then, it was a Farhan Akhtar piece.

A masterpiece, rather. The musical flick opens with a high 

decibel song, sure enough a hint of what's more in the offing. The following two and half hours certainly offer a gratifying experience. The story, as already mentioned, is throughly simple and straight forward. College friends live the passion of music with their rock band. The friendship is beyond perfection. A concert. A deserving win. Then suddenly, an ego clash and so ensues the nightmare. Everything falls apart. This, followed by a reunion, through the machinations of a beautiful - but unsure of her husband's happiness - wife. What perks up this rather dull sounding storyline are the performances. A film get much better, devoid of the stars. The characters, all of them, did their respective parts with finesse. While toned bodies and thoughtful contemporary apparels did there bit of magic, it was the sheer excellence in which the emotions - or the apparent lack of it, as demanded by Farhan's character - were expressed. What amazed me personally was the ease with which Farhan faced camera. Being on the other side of camera, and be perceptibly good, does call for an applause. The innocence on Luke Kenny's face and mischievous Purab Kohli were quite natural. And that tranquil Arjun Rampal! The dude has finally got something really working for him. He is one of the best looking talented fella in the tinsel town, though mostly wasted on silly formula flicks. The panache with which he delivers his dialogues and twitches the strings, both, is worth watching. The ladies party was nice. No hyper acting. No needless crying. No melodrama. Plain simple sentences and straight talk. Good!

Though I have a conservative view towards music, mostly favouring Classical and Light, this rock on experience was no bad. In fact, it's quite an injustice to say so. The 'Socha Hai...' and 'Tum Ho To...' were well enough to make me sway my head. And that last performance in the flick was simply fantastic. I discovered myself tapping the boots, big time. Kudos to the Shankar, Ehsaan & Loy trio. Percussion instruments are anyway my favourite. But then, the guitar play evoked pure ecstasy. All the songs were sung from with soul. The rhythm, the beats, the vocals, the composition were all sounded in sync. The lyrics were grotesque, nevertheless. 'Jag Mein Saanp Baste Hai' and all such crap! Master, though, helped me get enlightened by unravelling that this was an archetypal punk rock piece.

The post production work must also get special mention. The editing was immaculate. Such tight and diligent work made the flashbacks and the present scenes blend well. The pace was also good. No dull moment, even when the upcoming situation was expected (darn this pattern recognition habit). The sets, locations and cinematography were class.

The best part of the movie is that it targets the youth and serves good entertainment. No big talk. No hypocrisy. Yet, touching the sensitive issues of human relationships. As in Dil Chahta Hai, Farhan again dwells upon the lives of a group of friends, over a period of time. How each fares in the walk of life. How one adapts or breaks down. How priorities change. How people change. How things change. And even then, how the passion to rock on remains unchanged.

It's magikal. Certainly.