ROCK ON
[Aasmaan Neela-neela kyon, Paani geela geela kyon]
First time Writer/director Abhishek Kapoor’s Rock on is the story of a failed rock quartet that decides to do a reunion after ten years at the lead singer’s wife’s behest and thereby rescue two of its down-and-out members from the depths of despair. The band consisting of the poet-at-heart Farhan Akhtar (vocals), winsome gujju chokra Purab ( Drums), pensive goan Arjun Rampal ( lead guitar) and Relic VJ Luke Kenny(percussionist) keep jamming in the garage and trying to strike record deals till they realise that Javed Akhtar’s corny lyrics
[Aasmaan Neela-neela kyon, Paani geela geela kyon]
First time Writer/director Abhishek Kapoor’s Rock on is the story of a failed rock quartet that decides to do a reunion after ten years at the lead singer’s wife’s behest and thereby rescue two of its down-and-out members from the depths of despair. The band consisting of the poet-at-heart Farhan Akhtar (vocals), winsome gujju chokra Purab ( Drums), pensive goan Arjun Rampal ( lead guitar) and Relic VJ Luke Kenny(percussionist) keep jamming in the garage and trying to strike record deals till they realise that Javed Akhtar’s corny lyrics
and his son’s hopelessly hoarse voice are really no good.
So Farhan gets a haircut and becomes a savvy but strangely restrained stockbroker while Purab chops his goatee and finds solace in sorting diamonds in his papa’s dukaan. Arjun Rampal continues to play igonimous gigs for small money and Luke Kenny nurses an ugly, clichéd secret (brain tumor) that the last quarter of the film unabashedly holds on to for emo-support. All that after Farhan Akhtar’s listless wife discovers his buried-in-the-past secret in a bunch of band photos hidden in his wardrobe and decides to shake her rock-star swami back to stardom. Jhalak dikhlaa ja! Does the band win the recording contract that had eluded them ten years ago? It doesn’t matter if they do. What stays with you in the end is the massive (musical) let down that floozies through after Farhan Akhtar had gone on record about parallels between Rock On’s Magik and the likes of Coldplay, REM and Green Day.
Pray-what kind of a Rock Band calls itself Magik with a K? Probably a pretty in pink pop/rock ensemble cast from the late seventies with two semi-matronly bovine beauties and two bearded baritones in white suits behind them. Think Heart, think Fleetwood Mac, think Rush. Rock on’s band is conveniently named Magik to fall in line with the split up member’s nostalgia related to the group.Sniff. For the unintiated-there’s no anger /frustration/ un-inhibited expression/disregard for authority/sheer genius or even a single inspired riff worth remembering in Magik’s insipid tale. Just the beginning bars of Pink Floyd’s ‘Coming back to life’ stolen by Shankar-Loy-Ehsaan that keeps popping up every now and then in the background. Last year’s Metro kicks Rock On’s ass for the Best Rock soundtrack (to date) in a hindi film by a long- long way. And urdu poet Javed Akhtar writing lyrics for rock songs is like Bob Dylan penning down a few whiny ghazals while being help prisoner for vandalising the Agra Fort-‘ Na kisi kee aankh ka noor hoon>’ Hey, I’m not the jewels of your eyes, BABE.’ Picture THAT!
To their credit- Arjun Rampal and Farhan Akhtar(when he’s not singing) do put in admirable performances about boys being forced into becoming men; Men that they never wanted to become- staid, straitjacketed, nine to five bread winners who never had the heart to pursue what the really wanted to-somewhere in college when they thought they had what it took to conquer the world. That was Bang on.
So Farhan gets a haircut and becomes a savvy but strangely restrained stockbroker while Purab chops his goatee and finds solace in sorting diamonds in his papa’s dukaan. Arjun Rampal continues to play igonimous gigs for small money and Luke Kenny nurses an ugly, clichéd secret (brain tumor) that the last quarter of the film unabashedly holds on to for emo-support. All that after Farhan Akhtar’s listless wife discovers his buried-in-the-past secret in a bunch of band photos hidden in his wardrobe and decides to shake her rock-star swami back to stardom. Jhalak dikhlaa ja! Does the band win the recording contract that had eluded them ten years ago? It doesn’t matter if they do. What stays with you in the end is the massive (musical) let down that floozies through after Farhan Akhtar had gone on record about parallels between Rock On’s Magik and the likes of Coldplay, REM and Green Day.
Pray-what kind of a Rock Band calls itself Magik with a K? Probably a pretty in pink pop/rock ensemble cast from the late seventies with two semi-matronly bovine beauties and two bearded baritones in white suits behind them. Think Heart, think Fleetwood Mac, think Rush. Rock on’s band is conveniently named Magik to fall in line with the split up member’s nostalgia related to the group.Sniff. For the unintiated-there’s no anger /frustration/ un-inhibited expression/disregard for authority/sheer genius or even a single inspired riff worth remembering in Magik’s insipid tale. Just the beginning bars of Pink Floyd’s ‘Coming back to life’ stolen by Shankar-Loy-Ehsaan that keeps popping up every now and then in the background. Last year’s Metro kicks Rock On’s ass for the Best Rock soundtrack (to date) in a hindi film by a long- long way. And urdu poet Javed Akhtar writing lyrics for rock songs is like Bob Dylan penning down a few whiny ghazals while being help prisoner for vandalising the Agra Fort-‘ Na kisi kee aankh ka noor hoon>’ Hey, I’m not the jewels of your eyes, BABE.’ Picture THAT!
To their credit- Arjun Rampal and Farhan Akhtar(when he’s not singing) do put in admirable performances about boys being forced into becoming men; Men that they never wanted to become- staid, straitjacketed, nine to five bread winners who never had the heart to pursue what the really wanted to-somewhere in college when they thought they had what it took to conquer the world. That was Bang on.
