Rock On!! (2008 film)

Infobox Film
name = Rock On!!


image_size =
caption = Promotional poster for "Rock On!!"
director = Abhishek Kapoor
producer = Farhan Akhtar
Ritesh Sidhwani
writer = Abhishek Kapoor
narrator =
starring = Farhan Akhtar
Arjun Rampal
Purab Kohli
Luke Kenny
Prachi Desai
Shahana Goswami
Koel Purie
Nicolette Bird
music = Shankar Ehsaan Loy
cinematography = Jason West
editing = Deepa Bhatia
distributor = Excel Entertainment
released = August 29 2008
runtime = 145 minutes
country = IND
language = Hindi
budget =
gross =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website = http://www.rockonthefilm.com/
amg_id =
imdb_id = 1230165

"Rock On!!" is a Bollywood film starring Arjun Rampal and debutantes Farhan Akhtar and Prachi Desai in the lead roles, along with Luke Kenny, Purab Kohli, Koel Purie, Shahana Goswami and Nicolette Bird. It released on August 29, 2008. It has been written and directed by Abhishek Kapoor [http://www.rediff.com/movies/2008/may/02rock.htm First Look: Farhan Akhtar's Rock On ] ] and produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani.

Plot

The film is about 4 members of the rock band "Magik" and their struggle to make it big in the rock world. It is a composite of two plotlines, both focusing on the same four men, Aditya, Joe, Rob and KD (short for Killer Drummer, a nickname) at different times during their lives. These plotlines run parallel throughout the film.

The first of the two centres on the four in their early twenties, when they were young, wild, carefree and full of dreams. The entirety of this plotline is shown in flashbacks, bit by bit during the movie, following the story of the other plotline. They are both woven together at strategic points, which lends the film its much-praised nostalgic quality. During this time, they had created the band Magik, and it was their primary focus in life. Music was the only thing the four members of Magik cared about, and their friendship with each other was very important to them. It is shown that Aditya, the lead singer, and Joe, the lead guitarist, were especially close with each other. They met routinely in a small teashop, and practiced regularly in an old basement.

During one of these times, the band decided to enter a competition organized by channel [V] specifically for Indian rock bands. The winner was offered a contract for an album and at least one music video.

Recognizing this as a great opportunity, the band decided to compete, buying new instruments with money they earned playing old Hindi songs at random Dandiya parties. Eventually, they won the contest, beating a band called Chakravyuh in the process. The lead singer of Chakravyuh had a run-in with Joe after the contest, during which Joe beat him up for insulting Aditya.

Their win proved to be what brought the band down in the end. After signing their contract, the band was told that the only song Joe had written (the one that meant a lot to him because he was thinking of his girlfriend, Debbie, while writing it) was to be removed from the album. They were also told to throw in a random wedding song, because the wedding season was coming and this would help their album sell. Finally, they were told that Debbie could not be the band stylist, although she had asked specifically if she could be, and had her heart set on becoming a fashion designer. This would have helped her career infinitely.

Later, during the filming of the video, the cameramen were told to focus on Aditya more than on the others, who were completely sidelined. The accumulation of pressure and frustration sent Joe over the edge, and he confronted Aditya, who seemed not to have noticed that anything much was amiss. The director, a rude, cocky man, came over and told Joe rudely to keep it down. Losing his temper, Joe lashed out at him, and when Aditya tried to stop him, hit out at him as well, before marching out of the door with Debbie and leaving the band forever.

Aditya got up slowly, and went to the rooms the band was staying in. He packed, wrote a note to his girlfriend Tanya, took a few photos of the band with him and left for Delhi, never to return. Tanya found the note and was devastated, and cried bitterly in the dark room where she would develop photos she took of the band.In this way, Magik disbanded and its members, once the closest of friends, became estranged from each other.

The second plotline focuses on how Magik reunites ten years later.Aditya is a high powered executive in an investment banking firm, KD has joined his dad's jewellery business, Rob makes his living writing jingles for advertisements, and Joe is largely unemployed earning a buck or two by doing live performances at weddings, where nobody pays attention to the music. He has an eight year old son, Andrew, and the family is largely supported by Debbie, whom he has married, and who has joined his family's fish business.

Aditya is cold, impersonal and shuttered, and his wife Sakshi, who has just found out that she is pregnant, feels as though she doesn't know her husband at all. She wants to make him happier than he seems, and so she plans a surprise birthday party for him, after which she plans to announce her pregnancy. Before his birthday, she goes to buy him a watch, and asks the woman at the shop to emboss it with Aditya's name and birthday. KD, whose shop it happens to be, hears this while passing by and asks her to mention him to Aditya. When she does, however, Aditya says that he doesn't know any Killer Drummer. Sakshi waves the incident off until she finds a box with a few pictures of Magik and the lyrics of a song, as well as a guitar pick. Seeing KD in them, she contacts him and asks if he will get the rest of the band together to Aditya's surprise birthday party. KD promises to do his best.

Only KD and Rob arrive at the party. When they had gone to invite Joe, they were sent away by Debbie who still held a grudge against the bad for what she perceived as their ill treatment of Joe. Aditya does not seem too happy to see them. Nevertheless, they invite him to meet them at their old teashop hangout the next day, for a reunion. Joe is also invited separately by Rob.At night, Aditya tells Sakshi that she shouldn't have invited him. She retorts by telling him that all she wanted was to see him happy, and shows him the pictures. He accuses her of snooping, and tells him that he is about to be a father, but that she doesn't understand him anymore, and can't have a relationship with a man who won't let her in.

The next morning she leaves for her mother's and he goes to her friend Devika for advice. When Devika tell him to stop running away from his past, he decides to take up the band's offer to meet at their old rehearsal hall, the basement.After that day, Magik begins to practise regularly at Aditya's house. He also reconciles with his wife.

Soon, another contest hosted by [V] is announced, and at Joe's insistence, they enter themselves. When they meet the executive from [V] they discover that it is the same man from the band Chakravyuh, whom they defeated long ago. It is discovered that he is married to Tanya, Aditya's old girlfriend. The contest is scheduled on the same day as the one on which Joe is due to leave for a guitar playing job on a cruise liner. When it is discovered that Rob has a brain tumor and his last wish is to perform with Magik one last time, Joe's choice becomes very difficult. Debbie insists that he go for the job, especially as their financial situation is so bad and they have a son to bring up. The contest is aired on the radio, and while Joe is in the taxi on the way to the airport with his family, he hears Magik play the song he wrote for Debbie so long ago, and dedicate it to him. He leaves the taxi and goes to the concert, reaching just as the song ends. On seeing him, the band immediately perform another song, and the movie ends on a high note.There is a short epilogue, where they show that the band members are all friends again. Sakshi has given birth to a baby boy, who is named Rob after the friend they lost two months after the final performance. Devika, Sakshi's friend, is in a relationship with KD, who has started a record company with Joe, now doing pretty well. Debbie has pursued her dream of being a fashion designer, and they are good friends with Tanya and her husband the lead singer of Chakravyuh. The remaining band members and their families meet at least once a week.

Cast

*Farhan Akhtar - Aditya Shroff
*Arjun Rampal - Joseph 'Joe' Mascarenhas
*Purab Kohli - Kedar Zaveri aka Killer Drummer (KD)
*Luke Kenny - Rob Nancy
*Prachi Desai - Sakshi
*Shahana Goswami - Debbie
*Koel Purie - Devika
*Nicolette Bird - Tanya

oundtrack

The music is composed by the composer-trio Shankar Ehsaan Loy in the style of 70's/80's-rock. It was recorded in five days from start to finish [http://www.aspisdrift.com/2008/07/inside-music-of-rock-on-with-ehsaan.html Inside the music of Rock On!! with Ehsaan Noorani (A Drift Exclusive) - Aspi's Drift ] ] and features the actor Farhan Akhtar as vocalist on six out of the nine tracks. It is one of the few bollywood soundtracks in which the lyrics (by "Javed Akhtar") were written before the music was composed. Musafir, a song from a newly formed band "RADIO" was also featured in the film, but was not part of the album.

Infobox Album
Name = Rock On!!
Type = Album
Artist = Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy


Released = July 7, 2008 (India)
Recorded =
Genre = Film soundtrack
Length =
Label = Big Music
Producer = Farhan Akhtar, Ritesh Sidhwani
Reviews =
Last album = Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic 2008
This album = Rock On!! 2008
Next album =

Critical Reception

The film has been critically acclaimed across India and around the world, with several leading reviewing rating the storyline and the actors' performances highly.cite web |title= Rock On!! movie review |url = http://mtvindia.com/movies/movies.php?id=18705] Apunkachoice.com stated in its review, "Rock On!!" leaves you to feel nostalgic about your young age. And ends in a feel-good note, to follow your dreams." [cite web|author=ApunKaChoice|title=Rock On inspires you to follow your dreams|url=http://www.apunkachoice.com/dyn/movies/hindi/rock_on/rock_on-review.html|publisher=ApunKaChoice.com|accessdate=2008-08-30]

Its music has also received positive reviews and was recognized as Bollywood's brilliant first experiment with real rock music. It was especially noted for the unusual lyrics (by "Javed Akhtar") in the rock songs and the balancing effect of the slow songs among the rock.

Promotion

In order to promote the film, a series of live concerts took place in Pune, Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru and Kolkata.. The concerts primarily had Farhan Akhtar performing along with Shankar Ehsaan Loy. The rest of the cast also made appearances.cite web |title = Interview with Farhan Akhtar |url = http://www.santabanta.com/cinema.asp?pid=22082]

The "Rock On!!" Band" members appeared on the cover of the September 2008 issue of the "Rolling Stone" (India edition).

References

External links

* [http://rockon.bigadda.com Official website]
*
* [http://www.moviejini.com/movie-review/film-rock-on-movie-review/ A Citizen Journalist - Rock On!! Movie Review]