Rock On- Oh For 60 Minutes
Hi Folks,
Caught a press screening of Rock On at the beautiful Saratoga area in Northern California. 60 minutes, oh 60 minutes seperates this movie from being a reasonable watch to being a classic watch. It was 60 minutes too long, if 60 minutes had been shaved off a super movie would have played out.
The two biggest strenghts of this movie are a) a strong story told via underplayed emotions and b) extraoridnary acting by the woman (don’t know her name), who plays Arjun Ramphal’s spouse in the film.
My one big, actually super big complaint wiht RGV, his proteges and the other Bollywood filmmakers, more the current lot, is that most spousal conflicts, as depicted visaully in hindi movies, either ends in a slap or a glass being broken or something similar. To me this suggests a lack of understanding of real world emotions and how they play out and also bad scriptwriting to wrap up a perfect conflict in an imperfect way and finally it depicts that we don’t really understand arguments. Arguments and conflicts can and do happen between the best of friends and cilminating it in a physical action is an insult to the intelligence which goes into depicting the build up of the argument. Rock on moves away from this, especially in the marital conflict phase and am glad to see that play out in a movie. The protagonist and his spouse don’t have the perfect marriage, in fact both the marriages playing out on the screen are not, but then they are also not depicted in the classical and unclassy way of physical violence against people or things. Here it plays out naturally as generally it does or should do, between two intelligent people. In fact the only time violence in a male/male or a friend scenario is depicted is when an unintelligent human initiates it. This is one classic movie from that angle.
The story is light, parts of it have been told by other films like Jhankaar Beats, etc, but what stands out is the peformance by the character who plays Ramphal’s wife. She plays the modern, current, urban woman with a lot of aplomb. Watch out for her. Just the opening scene is dynamite and it only goes better from there. This part suits Arjun too, after playing a mediocore bad guy in OSO, he plays a reasonably good, good guy in Rock On. Purab Kohli amongst the males, is the definite standout.
The story is light, but the weakness is the time. If this story had played out in 90 minutes it would have been a very fine film, to have it slow down and play out over 2.5 hours, is a very slow film. A rock band movie playing slow…I know it sounds unusual but the director and the editor need a serious lesson in “raw footage” and ” final cut,” cause what plays out for the audience is definitely raw footage.
Frahan the director is better than Farhan the actor, the songs and music is good and some fine sights and sounds of the city of Mumbai. Research is lacking…A Financial Adivsor aka Your Personal Banker is NOT AN INVESTMENT BANKER. Farhan’s character is shown picking stocks in one scene and then he is an investment banker in the other, c’mon guys lets get some basic research done, it does not cost too much money and is the least that we can expect.
Overall though one does feel good watching Rock On…of course the thought does linger, but what is 60 minutes had been cut…how much better would the feeling be!!! Some questions in life are never answered unfortunately.
The character arc of humans in general, especially urban, current humans from India, is well depicted, in fact better than a lot of movies I have seen.
Sincerely,
Vivek “let’s start reducing the supply of film stock to Bollywood, then watch the magic” Kumar
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hmmm…she is shahana goswami…was sueprb in yun hota to kya hota and is also in firaaq!
Ok,if it’s a reasonable watch,that means it’s among the 1% of movies this year that can be watched without cursing your stars or the ticket prices
I think the role of Arjun’s wife is played by Shahana Goswami
just as i was searching the net if anyone has reviewed this yet….voila my very own pfc has a review.
gonna watch it on Saturday,
btw how was prachi desai?
Call it Indian mentality or whatever. There are still some who feel that if they have paid 150 rupees for a movie they need want the movie to be long for it to be a total paisa vasool. Thats a pity.
Ticket booked for Sunday…..
Thanks Vivek!
Going for 1st Day 1st Show tomorrow!
Hope I wont be disappointed atleast!
I dont have high expectations, but as you are saying, at least it is reasonable watch!
Hoping So!
Thanks again!
Dekhte hain Dekhte hain ,my gut feeling says it is gonna be a very good movie if not a DCH.
I guess I am the very few whos not keen on watching this film; it seems so artificial - the look, the concept (Indian rock stars), the looks… everything….May be Im wrong but its not a film on my ‘To Watch this weekend’ list..
Yes it is artifcial, yet this film is convincing ,afterall this movie is acted by Farhan Akthar… the one who changed the indian way of story telling in cinema…
If you are not convinced watch DCH atleast once….
Uday
Frahan the director is better than Farhan the actor
The director is Abhishek Kapoor
Vivek,
Nice post. Just one point, a personal financial advisor is not an investment banker but investment banks do deploy funds in asset management companies and hedge funds. Therefore, there is a possibility that an employee of an investment bank will review the stocks in which the asset management companies have invested the funds. I haven’t seen the movie, therefore I cannot say how these terms were used, just wanted to share my thoughts.
@Arthi V: Err… I don’t know if the film is on rockstars, but if it is about rock bands then OK. ‘cos there are rock bands in India. They have their niche audience. Be it bengali bands like Fossils or bangalore bands like Parikrama. Even Indian ocean can be termed as an alternative rock band. I don’t think rock bands in india are artificial.
The point is, does the film get me involved in the said band’s members’ lives? I need not be a rock fan or something. The guys in DCH comes from pretty rich and upper class background, but that doesn’t stop us from identifying with them. let’s see if Rock On can achieve some of that…
I share your skepticism Arthi..but I want to watch it for its detaling..lets see how good it is..
@Avik:Just a correction-Parikrama is a delhi based band.Artificial may be to some or may be not.Seems like a self idulgent movie for Farhan Akhtar.I think he wanted to be rock artist..he is just trying to fulfil that via celluloid.
@ Avik - True there are rock bands in India. But here in Rock On the complete styling,(I mean Arjun R and Purab especially) the songs picturisation et al look so westernised and so borrowed. Its just imitation and that for me was such a put off. Its like a real self indulgent ride for FA and gang.
Here even though Id like to know what exactly is happening in their lives as they choose to follow their dreams I am not able to look beyond the show put up.
And I did see DCH - the story of 3 rich spoilt kids and frankly I could not relate to them at all (contrary to what you’ve written). The second time I saw I saw it from FA, the film-maker’s perspective and yes, I agree that it was a very new way of story-telling. The guy is talented no doubt. But still what I feel @ Rock On is the same.
I could be all wrong but this is what I feel. Hope you njoy the film.
you guys just need to get down to mumbai and go over to toto’s, hard rock, not just jazz, henry thams etc…….rock on is spot on with the clothes et al ….this is a band from mumbai comprising of rich kid gujjus and trust me from what i could gather from the promos, these guys look like they could be from my college ( a typical south mumbai college)…or even my friends ( except for arjun rampal he’s way too old for this!)….
@Arthi….from all the concerts iv been to, from all the pub gigs, college gigs i’ve attended i can say they’ve done enough justice to the styling etc….like i said just head down to i-rock or something and look at any of the current hot Indian bands…Zero, Pentagram (*ing the sellout Vishal Dadlani), Them Clones, Vayu, Junkyard Groove, The Superfuzz, Helga’s Fun Castle the guys from these bands could fit right in with rock on…..i’m sure the film is about the mumbai rock scene(the promos are a dead giveaway obv) and if you did peek into the mumbai rock scenario you’d probably get it…
speaking of mumbai bands , watch out for my friend Sheldon’s band if u r from mumbai….it’s called….wait for it….wait for it…
‘Navi Mumbai Sarvajanik Rock N Roll Mitra Mandal’
I agree on the styling bit. That’s been captured well, but what’s disappointed me about this movie is the music.
I feel this was a great opportunity to produce an album which had some great rock songs. I know it has the guitar solos, a prominent bass line, a 3 guitar/drums/keyboard setup and a fairly decent attempt to do an Axl Rose, but the music is just not something that lingers on. The uninspiring lyrics just make it worse.I feel Sh-Eh-Lo were the wrong choice for this and so was Javed A. I guess for this one they could have experimented with A motley group of Indian/Pakistani bands. Or if they wanted to be really safe then they could have used Vishal/She or AR Reh cos atleast they have a background in the Indian rock scene.
Anyway my tickets are booked for tom. Have to atleast do this much for the people who made Lakshya.
‘Navi Mumbai Sarvajanik Rock N Roll Mitra Mandal’
I don’t even know if that is a joke or not…but everytime someone asks me for the name of my favourite rock band, I will just have to drop that name down.
In fact, I’m going out just now and starting random conversations about rock music with everyone I meet.
“Wow, beautiful weather today.”
“Yeah, gorgeous…”
“Reminds me of rock music.”
“Rock music…?”…
Classic. I just want to keep saying it.
i thought farhan was pretty good . i wont be surprised if he chooses to become a full -time actor.
in fact all the performances were really good and characters well-etched .
sure a little long but movie is made from heart and it shows on screen.
@Sucker i agree…..aasman hai neela kyon pani geela geela kyon wtf kinda lyrics is javedsaab writing…..though i liked zehreelay….its quite camp in a cheesy sort of way….
@bombil batata- so u got the joke.. good job sherlock…
@Arthi
Rock is not just about the guitar or the grass………it’s the whole philosophy ,the clothes ,the gear the looks and the attitude.
So don’t say that the looks are borrowed ,you won’t find any rocker dude in dhoti (no offense to Indian traditional cloths)
or kurta pyajama ,the portrayal is accurate and spot on.
If Rock On’s music or lyrics is uninspiring then I have no idea what sort of inspiration people are looking for. Probably Himesh Reshammiya!!
I find the lyrics and music of most of the Rock on songs beautiful. Sindbaad the sailor, aasma hain .. are just refreshing. And from whatever little I’ve seen on the promos, the cinematography and styling is simply awesome.
It will be eons before Indian movies run for an hour and a half.
I remember going to movies with my uncle, and the first thing the audience looked out for was the “number of reels” on the film certificate at the beginning of the movie. Anything less than 21 reels usually elicited a sigh of disappointment (and this is even before the movie starts!).
Paisa vasool = 21 reels I guess!
I’m excited to watch this one. Hearing quite good things about Rock On.
Dying to see Rock on. Another 24 hours to go. Cinematography looks fab. Jason has done a great job.
I am gonna watch it over the weekend. Songs are amazing.
Reviews seem positive.
I am disappointed that Big Flix subscribes reviews of Taran Adarsh
http://nlimages.bigflicks.com/rental/20080828sp/rockon.html
He gives 4 stars, though.
My only grouse is that it should not be an attempt to showcase mid-life crisis under the garb of rockers lives.They are very capable of doing it.Psuedo-modish.
Why the fuch is Farhan Akhtar singing..he sounds really bad..all the music is good the lyrics are appalling.
I am purely interested in watching the details.Supposed Farhan is the guy for whos got a penchant for detailing.He has done justice with all his films previously.
Very Ironical…
“Frahan the director is better than Farhan the actor, the songs and music is good and some fine sights and sounds of the city of Mumbai. Research is lacking…A Financial Adivsor aka Your Personal Banker is NOT AN INVESTMENT BANKER. Farhan’s character is shown picking stocks in one scene and then he is an investment banker in the other, c’mon guys lets get some basic research done, it does not cost too much money and is the least that we can expect.”
While reviewing a film, one should know who was the director! Research is certainly lacking.. Doesnt cost much, infact titles are for free!
saw the movie yesterday night and did love it though not completely bowled over. really loved your take on the marital conflict piece. in fact shahana as debbie is the stand out performance of the movie. she was simply brilliant. on farhan as an actor I do think he did a very very good job in the rock stage scenes. the way he plays the crowd getting them on his side is simply super. not many actors today could have pulled of the no holds barred persona of lead vocalist. what works in his acting favour is that he has done the vocals on his own. however the vocals is what lets the movie down. technically would it have been too difficult to have someone like uday benegal or vishal do the actual vocals and dub it ? I would not know. but would have loved the songs in their voice. and yes even arjun rampal does a very good job on the acting front.
@Parth- Not once in my post have I mentioned that I am comparing Farhan the actor to Farhan the director OF THIS FILM. Of course Farhan is not the director of this film, it was known from day one, that is someone called Abhishek Kapoor or something of that sort, along with being the writer. This is the first time I am seeing Farhan, the actor, the director has performed in DCH, Lakshya and Don, the actor has performed for the first time in this film, hence the comparision of the two skill sets is after this film. Now if I write all of this in my post, it will be the size of both Mumbai Meri Jaan and Rock On…….very, very long!
@Prasun- Ironical I thought of my class fellow in school and Junior College (HR College), Uday Benegal too, when seeing the movie and perhaps a bit of Uday’s story is here too. I know he left after Junior College to do Hotel Management in Sophia Polytechnic in Mumbai, got his diploma, then Rock Machine, Indus Creed happened and now I am given to understand it is Alms For Shanti in NYC, along with writing for Village Voice and doing the occasional compering on AVS TV.
FOR TEAM OF ROCK ON!
Gehra Samundar Tha Oonchi Oonchi Lehren Mere Yaar Sunlo Sunlo
Kasthi Acchi Acchi Bhi Mushkil Se Tehre Mere Yaar Sunlo Sunlo
O O Saahil Pe aa Hi Gaya O O.., Woh Mazil Ko Paa Hi Gaya O O..
Us Ke The Jo Sapne Wohi Us Ke The Apne, Aisa Tha Sindbad The Sailor………….. Sailor
@Avik- parikrama is a band from delhi
Does the film show “Farhan” picking stocks ? Then I think I missed that scene. All I heard was his wife and her friend talking about stocks, where Farhan was interested/knew-about. Is it a crime that a financial investment advisor knows in and out about stocks ?
@Vivek
Hey sorry for that. i kinda knew that but i am quite a bit in Rock On!! fever to read anything against it.
@Kcpingle- Unless I was imagining things, and that will make it three of us, cause three discussed this very scene in the press screening- there is one scene where Farhan is facing a couple of computers in his desk at work and has his bluetooth on and says something to the effect of “don’t worry your investments are safe, the stock market is booming,buy that stock, India or the Indian economy is doing very well….” immediately after this scene he is called by his boss Dilip Tahil and his promotion is announced. The above dialogue is very, very, very, STOCK PICKER and FINANCIAL ADVISOR, not an investment banker, who would in the real world, not be looking at a computer but would be meeting the CEO’s of the COMPANIES LOOKING TO MERGE, GO FOR AN ACQUSITION, LOOK FOR INVESTMENT. This dialogue is not with his wife, nor by his wife, it is by him, in his office desk, in his office phone, clearly with a client aka he is shown giving stock tips AT WORK, not in a social setting and then lo behold he has become an investment banker.