Fails to Rock you. Review on Rock On 2

A disbanded musical group reunites, but this time for a noble cause.

If you were inspired by'Rock On' and eagerly awaiting for this release, then disappointment is in the offing. This badly made sequel is produced to cash in on the success of'Rock On'.

Story: Moving on from where the prequel left you, the narrative takes you to a village in Meghalaya where Adi(Farhan Akhtar) has made his home for the last 5 years setting up a Community Cooperative Center and a School. He landed here in an attempt to run away from his past after one of his fans committed suicide. He has given up singing and cut off from the fast world as atonement. Joe(Arjun Rampal) is a successful working partner of a Pub in Mumbai and also a judge of a reality show. KD, Kedar – the Killer Drummer(Purab Kohli) runs a music studio and struggling to meet the demands of his clients. Jiah(Shraddha Kapoor) is a reclusive song writer, composer & singer and frequents Meghalaya to record the local folk songs. A forest fire ruins the livelihood of the villagers in Meghalaya and to raise funds the Magik band come together to organize a music concert in Shillong - the Rock Capital of India.

Cast: Apart from Farhan Akhtar, Arjun Rampal and Purab Kohli who form the core musical band, there are two additions by way of Shraddha Kapoor and Shashank Arora. Kumud Mishra plays the role of Jiah’s father and a famed classical singer who abhors the use of guitar, piano and such instruments as he feels it spoils the sanctity of music terming the fusion music as bhelpuri & khichdi.  Prachi Desai and Shahana Goswami continue gracefully in their respective roles. The performances of all cast came across ordinary due to the gloomy uninspiring script.

Pros: The story takes you to the scenic locales of Meghalaya and brings focus on the northeastern states of India which seem to be neglected in the fast progressing India. Some of the emotional scenes are nicely executed that stresses on relationships which could deteriorate due to ego and selfish ambition. Couple of scenes where Jiah challenges her father and Sakshi(Prachi Desai) calling it quits on her relationship with Adi(Farhan) were nicely captured.

Cons: The culprit is the script which portrays the key characters being depressed and unhappy. The characters get upset with each other frequently on silly issues irritating the viewer with the nonsensical drama. The characters though depressed are also shown encouraging and giving challenging sermons. Of all the places in India, Jiah goes to Meghalaya to record folk music just to meet the requirement of the script.

Songs: Except for the title song, none of the high vocal numbers could find its place in the sad storyline but only in the flashback scenes. The music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy was good but the impact it generated was marginal. The only song that came across refreshing was the one featuring cheerful Usha Uthup.

Direction: With the already talented cast, Shujaat Saudagar failed to recreate the magic of ‘Rock On’ which had a solid script. The sequel had neither the vision nor commitment to deliver excellence.  The direction was average and will be soon forgotten.

Conclusion: ‘Rock On 2’ is a victim of poor script and strictly for ‘Rock On’ fans. While one will find glimpses of inspiration in bits and pieces, this sequel has little or no entertainment factor compared to its prequel. This film being marketed as - From the makers of ‘Dil Chahta Hai’, ‘Don’, and ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’, is too inferior in comparison. The tagline #ReliveTheMagik is a farce. It would be wise to save your time and hard earned money for something worthwhile, hence give it a skip.