Ou are not wrong, who deem that my days have been a dream. Yet if hope has flown away. In a night, or in a day. In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone? All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream.
A Dream, Edgar Allan Poe Past ten days or so have been quite interesting and thought provoking. I have seen movies belonging to different genres, which have provoked me to think on different lines of thought. I have seen a movie on What has been(Mumbai Meri Jaan), a movie on what might be(Wall-E).
And finally a movie on what could have been.. Yes Rock On!! Almost 35 reviews had gone by, with me faithfully reading them all. By the end of it all, I was about ready to throw up if I read one more review, heard one more person go oooh aaaah over what a great movie it was. So, when my friend got us tickets for Rock On!!
I was prepared, rather determined to dislike the movie. Well.. I never said I didn’t have a contrary nature…and maybe this is why I went on a tangent. But more on that later. (And yes, the irony doesnt escape me.. I am doing the same thing!)
Anyway, I still remember walking into the hall, having shared some hooting jokes with a friend, and was I surprised to see the hall almost full. The movie started, and I was lost, lost in the saga of four friends, who, naively believe that the world was theirs for the taking! Ah, such idealism!!!! Bound by music, linked by their rehearsals, the four Magik band members, Adi (Farhan), Rob (Luke Kenny), KD (Purab Kohli) and Joe (Arjun) are a balm to the jaded heart.
Somehow you feel as if you are flying with them, through their struggles, small victories, and big defeats, which make them go their own separate ways! Why did these pals, who stood up for each other, part ways? Was it really worth it? And will they come together again? Will the friendship overpower the bitterness of the past? Well, you need to check out the movie, it does rock!
Aditya the singerwho ends up as the most successful of all four, is an investment banker, with a pretty wife and a real, real cool house. But he still carries his angst inside his own heart, refusing to share his past with his wife, not realizing that he is also not sharing his present with her as well.
“Us Ke The Jo Sapne Wohin Us Ke The Apne, Aisa Tha Sindbad The Sailor” And yes, he did consider his dreams his own, so much that he refused to part with them, or the pain the failure caused him. Joe, the lead guitarist, the man who refuses to part with his guitar, who can give up his life for his friend Adi, and who inadvertently contributes to the break up of the friends. Watching his own dreams fade away, his wife slowly losing all her idealism, he teaches the neighborhood kids guitar, passing on the tales of Magik to his son.. and still refuses to part with his guitar.
“Maine Hosh Bhi Khoya Dil Bhi Khoya Kabhi Khud Pe Hansa Main, Aur Kabhi Khud Pe Roya”Somehow, you wanna reach out to him and pat him on the head, when you see the lone figure toting the guitar, and opening his heart to his son.
Killer Drummer or KD, and yes, he handles the drums. He of the wonderful, wonderful beard, (made me wish I was a guy!!) I found it telling that in the entire movie I didn’t get to know his real name. Imagine someone so used to his drums that his name became an extension of the same. Watch him handle his dad’s jewellery store, and your heart goes out to him. He makes you smile, and your heart ache. As he laughingly sings “I will survive”, you wonder how he did manage.
“I will surviveIt took all the strength I had not to fall apart kept trying hard to mend the pieces of my broken heart and I spent oh so many nights just feeling sorry for myself. I used to cry Now I hold my head up high. And you see me somebody new. I'm not that chained up little person still in love with you*” Of the four, he seemed the, how do I say it, most reconciled to his loss, and that’s exactly why you wonder.
Rob, on the keyboard, the man with that awesome, sexy hair… you have to see it to believe it… Look at him smiling while making music, his constant reference to D-Major, and you like him for his effervescent attitude to life. Post the breakup, he tries to keep his bond to music alive, by composing jingles for advertisements. The quiet resignation in his eyes.. I don’t have words to describe it..
"Rock On… Hai Ye Waqt Ka Ishaara
Rock On… Har Lamha Pukaara
Rock On…Yuhin Dekhta Hai Kya Tu*
Rock On… Zindagi Millegi Na Dobaara'
Can life really be all about a dream, just one dream**?
Sakshi and Debbie,are the wives of Adi and Joe respectively, who have had to bear the brunt of unsuccessful dreams of their husbands, hoping against hope that someday things will get better. Sakshi hopes that one day Adi will let her glimpse his past, and Debbie hopes that one day, Joe will let go of his past.
"**Ajeeb Dastaan hai ye, kahan shuru kahan khatam,
ye manzilein hain kaun si, na wo samajh sake na hum**"
I have never thought so much about any movie as I have about Rock On. The characters are so perfectly etched, its almost you are looking at an extension of someone you know. The direction is superb with the Farhan Akhtar stamp on it. There’s a flow to the narration which is amazing, what with the intermittent flashbacks thrown in. The songs seemed to be woven in the fabric of the story, and lend substance to the narrative. In fact, I absolutely fell in love with the songs, specially the https://lyrics. I remember some critics trashing the music, and the lyrics, but for me, Javed Akhtar has brought back the magic of “Chamkeele Din”. In fact, I don’t know if I am the only one, but I liked the songs better having seen the movie. I haven’t stopped listening to them ever since. As far as the look of the movie goes, its flawless. Be it the houses of Adi or Joe, KD’s jeep, or the Irani café, it looks natural. The best thing about the movie is that there’s nothing that disturbs you or jars you, if you know what I mean. The performances all good. Farhan is restrained, hence effective. Luke and Purab are good as always. Shahana Goswamy churns out a powerful performance, and Prachi Desai holds her own. Her eyes speak, and how.
Oh, I didn’t mention Arjun Rampal’s acting, coz the jury’s still out on that one!
(My meandering thoughts are in comments 1 and 2)
