Sep 02, 2008 03:13 AM
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After a long time, I am inspired to actually write a review on a Bollywood movie... I am usually either inspired because a movie is fantastic and blows me away or so awful that I cannot wait to make fun of it. I have not seen a movie in any of those categories in quite a while...until yesterday. I was utterly blown away by the sheer brilliance, realistic story telling, and perfect cast of Rock On!
People have compared this movie to Dil Chahtha Hai. I disagree. Dil chahtha hai was targetted towards 20 somethings.. (even though Aamir was like 45 when it was shot.) But anyways, it was targetted toward the carefree and blissful feeling of being about 25, the time when anything is possible... Where you dare just because you can. But what happens after the adventure?
That is Rock On. It is the aftermath of your 20 somethings. The story is about four cool young rockers, the long haired, head band wearing Farhan (Aditya), Arjun with grogeous flowing locks that could give a complex to any Pantene model, Purab Kohli with his braided beard (Killer Drummer, whose name I don't remember in the movie..) and the albino looking Rob (forget his real name.)
They have a rock band called "Magick" and rightfully so because they certainly created Magick and sheer energy! The world is their oyster! At one point they enter a Rock Contest on Channel V and win a recording contract! But what could be vs. what happened is completely different. I will leave the hows and whys for you to watch but the band ultimately splits up and goes their separate ways, leaving all of the Magick they once had.
Fast foward 10 years. You see each of them, now probably about 35-36 years old. All engrossed in their daily routines and lives, all but Joe with their hair cut to what is accepted by society, but moving along like zombies and robots. Aditya, the main character, is now a suiccessful business, with a sweet and very pretty wife (Prachi Sha...AKA Bani from Kasam Se). Aditya is so engrossed in work, just climbing the corporate ladder as a successful investment banker. But anyone can see, as his wife does, that he is not happy. He is existing but is not living. His wife feels like after 4 years of marriage, she does not even know him. He does not smile, and share who is. He has basically shut her and a lot of himself, out. The little that he does is half hearted... He has never told her about his past and his band. She only knows this stern and business like Aditya, but she KNOWS there is more to him and is determined to find out. And so she does...Long story short, Prachi (saakshi) works to reunite the band... And what a reunion!! All hard feeling are forgotten, and each one comes alive after rediscovering their friendship and their passion for music. Their adventurous sides come alive after 10 years, and each one actually starts smiling! I will leave the rest of the story for you to watch.
ROck on has SOOOO much heart!!! Every person in their late 20's, and in their 30's will relate to this movie... While we are young, we think there is NOTHING we cannot accomplish! We WANT to different! Not a part of the pack!!! And then with society's expectations, family's expectations, and maybe some of our own practicality, we fall prey to "real life." We get married. We have children. And suddenly distant dreams become just that... Dreams... Every now and then, our sense of adventure peeks out and says "WHat the HELL am I doing? What HAPPENED to ME?" and then someone else (maybe a spouse, maybe a parent, maybe a friend, or maybe sometimes ourselves!) tell us. "STOP it! Be REALISTIC! Life is not a MOVIE! Be PRACTICAL. This routine is what life IS. Get used to it." And that little adventurous side retreats back into its shell and we continue marching to our cubicles every day... And thus we continue our routine existence, thinking that we have no choice. But somewhere inside we KNOW there is something else. WHat happened to that passion YOU had?? What happened to the passionate YOU?
And how many of us can relate to Prachi?? The spouse who feels like she only knows 50% of her husband? She just continues with him in his routine, and slowly becomes part of it like a piece of furniture. Living in the same house as someone does mean you are sharing your life with that person.
The performances are PERFECT! Farhan Akhtar is BRILLIANT as Aditya! He has even sung his own songs for authenticity and has done an AWESOME job as a rocker! Arjun, in his downtoned performance was unlike his usual pretty boy self. The attention was definitely diverted from his looks and on his somber but spirited performance. Rob and Purab Kohly also touched your hearts..
And that is Rock On! They all reunited... And they did not NEED to become stars. All they needed was something ELSE in their life. Something apart from the routine that kept their dreams, their spirit, and their smiles alive! Something that drove them!
YOu know, people always say "You should always be satisfied with what you have." Remember, every quote is invented by another PERSON. They do not fall out of the sky, so it does not make them RIGHT. People constantly use that quote to make you fall right back into your routine and try to be happy with that. I disagree... I mean, I dont think we should walk arounbd complaining all the time, but I will coin a new quote right now... "If people were always satisfied with what they had, no one would ever try for anything better."I like that more. It gives me hope that dreams can still come true, even if to a small degree...But it gives my every day routine life a spark of excitement!
So all, in short, ROck on totally ROCKED, and I think the title has some deeper meaning. Rock on! means "KEEP going. Keep Rocking, always!" Our adventurous side doesn't necessarily end when we are 35. WE END IT... It could very well BEGIN, if we look at ourselves and are willing to go against the quote "Be happy with what what you have..." and try for a little more.
