Not rocking enough

Nonika Singh

A musical, a sequel to the hit original, which comes with a title Rock On 2 essentially ought to be about some groovy music that should send your senses soaring and feet tapping.

Surprise, surprise, this one has a plot which is in fact a good thing. The bad news is, it’s too uneven and bites into far too many things. Music for a purpose, a guilt-ridden conscience the size of a king, a lot of social welfare and the parallel premise of conflict between two streams of music.  

In a world where sons of great music maestros have successfully forayed into fusion, this thread of the film that even borrows the real name of a handsome musician does seem a bit dated.

As it is the narrative is encumbered by the need to establish its characters from the prequel. In case you have not seen the first one, it tries to piece together the lives of the members of the famous band of Rock On.

All of them have moved on to different paths. All very well and you soon are glued to them. Aditya Shroff (Farhan Akhtar) has become a recluse as far as music goes, Joseph "Joe" Mascarenhas( Arjun Rampal) a reality show judge and a club owner. Kedar Javeri( Purab Kohli) is still into music, only dishing it out for those who don’t know its a, b c.

While telling this story back as well as forward, at several junctures the tool of narration weighs heavily. A voice deciphering the narrative for you most of the time is certainly not the best way to tell a story, especially when you have a competent ensemble cast at hand.

No wonder that even when the movie hits some right notes, this device brings it down. Sure there are a few moments that touch, some that get you involved but by and large it doesn’t quite make you sing. Unnecessary drama takes away from the otherwise realistic feel of the film that captures the panoramic beauty of Meghalaya.

Yes much of the movie takes you into the idyllic “abode of clouds” where our dear Adil has exiled himself thanks to one tragic incident. Battling the ghost from his past, here he works for the cause of famers, spars with local political leaders and goes back and forth to music and his friends. Only expected the band that once ruled the hearts of listeners will come together again.

How and why is the question and to fill those gaps there is welcome addition Shraddha Kapoor. A revelation once again both as a singer and an actor she surely has what it takes to be a singing sensation which is what the climax tells us she has become (in the film.) Her acting and singing prowess both are at the best.

As the diffident, distraught girl she provides the right emotional pitch to her character. Other actors Farhan Akhtar, Purab Kohli and especially Arjun Rampal too are in fine fettle. Prachi Desai looks chic and pretty, though fine actor Kumud Mishra as the purist musician and grieving father is wasted.

Young actors such as Shashank Arora add to the film otherwise caught in contrivances. The biggest downer is music and even the grand rock concert in the finale doesn’t set you into a foot-tapping mood.

And that’s a real pity. Farhan Akhtar who has also co-produced the film may not miss Abhishek Kapoor, the director of the prequel but audiences certainly would. As the only song that really rocks is from the previous outing.