This listing is for ROCK ON Hindi DVD - 2 Disc Set.

Format: DVD

Language: Hindi

Subtitles: English

Number of discs: 2

Ex-Library Copy  

I see what the hype's about. ROCK ON!! has already gathered in heaps of trophies from various Indian film award shows in 2009. And I get what the draw is. ROCK ON!! isn't your typical Indian cinema. It in fact features very few of the standard elements of Bollywood. No exuberant colors explode. And there aren't those elaborately staged fantasy musical numbers. No over-the-top family or romantic crises. And no silly humor. And, while I've been watching Bollywood for a few years now and have really enjoyed its cheerful excesses, I admit to being startled by ROCK ON!!, and also appreciative. I like it when the industry now and then switches up. This one isn't your daddy's Bollywood picture.

ROCK ON!! is fueled by rock 'n roll and reintroduces that classic cautionary, that fame and fortune aren't in the cards for everyone, not everyone makes it big. But, if you work it right, things like happiness and redemption and a rekindling of old friendships may just fall within grasp. This is confident film-making. It looks fantastic. The plot, I'm sure you've heard it before, or permutations of it: A once promising rock band on the verge of making it big, but then something happens to break up the group. In this instance, it's the gifted guitarist (Arjun Rampal) who doesn't have it in him to compromise and sell out. The promised record deal goes up in smoke, the music video shoot is abruptly wrapped up. Everyone parts ways. For ten years.

There's always this sense of anticipation with this kind of movie. You know and I know that it's only a matter of time before the band gets back together. So, a decade after, we gaze at this assembly of mopers in a rut - the lowly guy toiling in the jewelry shop, the glum sound engineer dude, the withdrawn investment banker, and the anguished struggling guitar player - and it's quite a juxtaposition from when these cats were in their heyday, their glory days of wild hair, grunge clothing, and carefree attitudes. We mark those beats, those moments building up to their reunion and reconciliation and to their dusting off those old instruments and jamming together. And, of course, there's a big musical contest in the end.

What sells it are the excellent and restrained performances and the songs. Everyone is very good, and if I had to pick a standout, I guess I'll go with Arjun Rampal who I think turns in his best acting work in his career (and, believe me, I had my doubts). There's this melancholy about his character Joe. Joe struggles to provide for his family and it's mostly because he refuses to sell out on his artistic integrity. He plays these menial guitar gigs to make ends meet, but he doesn't like it. His wife ends up being the money maker. I don't know her name, but the actress who plays Joe's embittered wife also turns in a powerful performance, her character the epitome of shattered ambition, now forced to make do. Okay, I'll stop right here, because I feel myself wanting to go into detail about the entire cast, about just how natural and effortless they are in this. I'll just say it again: everyone is very good. Chemistry is all over the place. You end up investing in each of the characters.

I like that the numbers are introduced within the context of the story. The camera doesn't cut away for a dream sequence and the cast doesn't start dancing on the Great Wall of China or anything. As you learn in the bonus features, the band members took instrument lessons, and their strumming and drumming and keyboarding look pretty authentic. The awesome thing is that actor/director Farhan Akhtar (he plays lead vocals Aditya) actually sings his songs, and he's got this cool husky tone going on. He demonstrates his range - achieving some hellaciously high notes - in the ballad "Tum Ho Toh."

For the romantics, there's romance here, but it's understated and, to me, more effective for it. One of the high points of this film is in watching the emotionally distant Aditya finally get close to his lonely young wife (Prachi Desai, perfectly beautiful). But even more telling are the connections among the four band members, and also how totally lost each one was before they began playing music together again. There's almost a bittersweet flavor in seeing these guys interact ten years later. Reality has set in. They're all grown-ups now, their dreams of fame and fortune and transcendent music long ago bit the dust. If you don't buy into their friendships, then the story falls apart. Except that you buy into it. The songs are really good. My three favorites are the hard-rocking "Pichle Saat Dinon Mein," the beautiful ballad "Tum Ho Toh," and the big finale "Sinbad the Sailor." When Aditya, Joe, KD (drums), and Rob (keyboards) are onstage, well, they provide some pretty exhilarating rock out moments.

Disc 1 has the widescreen feature presentation with optional English sub-titles and audio commentary (mostly English?) by Writer/Director Abhishek Kapoor, actor/singer Farhan Akhtar, and Jason West (D.O.P.). Disc 2 has the following: the in-depth (and predominantly in English) Making Of featurette (around 57 minutes); deleted scenes; "Pichle Saat Dinon Mein" music video; bonus tracks: "Zehreelay," "Dandiya," "Musafir" (radio), "A New Day"; karaoke tracks for all the songs.

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