Rock On!!

Over the past few months, my friends and I have gone out out to a bunch of much-hyped Indian movies screened in shoddy theaters around town. Jodha Akbar, Dasavatharam, Kuselan were the more hyped of them all.

JA was actually not bad at all. But Dasavatharam had us tearing at our hair, crying tears of blood and laughing with ultimate, resigned, consternation at a megalomaniacal, ego-massaging, record hungry 3 hours of torture. Coming from Kamal Hassan - it was like double venom. Seinfield said - Wet is wet...dry is dry...dead is dead. If you shoot a man after you kill him - he doesn't die again. But Dasavatharam hadn't come out yet - so he can be forgiven for such a mistake.

Jerry, we died there, right in the hall...and could swear we were desensitised to all the nonsense - owing, of course, to our death - when Kamal surprised us again. And again. And then some more. I swear we heard a loud flushing noise - the irreparable sound of three hours rushing down the drain- never to be seen again. I thought I spotted a few wrinkles and a touch of grey next day in the mirror.

Kuselan was just yawn inducing. Coming from a Rajini movie, it was blasphemy. Too bad for Rajini - who I thought stole quite a few scenes (all the scenes he was in) with a magnificently understated performance. Poor Rajini. Everytime the guy tries to actually act, the audience sends him packing. This time too, the audience would have none of it. Tears and Rajini apparently should not be in the same frame. Or acting and Rajini. Not in the same frame. EVER.

And both movies were pretty expensive to watch.

So when I called my friends out to catch ROCK ON today- the floodgates on creative excuses burst open.

"Oh...uhhh...", said one, thinking on his feet, "what was it I had to do?.....oh right - my cat caught on fire...I used my fire extinguisher on her, but dint know she was allergic to carbon dioxide, man. Poor thing. My girl is nursing her back to health. And needs me for emotional support, you know....sorry man - would have really LOVED to go!! Aah such is life." As he launched in to his dissertation of existentialism and the human condition generously punctuated by tears, sobbing and clutching at my shirt in desperation. Looking back, I think there might have been something fake about the whole performance. Don't know for sure...hmm...

But I had faith in Farhan Akhtar. And I decided to be brave and watch the flick -friends or no friends. This movie is Farhan Akhtar- the director of "Dil Chahta Hai"s- acting debut.

And…

Wow.

LOVED IT!!

The music was great – very original and true blue melodious Rock.

Performances were great - even Arjun Rampal did a great job. I had never quite figured out what he did in movies - and used to studiously avoid movies that billed him - but perhaps I have been too harsh..ah well..proverbial water under the proverbial bridge - what?

Prachi Desai played Farhan’s (Adi’s) wife and is a real discovery. Extremely cute and extremely good actor. VJ Purab Kohli who played KD the patelbhai is very funny!

The dialogues were really tight and well done. Some very snazzy and funny exchanges in the movie.
The second half was undoubtedly better put together than the first...but perhaps the second half felt better BECAUSE of the good work they did in the first half -which was slow and deliberate. But in the whole movie, I could only think of maybe one sequence that could have been edited out.

All in all - it was a very stylishly made and very slick – pretty sophisticated and realistic. Think Dil Chahta Hai with a music theme.

Because this movie is about a band - it actually makes sense to have songs in this one. Speaking of songs - I don't know what the rubbish is about bad reviews for the music - especially Farhan's singing. I thought Farhan did a marvellous job...and Shankar Ehsaan Loy really scored...the last song actually got a round of applause from the audience and I found myself joining in. It was quite a bravura musical performance actually!
This is obviously a feel good movie, where the emotions are actually underplayed. And people who know me would swear that I am one who doesn't mind feeling good at all! "Aah, Sarat - there's a guy who doesn't mind feeling good - takes it like a man, I say", they say.

I have decided I want Adi’s apartment, BTW. Do they even have houses like that in India? I wonder.

Anyway, as Murphy's law would have it - this was one movie that would have been great to catch with friends–

So, Bollywood fan or not - this one's a good one to catch. I for one am going to get the music CD. And the DVD when it comes out.