Rock on

Well, there were similarities with Dil Chahta Hai – It’s about a group of boys, the movie uses the flashback (like Sathiya), there is the ego clash b/w aditya and joe – reminiscent of Akash and Sid. But, this is where the similarities mostly end. The movie is good – in the sense it does connect with the audience but it also lacks the “very youthful” appeal of Dil Chahta Hai

For starters, the movie is entirely predictable. One knows that Sakshi (Aditya’s wife) will succeed in getting the band together, you know that the second time they’ll work out fine, when Rob gets a headache at the dining table, you know right away that there’s a brain tumour involved, when he doesn’t turn up for the participant’s party, you know he’s probably unconscious somewhere and, ultimately, you also know that Joe will go against Debby and come for the concert, albeit a little late.

But despite this, the movie strikes a chord with viewers because of the simplicity and honesty of portrayal – or what I would call authenticity. What heightens this feeling of genuineness is the music. Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy have outdone themselves. The music is young and Farhan’s voice an original. The fact that he sings all the songs probably allows him to get into the skin of the character more easily.

Talking about performances – the character of Debby and Shahana Goswami’s portrayal of the character is what lends depth to the movie. Prachi Desai as Sakshi, with the poise and calm of the wife of a rich investment banking guy, is also very convincing and she justifies the role entirely. Purab is of course at his best and at home with comedy and Like Kenny too did a good job.

However, wish the movie had done a better job of the shift in time frames (flashback) – it sometimes became difficult to realize whether we were in the present or past -- and had dealt with Aditya’s breakup with his girlfriend a little better. But, I must commend Nicollete on her choice of debut film. Though, she's hardly been given any media space, she has definitely been noticed.

Overall, a good film. At least you wont come away feeling you wasted money.