Trailer Review - Rock On!! 2

In the era of rom-coms, historical sagas and some small-budget collaborations, Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar dared to introduce India to a new-age musical drama aptly titled Rock On!! (2008). Eight years later, Excel Entertainment and Eros International return with a much-awaited sequel Rock On!! 2, directed by Shujaat Saudagar. While the successor retains most of the original crew including Farhan Akhtar, Purab Kohli, Arjun Rampal, Prachi Desai, Shahana Goswami sans Luke Kenny, two new inclusions in the cast - Shraddha Kapoor and Shashank Arora will join in significant roles too.

Set in the backdrop of Northeast India, the movie primarily revolves around the journey of Kapoor and Akhtar's characters. From what we we could make out from the trailer, Akhtar along with Kohli and Rampal are attempting to revive their long-lost band Magik. During their struggle, the estranged friends stumble upon a young timid musician, Kapoor, who dreams of making it big in the industry. How they manage to function as a team despite numerous obstacles forms the crux of the film.

While no strong storyline can be traced, the trailer seems pretty average in terms of sentiment and acting. Since the majority of the cast rallies from the prequel, we expect them to hold onto their characters' emotion, but unfortunately this is what emerges as a failure. Akhtar, Kohli and Rampal seem visibly tired and bored. Desai, Goswami and Arora are mere mentions - they are barely seen in the trailer. The only element of surprise is Kapoor. Though she lacks chemistry with the band and feels like an outsider, she is charismatic.

Saudagar has done a decent job with the weak foundation he was granted with. Cinematography by Marc Koninckx is seasoned as he successfully captures Kapoor's appeal and scenic beauty. But several technical aspects of the movie are disappointing, including Abhishek Kapoor and Pubali Chaudhuri's writing and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's music. We sincerely wished more emphasis was laid on the music and screenplay instead of the visuals, because the magic of Magik is clearly lost.

Sequels release with the added responsibility of not only performing well at the box-office, but also outshining their predecessor. Regrettably, neither can be pronounced with affirmation for Rock On!! 2. We, at BollyCurry, rate the trailer 2 out of 5 stars, hoping the movie can at least shake the nation, if not rock!

 

Author: Anushka J.

Editor: Gunia K.

Graphics: Aisha S. and Pooja B.