Rock On 2

Shujaat Saudagar takes over the reins from Abhishek Kapoor and stitches together the characters to bring the world of Magik back to life. Unfortunately, the director stumbles and fumbles when it comes to story-telling and fails to tug our heartstrings. The weak plot never lets him take full control to showcase his direction skills while you try to sail through all the highs and lows. The biggest drawback of Rock On 2 is its poor, wafer-thin script which works only superficially. You never really feel for any of the characters whether they are happy or sad. Further, the makers even throw in a socio-political angle post interval that just drags the narrative leaving you in boredom. One wished they hadn't ruined our memories of the first film. The makers failed to cast a 'Magik' spell this time! There's no harm in skipping this one.

A good sequel is one that starts from where the prequel ended and retains the essence of the original. Rock On 2 scores full marks in that department. A movie that’s about a rock band and has music as its theme doesn’t promise a fabulous soundtrack. Some of the songs (The Wedding Song- You Know What I Mean) are forced into the narrative. The only time I felt happy was when Vishal Dadlani and Usha Uthup perform towards the end of the film. Rock On 2 is a good attempt on following a band’s story. We miss Luke’s Rob but we do welcome the new band members who are effortlessly brought into the band.

The second instalment of the hit 2008 musical Rock On!!, starring Farhan Akhtar, Shraddha Kapoor, Arjun Rampal and Purab Kohli, seems terribly contrived and insipid. It isn’t backed by a solid script. The magic and charm that were evident in the original film, which chronicled the reunion of a college band, Magik, are missing in its sequel. As far as performances go, every one does their bit but they are let down by a confused storyline. Watch this only if you are a Rock On groupie, otherwise skip it.