{"id":3247,"date":"2016-07-08T22:57:49","date_gmt":"2016-07-08T17:27:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=3247"},"modified":"2026-07-17T20:27:19","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T14:57:19","slug":"rock-on-10th-anniversary-magik","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?p=3247","title":{"rendered":"10 Years On, I\u2019d Do Anything but \u201cRock On!!\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I<\/span><\/p><\/div>

n 2008, I got into a yelling match with my <\/span>parents<\/span><\/a> who had watched Abhishek Kapoor\u2019s <\/span>Rock On!!<\/span><\/i> without me and were refusing to accompany me and watch it the second time around. I was 12 then. At the time, my only dream in life was to become the lead guitarist in a rock band. I\u2019d been convinced that music was my calling since I\u2019d learnt to rap \u201cTwinkle Twinkle Little Star\u201d without panting for breath. And for my musically-inclined soul, <\/span>Rock On!!<\/span><\/i> was the closest I could get to the ultimate rockstar experience that was going to be my future. So I did what any self-respecting musician would do \u2013 sulk in front of my parents until they gave in.<\/span>\n\nThe film that saw the acting and singing debut of <\/span>Farhan Akhtar<\/span><\/a> revolved around four friends who had achieved the impossible: Form a successful <\/span>grunge rock band<\/span><\/a>. Called \u201cMagik\u201d, it had Joe <\/span>Mascarenhas (Arjun Rampal) on guitar, Aditya Shroff (Farhan Akhtar) on vocals, Kedar Zaveri aka Killer Drummer (Purab Kohli) on drums, and Rob Nancy (Luke Kenny) on keyboards. They were young, brash, laidback, and became popular doing what they loved. How could I not be in awe!? Their reel lives were like a dream come true for every youngster who aspired to make music with his friends. <\/span>\n\nWhen I watched <\/span>Rock On!!<\/span><\/i> for the first time, I was taken aback by how the film\u2019s catchy soundtrack articulated the problems I faced, basically First World problems, now that I look back. If \u201cSocha Hai\u201d spoke about questioning everything around you, then \u201cSinbad the Sailor\u201d egged us on to travel the world to find the meaning of <\/span>life<\/span><\/a>. And the film\u2019s title track that was the voice of rebellion and ambition for an entire generation. No prizes for guessing that it became the anthem of my life. <\/span>\n\nYou see,<\/span> Rock On!!<\/span><\/i>,<\/span> was the aspirational adulthood I desperately craved \u2014 one which would be a long, beautiful, musical journey with stellar stage performances, headbanging, and <\/span>guitar <\/span><\/a>solos. And which wouldn\u2019t be ruined by responsibilities or mundane office work. It\u2019s precisely why I detested Magik\u2019s heart-wrenching hiatus that resulted in my favourite band members turning into corporate stooges. My younger self was disinterested in wasting time contemplating about the complexities and conflicts of the real world. Instead, he simply wanted Magik to keep performing one rock song after the other while goofing around. <\/span>\n\nBut it\u2019s been 10 years since the glory days of Magik and a lot has happened in these years: Akhtar\u2019s nasal-singing isn\u2019t mistaken for pathbreaking music any longer, the film\u2019s <\/span>sequel<\/span><\/a> had gloriously murdered the ingenuity of <\/span>Rock On!!,<\/span><\/i> and<\/span> I\u2019m not a wide-eyed 12-year-old anymore. Today, <\/span>as I watch <\/span>Rock On!!<\/span><\/i> through the eyes of an adult, I\u2019m almost disinterested in siting through its 145-minute-long runtime, let alone be passionate enough to fight with someone to catch a rerun. <\/span>\n\n

Remember how the four performed \u201cSaanson Ki Zaroorat Hai Jaise\u201d at a Garba night for money?<\/p><\/blockquote> \n\nI also can\u2019t seem to find any redeeming thing about a film on an Indian rock band that is rife with old references and irrelevant jokes, except for its songs that haven\u2019t left my <\/span>iPod <\/span><\/a>since 2008. When I watch it now, <\/span>Rock On!! s<\/span><\/i>eems like an awful attempt by overgrown men desperately trying to hold onto their childhood dreams of being a rockstar with long hair, electric guitars, and youthful exuberance. <\/span>\n\n\"Rock_on\"\n

\n

If \u201cSocha Hai\u201d spoke about questioning everything around you, then \u201cSinbad the Sailor\u201d egged us on to travel the world to find the meaning of life.<\/p>\n

Image Credits: Excel Entertainment<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\nWhen <\/span>Rock On!!<\/span><\/i> released, it stood out as Bollywood\u2019s foray into a different genre of storytelling and filmmaking. Here was a film which I thought got the intricacies of musical instruments right, felt like a realistic portrayal of struggling musicians (Remember how the four performed \u201cSaanson Ki Zaroorat Hai Jaise\u201d at a <\/span>Garba night<\/span><\/a> for money?) and a sharp cry from the OTT cry fest that Hindi films usually are. But 10 years later, the film feels exactly like the Bollywood cliche it was supposedly rebelling against. It\u2019s melodramatic, convenient (of course, the villain gives the protagonists a chance at redemption), and for most parts, feels unintentionally funny. It\u2019s almost impossible to single out its charm from a sea of generic Bollywood offerings. \u00a0<\/span>\n\nIt\u2019s now that I understand that <\/span>Rock On!! <\/span><\/i>was never supposed to be a snapshot of anyone\u2019s future. As a 12-year-old, I may have watched the film dreaming of becoming a rockstar, but when I watch it now, I wonder how I fell for Farhan Akhtar\u2019s singing. At this point, I\u2019d do anything but <\/span>Rock On!!<\/span><\/i>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At 12, I was convinced that music was my calling and Rock On!! was the closest I could get to the ultimate rockstar experience. 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