Sequels are the shiz right now, but they rarely are as good as the originals as this musical social drama testifies.



The rock band Magik do not produce music anymore, but the members are still in touch. Jo (Arjun Rampal) and KD (Purab Kohli) are in Mumbai doing their stuff while Aditya (Farhan Akhtar) is in Meghalaya, away from his family and music in general, trying to introspect about his past life. Following an eventful episode at his place of work in the NE state, Aditya is coaxed by his friends and family to return to Mumbai. It is then that he and others meet Jiah (Shraddha Kapoor), a talented musician with father problems and a horrendous past, which is back to haunt Magik...



While that synopsis above may sound interesting, I can assure you it isn't. The story resumes from where the first film ended. After the death of Rob, Magik continues to create music for a while after which they dismantle, the reason of which is what is explored in the first half. It uses the same formula as the first film wherein there's a past event which troubles Aditya and other members and how the passion for music helps them bounce back. Same old, same old!



It is evident that the film was made to bank in on the first film's roaring success. So much that even the sequences are recreated variations; albeit in different contexts, but still the same. In Rock On!! (2008), Aditya's wife is the one who makes the reunion of Magik possible, and here, too, she is seen in her sentimental wifey avatar doing what she does. But, the biggest problem with the film is that it deviates from the musical genre and tries to become a loud social drama. Magik tries to use the power of music to help spread a social message and raise funds, and all that comes with it. The plot even tries to mix these topics together, but the result is hollow as a dead tree's bark. Throw in a petty villain to this mixture, and you have it.



Cast performance is good, but Kapoor looks out of place here, with her snobby air. The characters mostly engage in irritating its audience. And that affects the whole flow of the film and the watching experience.



It's basically a sad story which explores one too many topics and fails miserably. It's a lazy attempt with a climax full of clichés and improbable situations. So much problems with this concoction that one might just watch the first film once again and forget they even made a sequel. The first film was delightfully brilliant; it had romance, comedy, drama, and mostly, good music. This one lacks all of them, unless you consider melodrama.



BOTTOM LINE: Shujaat Saudagar's "Rock On 2" is a lazy gimmick which was obviously made to make the world know that the makers care about the adverse lives of people in the world. As a musical, this one fails, though. Watch it on TV.



Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES

In the past week, the world has been rocked by two major news; Donald Trump being elected US President & the demonetization back home. PM Modi & his team came up with this bold decision in an effort to curb black money. Whether it would actually find the result that is expected remains to be seen especially with the launch of a higher denomination, but a curb in black money will ensure that our nation can rock on the world stage. Taking about rocking, this week we have "Rock on 2" hitting the screens which as the name suggests is a sequel. More often than not, sequels fails to live upto expectations. Hmm...so will this also have a similar fate or will it rock the box office???

More than five years have passed since Magik has been disbanded & though all the members are still close buddies, each one was busy with their own lives. KD (Purab Kohli) who doubles up as the narrator made jingles for clients, something which he was not particularly happy with, while Joe (Arjun Rampal) was the owner of a happening club & also the judge of a music reality show. As for Adi (Farhan Akhtar), he was in Meghalaya helping out the natives hoping that it would help him overcome the guilt of being responsible for the death of a singer. Into their midst comes Jiah (Shraddha Kapoor), who has the talent to make it big but is bogged down by her father's hate for any genre of music apart from classical. Will she have the guts to stand up to her father to pursue her ambition & will Adi ever overcome his guilt???

Almost 8 years have passed since "Rock On" had released & it did impress the audience at that time. However, the sequel which is directed by Shujaat Saudagar fails to tick the boxes that it had successfully managed to do so earlier. The biggest drawback with the film is that it doesnt connect with the audience inspite of the emotional drama that is happening between the characters, Abhishek Kapoor & Pubali Chaudhuri who had penned the script touches on the topic of neglect & troubles faced by the North Eastern people & the despise for fusion music by purists both of which came across as half baked. Even the music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy didnt have the peppiness that was evident in the prequel. On the brighter side, Mark Koninckx has exquisitely picturised Shillong.

On the performance side, all of them have done a decent job be it Farhan, Arjun or Purab. Shraddha who was the new addition to the team has done a fine job while Shashank Arora was wasted along with Kumud Mishra.

Verdict: Just like the prequel, it is a movie which will have takers only in the multiplexes, But unlike "Rock On", this will not be able to satiate the audience neither in terms of the script nor the music. In short, a rather disappointing sequel!!!

Rating: 2/5

Regards...Ben