Rock On 2 has come and went, and we are like 'Why?'. The sequel to the 2008 cut hit film release last week to poor reviews and equally bad occupancy. The makers have already blamed the ongoing demonetisation issue for the poor business that the film is facing. On the face of it, they can be true in their statements, with Ritesh even saying that they could not push their release date because of the piracy threat. However before we can say their claim actually makes no sense, let's me give you a few details about the film itself, just in case you were one of those few who had no idea Rock On even had a sequel. Unlike the first film, Rock On 2 was not directed by Abhishek Kapoor, who later made Kai Po Che before nearly derailing his career with Katrina Kaif starrer Fitoor. Instead, the film is directed by Shujaat Saudagar. Abhishek and Farhan Akhtar had a fall out over the writing credits of the film. Rock On 2 brings back most of the cast members from the original film, like Farhan Akhtar, Arjun Rampal, Purab Kohli, Prachi Desai with Shahana Goswami and Luke Kenny in cameo appearances. In addition to this there are two new members in the form of Shraddha Kapoor and Shashank Arora.
Rock On 2 had released during the same weekend where the entire India was wondering what to do with their Rs 1000 and Rs 500 notes and bank employees had to work overtime to make sure they keep the rest of the country happy. The occupancy rate of the film was very low, considering the fact that the first film was so loved by nearly everyone. However, Narendra Modi's move to tackle black money cannot be solely blamed for the failure of Rock On 2, especially when Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and Doctor Strange are still running with a few housefull shows.
Instead they should blame the below reasons for why Rock On 2 was such a miserable dud at the box office, giving Shraddha Kapoor er first flop after Aashiqui 2.
A sequel no one asked for
Remember the climax of the 2008 film? The MAGIK band members reunite once again for their dying friend, Rob, to perform Sindbad The Sailor song in a scintillating manner. The epilogue shows that even after the sad demise of their friend, the surviving members have found peace with their lives are have found their happily ever after. So cross your hearts and tell me, did you really want another sequel where the MAGIK members again break up for another petty issue? Its like having a DDLJ sequel where we learn that Raj and Simran have now divorced. Or atleast do something like what Aanand L Rai did with Tanu Weds Manu Returns.
Lacklustre promotions
If your film is well marketed, your job is half sone. However the promotions of Rock On 2, while not bad per se, were also not up to the mark. Apart from a few appearances on some television shows, there were nothing to talk much about the media strategies of the film. Yes, there was concerts held where the stars performed, but that just wasn't enough. Besides people were really tired of Farhan trying to be singer all over. At least I was...
Average music
One of the real heroes of the first Rock On film was Shankar Ehsaan Loy's music. Who can forget those gems like Pichchle Saat Dino, Rock On and Tum Ho Toh? However Rock On 2 had no such gems to talk about when it comes to their soundtrack. The best song, How Kiw was crooned by Usha Uthup, Kit Shangpliang and Pynsuklin Syiemiong from Summersalt Band, and were not even picturised on MAGIK. We nearly laughed when one of the characters made fun of the song Jaago, it's exactly what we felt at that time. It's not that Shankar Ehsaan Loy was in some terrible form or something - they had produced the finest album of the year for Mirzya. So what happened here, sires?
Really boring script and average performances
A lesson to all film-makers, if your film worked for some reason, please do not greenlight a sequel without a proper script in hand, with the sole intention of taking advantage of our goodwill to make profits. The public will definitely retaliate in the form of nearly empty shows, if we want (unless your film stars Salman Khan, of course, for whom script doesn't matter). Rock On 2's script was nothing to crow about, and even the performances were disappointing. Arjun Rampal is still the best thing about the film, albeit bogged down by weak characterisation, while the rest passes muster. And whose idea was it to make Purab Kohli give that annoying narration?
Poor reviews
I may have repeated this many times before, but I am doing this again - unless your name is Salman Khan, reviews do matter to your film's performance. And since Rock On 2 got so many poor reviews, people were already warned not to go for this movie to get disappointed. Instead they used their online transactions to book tickets for the better reviewed Doctor Strange and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. So where is the issue of demonetisation?
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