Pop on: How the Bhatts remade Rock On
Age-old story Jashnn
It’s a story that’s been done to death. And, makes the film roll out like a death sentence. One that urgently needs to be listed as criminal offence just so it becomes illegal to make one more film about a wannabe musician overcoming odds. So, what makes a film with all the trappings of third-degree torture barely watchable?
Unfortunately, you have to watch this film to believe the quality of acting. Jashnn packs some of the finest performances this year. No, not you, Adhyayan Suman, sit down now. Shahana Goswami and Humayun Saeed are so good, the directors should’ve just abandoned the main plot and stuck to this delicately intense sub-plot about a girl sleeping with a rich married man because she gets to live in a posh little beach-house and support her wannabe musician brother. What’s worse? She loves the bad boy however wrong he might be for her.
Shahana delivers the role of a lifetime. She’s a vulnerable, desperate, unstable, self-loathing, messed-up alcoholic mistress before she transforms into a desperate, vulnerable, helpless, self-loathing stronger woman with resolve — the talented actor effortlessly flits through these motions with a sincerity that’s sure to give you a heartache.
Humayun Saeed, the fantastic Pakistani actor, is a find. He’s no Bollywood stereotype. Despite an author-betrayed one-note role, he breathes so much life into this stencil that you hate him with all your guts. He is later burdened with the filmy compulsion of undergoing a change of heart in the course of a song. Any other villain would have looked plain silly doing this. But Humayum acquits himself creditably with considerable underplay.
At the heart of the film, is a nice little scene of self-discovery when the failed musician takes to stealing and gets caught. It’s difficult to say how much of this film is Mahesh Bhatt’s (the story is credited to him), and to what extent the directors are responsible for this wasted potential when the brother-sister conflict (and the sister-bad guy relationship) is quietly sidelined in the pursuit of the film’s larger goal — of seeing the wannabe musician realise his dreams. From then on, it’s one cliché after another.
But, this is exactly how the Bhatts would’ve remade Rock On — packed with moral conflicts, unresolved heartache and choking angst and changed the core to pop — to make it more market-savvy.
Suman Junior is still a little raw and rough around the edges, but this is no easy role and he does better than some of the other producer / star kids in recent times. Anjana Sukhani has little to do but be a pillar of unflinching support, and the sparks between the lead pair simmer with intensity only to sputter out.
For a film about music, it’s not too original but a couple of songs do pack some soul. But, how can you not laugh when Suman gets excited about discovering a tune, and then goes to sing to a beat straight out of Enigma?
Jashnn – The Music Within
Genre: Drama
Director: Raksha Mistry and Hasnain S. Hyderabadwala
Cast: Adhyayan Suman, Anjana Sukhani, Shahana Goswami, Humayun Saeed
Storyline: Wannabe popstar overcomes all odds, the good old Bollywood way
Bottomline: Not half as bad as you thought
SUDHISH KAMATH
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