Despite one British Asian critic dismissing the film as “lame weak trash”, ‘Rock On’ continues to rock India and the overseas market. In London’s West End, the film is currently in its third sell out week at the prestigious Empire Leicester Square cinema, outperforming per screen average Hollywood biggies like ‘The X Files’ sequel and Nicolas Cage’s ‘Bangkok Dangerous’.

In India, the cast and crew have been touring cities like Mumbai, Pune, Delhi and Bangalore with live concerts. What makes these concerts unique is that unusually for Bollywood, the lead actors are, as they did in the film, actually singing their own songs. Director turned actor Farhan Akhtar is surprised: “The response is amazing. The crowd participates in every song; it is something we never imagined in our wildest dreams.”

Director Abhishek Kapoor, the actor from the forgettable ‘Rocky’ copy ‘Aryan’ explains why he chose rock music to tell a familiar coming of age story: “We’ve never seen a rock concert in an Indian film. I felt I could do justice to it visually and add some entertainment value. But it’s a film about four friends; rock is just the backdrop.”

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