Bollywood hasn't produced very many films that peep into the rivalry between students of two educational institutions. A seldom-attempted genre, the one film that stands tall in this category is Mansoor Khan's JO JEETA WOHI SIKANDER.
Arindam Chaudhuri's ROK SAKO TO ROK LO brings back memories of J.J.W.S. as well as Archies. The film is a refreshing mix of both, with some wonderful [youth-appealing] moments and an outstanding climax as its trump cards.
Arindam Chaudhuri presents the ingredients of a normal film - hero, heroine, six songs, rivalry, melodrama, family - but treats them realistically and with restraint, and the result is just as believable and entertaining.
Summary of the Film:-Dev [Yash], Suhana [Manjari], Ganguly, Bhajji, Venky and Rati are final year students at the modest Bharti School. The five are tied together in a timeless bond of friendship. They all live in a carefree illusory world where lofty ambitions and preparations for a secure tomorrow have little or no meaning.
Dev and his friends are no match for Ranveer [Carran Kapur], the undisputed champion from the elitist Valley High School. Ranveer has all the luxuries most youngsters his age crave for.
Intimidated by Ranveer's money power, Dev and his friends falter and fail. Their smiles disappear and gloom takes over. Suddenly, from nowhere, Kabir [Sunny Deol] enters their life.
After watching the film the first half has its share of loose ends. The emphasis on the families of every character was not quite required. These sequences are meant to evoke mirth, but they don't. Editing/trimming those portions would only enhance the impact! The post-interval portions move at a brisk pace at most times. But it loses pace when Sunny's character makes an exit.
Cast in a mature role, Sunny Deol is likable after a long, long time. Namrata Shirodkar gets no scope. Amongst friends, Ganguly and Bhajji stand out.
On the whole, ROK SAKO TO ROK LO has tremendous youth appeal and with slight trimming, it can carve a niche for itself. At the box-office, the film should be patronized by the youth mainly. The extra-ordinary promotion by its makers needs to be lauded!
A MOVIE TO BE WATCHED
