Exclusive | Abhishek Kapoor on Rock On completing 15 years recently

Abhishek Kapoors directorial Rock On on August 29 2023 Headlined by Farhan Akhtar Arjun Rampal Purab Kohli Prachi Desai Shahana Goswami and Luke Kenny the musical was critically acclaimed On the films 15th anniversary MidDay spoke to Abhishek who brought the story to life on the big screen Talking to us the filmmaker spoke about his experience casting and moreTalking about Rock On completing 15 years Abhishek spoke about the experience of making the film He said It was absolutely fantastic Even today the taste in my mouth is the same The joy of making this film writing it and seeing it come to life was magical It feels like yesterday I got to collaborate with some great minds There were so many supremely talented people who came together to make this filmOpening up about the challenges of casting the right actors Abhishek revealed When I made the film I wanted actors to sing their own songs I desired to make it with some other actors but when they got to know about this they lost interest in it Then I decided to take the script to Farhan Akhtar who has been a friend since we were kids His voice quality was something I wanted for the character in the film I just thought he could be suitable for Rock On I had just finished a movie called Aryan which had not done well but it was a heartfelt project that I had made Rock On was a complete shift from what I had made earliermdashsomeone from above nudges you in the right direction when yoursquore in the zone I called Farhan to audition for Rock On and he came with a guitar and played the reference songs I had in mind for the film It was like a cosmic connectionHe further added I had a tough time casting the other guys In our industry you are either the hero or a flunky Thatrsquos it We rarely have multicharacter films where everyone is equally important and cool Rock On was one of those It was initially tough to convince actors but allrsquos well that ends wellRecalling the casting process Abhishek revealed I auditioned Purab Kohli for KD and felt he was the right fit but the team wasnrsquot sure My momrsquos building had a garage and I made it my office I brought a drum set and would have Purab come and train daily After a lot of hard work he sat perfectly well The part was written for Luke Kenny Arjun Rampal wasnrsquot my first choice The character was to make a comeback and do what he was born to do Arjun looks so refined and hence I wanted someone else When Arjun heard the part he loved itAbhishek opened up about conceiving the idea of Rock On He said Great ideas just hit you like a thunderbolt My film Aryan had just been released and it took years to make that film The movie hadnrsquot done well but I was happy that I could release it on my own I was spending my weekend at a plush restaurant in Mumbai and the new iPod had just come out I had seen it for the first time and had my own playlist I was listening to the best of rock music I thought I would love to make a film on rock music Four friends how they were in the past and what are they doing in the present It took me a while to develop the idea A great idea finds its way You have to nurture it and it will guide youThe filmmaker revealed that he never watched his film Rock On in theatres I donrsquot remember watching Rock On on the big screen I have seen it while making it and during the postproduction I have seen it in bits and parts when someone plays it on the television I donrsquot go back and watch my films I remember themPeople make movies for money the audience and their peers but I realised I make movies for myself I love movies and exciting stories I make films I would like to see I like my movies to have a shelf life I have two kids I have to be responsible that they enjoy my moviesAmid the ongoing trend of rereleases Abhishek said I think Rock On should rerelease Talking about the possibility of Rock On 3 being in the making he added Irsquom going to have a word with Farhan over that Letrsquos wait and watch