Abhishek Kapoor reveals Farhan Akhtar stayed hands-off in 'Rock On' making, but disagreements arose in the sequel

The 2008 musical drama film 'Rock On!!', directed by Abhishek Kapoor, achieved both critical acclaim and commercial success. With an ensemble cast including Farhan Akhtar, Arjun Rampal, Purab Kohli, and Luke Kenny, the film left a lasting impression on audiences. Despite Akhtar's established reputation as a filmmaker, with his directorial hits like 'Dil Chahta Hai', 'Don', and 'Lakshya', he trusted Abhishek Kapoor's directorial vision without interference during the production process of 'Rock On!!'.

Talking to Siddharth Kannan, Abhishek said that the first person who saw the film was Farhan. He was not in town; he was in Cannes, and Farhan had seen the cut, and he was really happy. It meant everything to him because he had a lot of love and respect for Farhan. He has learned a lot from him. And he never interfered while he was making the film. He knew he was the producer, and he helped him do whatever he wanted to do, but he never got in his way of expressing what he wanted to do in the film. At the end of it, when he did see the film, he called him and said, ‘I saw the film, and I loved it’. That meant everything to him.

Following the critical acclaim and box office success of 'Rock On!!', anticipation ran high for a sequel, with many expecting Abhishek Kapoor to return as the director. However, when 'Rock On 2' was announced, it was helmed by Shujaat Saudagar instead. Abhishek disclosed that disagreements with Farhan led to his decision to step away from the project.

Abhishek said that in 'Rock On 2', he didn’t write the entire script. He was writing the frame for it, but there were some disagreements with Farhan Akhtar on how they should proceed. So they both felt that it was better this way, and they decided to go ahead with somebody else.

After 'Rock On!!', Abhishek Kapoor directed several notable films, including 'Kai Po Che!', which marked the film debut of Sushant Singh Rajput. Additionally, he directed 'Fitoor', 'Kedarnath', and 'Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui'.