Rock On 2 an attempt to bring North-East into pop culture: Farhan Akhtar

Actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar recently finished shooting for the sequel to his 2008 hit film, Rock On!!, in Shillong. The 42-year-old says the film is a tribute to the people of the North-East.

“I wanted to do a film in the North-East. There are North-Eastern students in various parts of India being beaten up and called outsiders. This film is a small attempt to bring the region into popular culture. I’m glad we shot in Shillong. Every person felt a sense of loss when we finished shooting. We’d all love to go back,” says Farhan.

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Read: Farhan Akhtar’s proud of his protege, Baar Baar Dekho’s Nitya Mehra

Farhan Akhtar plays a father in Rock On 2. (Photo: Victor Fraile/Getty Images)

Rock On 2 went through a copyright battle in the court with Abhishek Kapoor (the writer-director of the first film)...
I don’t want to say too much on this. But (pauses) there are too many feelings about him which would never go away.

Has he made an effort to make those feelings go away?
I can’t comment on why he did what he did.

But you don’t take friends to court?
Well, I didn’t. So you should ask him that question.

So where is Rock On 2 going to take us?
The characters already have a history. But in Rock 2, we’ve a completely new story. Seven years have passed. The characters have evolved . I play a father in the film.

First time?
No I played a father in Shaadi Ke Side Effects (2014) and in Wazir (2016).

Read: Check out Farhan’s adorable selfie with daughter Akira

Do you wish your pairing with Vidya Balan in Shaadi Ke Side Effects had worked better?
I’ll always be grateful to Vidya. She taught me how to take compliments graciously. Earlier, I’d change the topic when someone complimented me. She noticed that, and taught me how to take compliments.

The actor in you seems to have taken over from the director.
For now, yes. I’m not sure how long that would be. It’d take just a moment of inspiration for me to again get passionate about a directing a film. We should not have hard rules about what we should do and shouldn’t do.