A narrative about two female protagonists Anushka and Ahana. Anushka wedded an elderly man named Ravi. Ravi ties the knot for the second time after an unknown death of his first wife Pooja. Anushka's mother is a single conservative parent, who totally refuses to accept their relationship. However, her only help in distress is her sister Ahana.
The couple begin their journey in a beautiful home purchased by Ravi two years ago. Their life was content until one day... when unexpected turns and twists take place in Anushka's life. Anushka tries to share her experiences with her husband, who in turn thinks that his wife is hallucinating and so decides to move back to his earlier house. Although the horror doesn't seem to stop in this house either. Anushka is petrified and suspects that Pooja is behind all these nerve wrecking incidents. Incapable to abide with the tormenting incidents, she seeks advice from a healer who enlightens her about the accursed house and tells her that who ever will pass through the shadow of the house will be cursed and will die a painful death. He gives her some 'yantra's which can only protect her, but not free her from the evil curse. While Anushka tries to discover the motive behind these unexplainable incidents, her husband and sister-in-law get murdered. She is charged with murder for the same and hence is taken to an asylum.
Anushka tries to reach her sister for help but is unable. Sensing a problem, Ahana begins her journey to rescue her sister. As she reaches the asylum she meets Ranveer, a cop who is in charge of this case. He informs Ahana about the charges levied on Anushka and also about her escape from the asylum. The story continues as Ranveer and Ahana come together, though they refuse to follow the same path but their destination is the same (Anushka). In their journey they get cursed by the shadow of the house, and as they move further they also meet the same healer who helps them unfold mysteries behind the accursed house. The story continues with thrill and excitement as it slowly reveals the secret behind the accursed house. But the questions remain the same; will Ahana be able to find her estranged sister? Will the protagonists get rid of the curse? Will the healer be able to free the accursed house? Your questions will be answered as you enter the world of Rokkk.
Most important question: scary enough? Well, there are enough goosebumps in this film to give you your money's worth. You may end up disappointed with the climax which once again concludes with the usual mumbo-jumbo of tantra and mantra that seems to mar all hybrid horror films.
But until then, there is a momentum that keeps you quite edgy as first, Tanushree Dutta and then, Udita Goswami, try to battle a ghost that keeps popping out of the dark shadows of the nightmarish house. Don't be fooled by her innocent looks. This one's a real meanie, despite being just a kid. Before the beautiful babes know, they are wielding knives and doing funny things with these sharp, glinty weapons. And no, there's no running away from the creepy kiddo. She follows you to mental asylums too and peers at you through the shadows. Nor is there anything that brawny cops (Shaad Randhawa) can do to keep her evil antics at bay. The only thing that can stop her is the big black book. But who can decipher it and how fast, 'coz our kid's in a hurry to consume all and sundry...
When it comes to horror films, there's just one thumb rule: darna zaroori hai! This desi Grudge does manage to bring out the chills, here and there. So, bide your time and watch this while you wait for the perfect Indian horror film.
Review By : Nikhat Kazmi; timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Horror films made in India follow standard rules and guidelines. Every possible ingredient that viewers have witnessed since the Ramsay era automatically finds its way into horror films even today. ROKKK too borrows everything available on the shelf.
ROKKK hinges on a half-baked script, but what saves the film from complete breakdown is the execution of the material by debutante director Rajesh Ranshinge. The proceedings may be far from innovative, but keep you hooked nonetheless.
Anushka (Tanushree Dutta) weds an elderly man Ravi [Sachin Khedekar], who has remarried after the death of his first wife.Anushka's mother [Nishigandha Wad] refuses to accept their relationship...
Anushka and Ravi begin their journey in a beautiful home that Ravi gifts Anushka. However, strange and quirky things start happening there. Anushka tries to share her experiences with Ravi, who in turn thinks that his wife is hallucinating. They decide to move back to their earlier home, but the incidents don't seem to stop.
Anushka seeks advice from a healer [Arif Zakaria] and tries to discover the motive behind these unexplainable incidents. The story takes a turn when Anushka murders her husband and sister-in-law. Ahana [Udita Goswami], Anushka's sister, begins her journey to rescue her.
Horror movies ought to have a great start and a pulse-pounding finale. Unfortunately, ROKKK has a lacklustre start and a convenient finale, with the makers leaving scope for a sequel, if the film works. The film suffers due to inept writing, with several questions remaining unanswered till the end.
No reasons are offered why Tansuhree marries a man much older to her, except a fleeting reference by Udita. No reasons are offered when Tanushree enquires about the circumstances that led to the death of Sachin Khedekar's first wife. That's not all, Tanushree even manages to escape from the asylum even though the spirit almost gets her. Now that's difficult to gulp!
But things do stabilise in the post-interval portions. The spirit now set her sights on Udita and the sequence in the elevator sets the ball rolling. Ditto for two more sequences - [i] Arif Zakaria wanting to free the mansion from the spirit and [ii] Ashwini Kalsekar's story of how the blood-thirsty spirit came into being.
With the film holding your attention in the second hour, you expect the finale to reach its zenith, but it does an about-turn and touches the ebb. Tanushree's re-emergence on the scene is formulaic and ruins the impact. If the writing is patchy, the effects are tacky and the background score relies on the same sounds that one has come to expect from horror films.
Both Tanushree and Udita try to make the proceedings watchable. Udita is efficient, while Tanushree uses her eyes effectively to express fear. Shaad Randhawa is decent. Sachin Khedekar is okay. Ashwini Kalsekar is the best of the lot. Murli Sharma and Nishigandha Wad don't get much scope. Arif Zakaria is perfect.
On the whole, ROKKK is ordinary at best!
Review By : Taran Adarsh, www.bollywoodhungama.com
