Abhishek Kapoor was the director behind the critically acclaimed 2008 musical drama Rock On!!. In a recent interview, Kapoor revisited the film's success and shared insights into his collaboration with producer and actor Farhan Akhtar. He also confronted the real reason behind him walking out of the franchise’s second part.

Abhishek recalls Farhan seeing the first draft of Rock On

In a candid interview with Siddharth Kannan, Kapoor recalled Farhan's positive reaction upon viewing the initial cut of the film. He revealed, “The first person who saw the film was Farhan. I was not in town, I was in Cannes and he had seen the cut and he was really happy. It meant everything to me because I have a lot of love and respect for Farhan. I have learnt a lot from him. And he never interfered while I was making the film.”

Why did Abhishek Kapoor not return with Rock On 2?

Rock On!! resonated with audiences and critics alike, prompting expectations for Kapoor's return as director for the sequel, Rock On 2. However, Kapoor revealed that disagreements with Farhan led to his departure from the project. He shared, “Actually Rock On 2, I didn’t write the entire script. I was writing the frame of it but there were some disagreements (with Farhan Akhtar) on how we should proceed. So we both felt that its better this way and they decided to go ahead with somebody else.”

Reflecting on the fallout, Abhishek admitted feeling hurt but acknowledged it as a learning experience. Kapoor expressed, “Chalta rehta hai (This keeps happening). It hurts but these are all experiences in life that make you richer eventually. I haven’t seen it, so I don’t know what’s missing in it or what could have been better. I was hurt but life moves on from there.”

After Rock On, Farhan went on to direct several successful films like Kai Po Che, Fitoor, Kedarnath and Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui.