DOSTANA – Indian Cinema takes an impressive giant leap ahead (Review By Bobby Sing)

10 years back no one would ever dare dream of making a movie on this plot and now as you see it happening on the screen, you know that our Indian Cinema is on its path of progress at par with the world cinema. Credit of this goes to all the young directors from the Gen-X and to the people backing them all financially.

In straight words, “Dostana” is not a masterpiece but it is an enjoyable path breaking film, showing you what you have never witnessed before on Indian Silver Screen. If you see it from another angle then “Dostana” is one of the most stylish movie ever made in Bollywood, in respect of costumes, looks, location and content. The only lacking part I found was the publicity designs which should have been more stylish. They are too simple as compared to the movie.)

Coming to the story, it’s a first in Hindi Cinema and targets more on the urban and multiplexes audiences. Two guys (Abhishek & John) desperately in search of a house, decide to act as a gay couple when they see an apartment not to be missed. The house belongs to a successful fashion woman (Priyanka), who has a beauty out of this world. Now this creates the problem as both our heroes fall in love with her, but the girl has other plan to follow.

The sad part remains the same that we still have to borrow our ideas from the west and closely watch what they are making at their end. But as we are now on the right path and may be in the coming years will leave this ugly habit too. Here “Dostana” has the shades of “I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry” (2007).

Clearly it is not a movie for small centers, as those viewers, may not find the humor in the movie, there cup of tea. It’s purely a Gen-X movie for the city centers and should find great audience coming majorly from City Schools, Colleges and other Educational Institutes as they will be able to grasp the subject better with their www based knowledge and understanding. For others “Dostana” is a movie with great clothing and good skin show.

The movie has its plus and minus points both but as the plusses are completely new and innovative so they overcome the minuses. Performance wise, the top three are equally good and look stunning in their excellent costumes (thought there are not many on their bodies).

Abikshek unexpectedly is having all the fun posing a gay, with all those added histrionics, he really gives a splendid performance, which rocks. John at first looks resisting but then enters the skin of his role. The viewers really enjoy them both posing as gays. Hats off to both of them for accepting this movie with dare.

Priyanka Chopra looks the most stunning and out of this world like never before. She should stick to this look and note how the costumes in this movie suit her perfectly. Her expressions and looks in the first half are just mind blowing. This movie will surely add to her fan following in many folds. You are bound to fall in love with her after watching “Dostana”.

There is a surprise element in the form of “Bobby Deol” who was not revealed in the publicity of the movie. He gives a very calm, elegant and subtle performance as Priyanka’s new boss and he can easily add this film into his top 5 movies. He suits the character to the “T’ and casting him was intelligently thought by the director.

In a movie based on Gay characters, the best and highly entertaining act as a Gay comes from “Boman Irani” and then comes the superb performance by “Kiron Kher” as Abhishek’s mother. The sequence where they all are in one frame is very enjoyble and well directed. But surprisingly Boman Irani vanishes after this. It would have been more entertaining if he was somehow given more scenes post interval too.

The movie has more pace in the first half and drops in the second. The moment plot shifts from the “Gay Angle” to “Love Triangle”, it starts dragging and lacks the require pull post interval. What covers this drag is the unexpected and controversial climax which is again well done by the first time director Tarun. The audiences scream and shout their hearts out as they see the last scene.

Vishal Shekhar again come up with a foot tapping number “Maa Da Ladla”. In fact this song is better than “Desi Girl” which was aired more before the release. And following the usual ages old trend the “Desi Girl” songs is inserted where it is not needed. Even Shilpa Shetty looks like wasted as her song is used in the opening titles.

So despite of some minuses, “DOSTANA” works because it is a first of its kind and secondly it is pleasing to eye, stylish and rich on content. Go For It !

Rating : 3.5 / 5

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There Are 8 Responses So Far. »

  1. Atleast now we have started thinking out of the box.
    Hope to see more innovative movies in the coming days.

  2. Bobby i agree but there must be some cultural difference in cinema too.

  3. Sure, I meant “Innovative Cinema” but well within the cultural boundaries and and not taking unwanted liberties.

  4. I agree the film is quite enjoyable. Boman Irani nailed his part and Kiron Kher was out of this world hilarious.

    John Abraham did double duty, he was top notch as the eye candy and also performed very well as the sometime relectant poser (Gay poser). John has grown immensely as an actor (still has ways to go).

    For the first time Lil C was over all very good. His gay performance when measured against say Boman was not upto par but got the required laughs. If he takes up roles such as the one in Dostana, Lil C will do well. He needs to stay away from roles that require him to be exceptional in any way. Lil C should take on only roles which require him to be just another every day ordinary man. For example, going forward, the type of role that Abhay Deol performed in Imtiaz Ali’s film would be perfect for Lil C.

    But the real “hero” of his movie was Priyanka Chopra. As a modern desi girl in USA she was perfect. Her diologues, her expressions, her clothes, her body language everything was just perfect. In the scene where she advices Kiron Kher, she brings her “A” game into the movie. Hats off to Priyanka Chopra.

  5. i agree Bobby
    nice review Shaan
    yet to see the movie.

  6. Good Entertainment !

    Taking from khanta behen episode for KHNH, Dostana was gud offering interms of entertainment

    Best part of Dostana was its production backing, had it be no karan johar it could have turned into kya kool hai hum kind of comedy

    Somewhere in background Dostana worked because we loved KHNH,KKHH etc !

  7. Dostana works with Gen X or Urban audience bcoz we had gud dose on this topic at various platforms of entertainment

    All Thnx to Srk & Saif & Karan, they kept their humour going at different places Which made things more easy for DOSTANA

  8. Dostana was good in its first half and it bored me to death in the second half.Second half could have been Shorter..

    They messed it up with the screen play in the second half…Overall a avg movie for me because of Entertaining first half…Most of the songs were dampners…

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