Dostana (2008)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Tarun Mansukhani

Writers:

Anvita Dutt Guptan (dialogue script)
Tarun Mansukhani (first story)

Release Date:

13 November 2008 (Kuwait)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

The party begins at a cinema near you.

Plot:

Kunal and Sameer, two straight guys who pretend to be a gay couple to secure an posh Miami apartment, but both of them fall for their gorgeous room-mate Neha, hilarity ensures as they strive to convince one and all they are gay! While secretly trying to win Neha's heart. |

Plot Keywords:

Gay | Apartment | Gay Couple | Date | Best Friends

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

John Abraham	...	Kunal
Abhishek Bachchan	...	Sameer / Sam
Priyanka Chopra	...	Neha
Bobby Deol	...	Abhimanyu Singh
Monika Gaba	...	Anaita
Boman Irani	...	Neha's Boss
Harry Key	...	Auctioneer
Kiron Kher	...	Sameer's Mother
Sushmita Mukherjee	...	Neha's Aunty
Harrison Myles	...	Kunal's Imposter
Shilpa Shetty	...	Item Girl

Also Known As:

Friendship (India: English title) (literal title)

Country:

India | USA

Language:

English | Hindi

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Ireland:12A | New Zealand:PG | Singapore:NC-16 | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Miami, Florida, USA

Company:

Dharma Productions

Trivia:

Saif Ali Khan was initially offered the role of Kunal; but he rejected it, because he felt that he would be sidelined by Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai(who was originally in talks for the lead role) due to their popular marriage.

Quotes:

Kunal, Sameer: [singing to Neha] My Desi Girl, my Desi Girl girl girl girl girl girl girl girl...

Movie Connections:

References Sholay (1975)

Soundtrack:

Desi Girl

What could have been a Mega Extravaganza..

Welcome once again to the larger than life world of Hindi cinema. A song provides a scorcher of a start to the movie with this female celebrity who is highly popular in the UK (read Big Brother) dancing, 'bouncing' and lifting the curtains to this world called Dostana. Here we have a smashing foreign locale in Miami where chicks roam around in bikinis as if it is their second skin and guys with chiselled bodies and offbeat professions get up in bed only to find themselves with some unknown damsel. It's a world where a sizzling girl in her mid 20s who despite doing well in her career is looking for tenants to share her house and earn some extra income. (With the current economic recession its not a bad idea!) Enter the wannabe tenants - our two heroes who look like they have buried the 'reel' animosity of the past (read Dhoom)! What next? Yes here is the alleged twist as these guys fake their sexual orientation because the Indian values in our 'Desi Girl' will not allow two straight hunks in her Miami condo. Let us pretend at this point we don't know who Chuck & Larry are/were! What works for this movie and what doesn't?

Okay it is the first of its kind attempt by an Indian film-maker to touch upon and even base the main plot on this 'homo-sexual' angle, a subject hidden in the closet. The platform is well established with Abhishek and John being at an almost natural ease while playing their characters! These guys are the primary thing working for the movie as they infuse in every scene a sense of wackiness making you snort with laughter (or LOL). Their centre of attraction Priyanka looks absolutely gorgeous in each and every frame of the movie. The treatment of the movie is just right and the sole objective is to provide the audience with insane entertainment. Enters Abhishek's mom played by Kirron Kher, a mother horrified by the knowledge that her 'puttar' has become andha and cannot distinuguish between a boy and a girl! Yes the laughs grow louder and louder. Insanity rules! Catchy and melodious music plays along keeping you grooved. Its all fun and games and then its interval!

Post interval time and like a ship caught in a storm this movie gets lost and takes the wrong direction. The script goes awry. Our heroes have grown weak in the knees for our heroine and the brewing love triangle turns into a triple threat match with the entry of this third gentlemen. Now, instead of letting the movie continue on the path of insane entertainment, it heads into the world of clichéd misunderstanding and sappiness. The plot becomes so contrived and the humour nearly dries out. The actors do their best to keep the fun alive and succeed only marginally. Besides the awry script the character development also falters with a talented actor like Boman Irani ill-utilized. The zing is gone and the executioner is the story writer.

The two heroes Abhishek and John do a sparkling job with their hilariously unusual and offbeat role. Priyanka Chopra is meant to look pretty and she does a perfectly stunning job at that. It is no doubt that after 'Dostana' and 'Fashion' she is ready to conquer the queen's crown in Hindi cinema. The costume and dresses are perfect and in sync with the theme of the movie. The music is groovy and one of the plus points of the movie. The cinematography though good is a little patchy owing to cost cutting measures by creating the Miami house in Bombay with skyscraper wallpapers on the windows!

Although only produced and not directed by Karan Johar, it bears in each frame the stamp of his brand of cinema with many references to his past works. And seeing his track record you expected something more. But yeh more nahi milega! Overall Dostana is not a bad effort, in fact the movie is a fun, onetime watch but nothing beyond candy floss entertainment. The opportunity to turn it into a mega extravaganza has been lost.