Dostana

OK – the "Kanta Ben" episode forms the basic premise of Dostana but hey, just like in Kal Ho Na Ho some good interesting tracks were expected as well.

Apartment? Instead of harping on a unbelievable reason, a better convincing reason should have been thought for pretending gay.

The trio did an amazing job, so lets not go that area.

Bobby Deol was a big downer and his look seemed he was just out of Chamku. In fact the entire track seemed a poor rehash of "6 din - Ladki In" episode of Kal Ho Na Ho.

Kiron Kher was just OK.

Shilpa Shetty in the opening number was an eye-candy.

Sulabha Arya a.k.a Kaanta Ben – very good... very good. Sushmita Mukherjee – very bad... very bad.

Songs are #1 and without doubt Vishal-Shekhar rule the roost.

And yes, the costumes deserve a special mention.

The visuals are stunning – it is visitmiami.com beckoning.

This felt sometimes like it was several different movies spliced together, but mostly it was a fun ride. Beautifully shot in Miami, and it's obvious what a ground-breaker it is for Indian film (hey, it JUST became legal to be gay there!)

Yes, there are gay stereotypes, but mostly it's gently done. And yes, it has the Bollywood musical numbers at the weirdest times, but some of them ("Shut up and bounce") were so catchy I couldn't get them out of my head.

I also couldn't get John Abraham out of my head. Believe me, you won't be able to take your eyes off him the entire time...

I say go for it. If you're not up to the musical numbers, you can go past fast forward through them.

Well Dostana from Dharma Productions instantly brings back the memories of the hit 80s cheesy flick which was quite enjoyable because of the star cast mainly..Nothings different here..The films cheesy,over the top, mindless but fun and stays afloat only because the camaraderie between the cast mainly...

The story is not novel, a bit borrowed from last year flop Now I Pronounce Chuck and Larry which wasn't very funny either..But Dostana is funny and funny because the actors make it so..The writing is poor and so is the editing..The film could have been a good 15 minutes short (the second half is unending)..The first is good though..

Abhisekh Bachchan was always good with comedy but he is a revelation in this..He is funny as hell and carries the film all through..John is okay, his facial expressions never change though..Priyanka is hot and looks ravishing all along..She has looked her best after a long time..Boman Irani was extremely funny and so was Sushmita Mukherjee..Bobby Deol track looks forced and so the actor doesn't impress..

Music is good, especially Desi Girl and Jaane Kyun..Tarun Mansukhani the director has a good future..He showed some talent! The good thing about Dostana is that it stretches the limits of Indian Cinema..Films like this would never have been conceived 5 or 10 years back..Its a growth en-route progress but how I hope the result would have as desiring..And I felt the portrayal of gays is still not in much positive light..They are still shown as pretentious, perverted people which actually is misleading..

Overall I enjoyed it barring a few places in the second half and climax could have better thought of and executed..

5.5/10

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.

Dostana is a lot of fun, specially in the first half, all thanks to Abhishek's wonderful comic timing, and a brilliantly conceived "gay fantasy love story" between Abhishek and John. Priyanks Chopra looks stunning, and there's plenty of eye candy (for both sexes) to enjoy. Boman Irani and Kirron Kher are good, but the script doesn't accommodate them well. Bobby Deol has what amounts to an extended cameo. Unfortunately he sleepwalks through the part. John makes an effort to act, but still isn't up to par. The last hour of the film gets bogged down in sappy melodrama, with an uncalled for scene of cruelty towards a child. Still worth catching on DVD or television.

Overall 6/10