Appartamento per... 3

I'm not a big bollywood movie fan.. least of them the comedies. Going to a movie without going through reviews is a must no no. But I've made few exceptions owing to special circumstances. I always regretted, but not this time.

As always, I was expecting a half cooked desperate humor when i entered the hall. But I was in for a big surprise.

Movie started on a usual note, but with a different "gay" concept. I was quite sure writers and director won't be able to handle it. But I admit, I underestimated those guys. Nobody could stop laughing in the entire first half, and my mouth and stomach were in a really bad shape during intermission. When I sat down again, I was damn sure they are going to ruin it now. How can these guys think of a climax in such a complicated situation.

But again, this time Movie bounced back with its turns and unpredictable elements. each time you think plot is sinking, they turn it around and take you by surprise. At least for the bollywood guys, climax couldn't have been better.

Additionally, as I enjoyed watching damn hot Priyanka's figure, my female friends enjoyed John's show-off. We really missed John's overacting though (Pun intended).

All in all, this was a much needed revival for bollywood's desperate comedy attempts. Completely fresh concept, which gave its viewers an access to unorthodox jokes even in orthodox funny situations. Definitely A must watch!!!!!

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

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.

Karan Johar comes up with another film that is very identified with his own style of film-making, Dostana. He combines comedy, drama and emotions in one film, though in this case there's more balance, though it leans more on the comedy. The film, in contrast to Johar's previous films where all starts as a great comedy but ends up in a tearful melodrama, remains a comedy almost from start to end, though different clichés from time to time are inevitable and easy to predict. This is not a bad thing, that's Johar's style and it has clearly worked for him in previous attempts, but while I found myself laughing from time to time, I was also quite annoyed by some of the cheesy proceedings.

The direction is pretty good, not that anything great is required there to begin with. The cinematography is well done, the locations are fantastic. The westernised music matches the light mood of the film. The film is stylish and modern, but it certainly doesn't have the refreshing quality of films like Salaam Namaste and Hum Tum. The various jokes in the film do manage do work though some of them are unoriginal and we are already familiar with them thanks to our film experience. It's still fun, maybe because it's new for a Hindi film, and maybe because the jokes work and it's amusing to see the leading actors in such situations.

Abhishek Bachchan and John Abraham get equal footage, and they are okay. John does not lose any chance to take his shirt off and get cocky, which really gets on one's nerves. Abhishek performs better and he's more effective in comic sequences. Hottie Priyanka Chopra plays their friend and a struggling career woman. She's not a great actress, but she's competent in a role which is not very demanding but pivotal. Kirron Kher utterly steals the show with her brief appearance. Her loud and hysterical mother is just hilarious, and her transformation from a desperate mother to someone who learns to accept her son's "identity" is brilliant. The fact that we know the truth only makes it funnier. I can't see another actress doing this part as well.

All in all, Dostana is a decent one. It is filled with the usual clichés and the moments of old platitude one can expect from a movie of this sort; it is predictable, it is stereotypical and not very original, but having said that, it is entertaining and fairly enjoyable. Try this Bollywood entertainment, preferably with your family or friends, which may elevate your level of enjoyment of it.

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