Dostana: Review from different websites
Title: Dostana
Director: Tarun Mansukhani
Producer: Karan Johar and Hiroo Johar
Cast:
Abhishek Bachchan…… Sameer
John Abraham…… Kunal
Priyanka Chopra…… Neha
Bobby Deol…… Abhimanyu
Synopsis: A romantic comedy, Dostana, is full of fun and humor. Two friends- Sameer (Abhishek Bachchan) and Kunal (John Abraham) are looking for apartments and the landlady of the apartment turned them down because the last thing she wants is some young men corrupting her beautiful niece, Neha (Priyanka Chopra), who works in the famous fashion magazine, Verve.
Now, the two desperate friends pose as gay to get the land lady’s approval. Neha, without knowing Sameer and Kunal’s real intention, befriends with them. Sameer and Kunal, once two friends, turns enemies as they compete for Neha’s love. In the mean time, a third person enters the scene; Abhimanyu, Neha’s boss. Who will win Neha’s heart? That answer you are going to get today as Dostana is released in theatres all over the world.
First things first, Karan Johar’s father, Yash Johar, made a movie with similar title in 1980. Amitabh Bachchan, Shatrughan Sinha, and Zinat Aman starred in the movie. Though Karan Johar said that the two movies have nothing in common, interestingly, Yash Johar’s Dostana(1980) had gay subtext. Yash Johar’s Dostana was a love triangle but Karan Johar’s is a quadrangle as there are three guys competing for one girl and two guys pose as gay. Yash Johar’s Dostana is a serious movie where Karan Johar’s Dostana is a comedy and it deals with homosexuality.
Dostana and homosexuality:
In India, Karan Johar is considered to be a gay icon but he has no problems with that. In his earlier movie, Kal Ho Naa Ho, there was a small gay subplot but that was a comical one. Dostana also deals with homosexuality but in a funny and humorous way. Still, Dostana is an exceptional mainstream commercial movie in the sense that the movie deals with a very controversial subject; homosexuality and it does not make it look ugly or nasty. The movie treats the subject with lots of respect. Karan Johar and Tarun Mansukhani deserve all the praise for their courageous effort to chose such an exceptional theme. From the trailer, you can easily understand that Dostana is a lavishly shot movie, which is a trademark of Karan Johar. From exclusive location to trendy clothes, to beautiful girls, Karan Johar knows how to deliver an entertaining package to the audience and that is what Dostana is all about. The trailer is just the tip of the iceberg. There are more to see in the movie. Taran Adarsh says:
If the first hour is laced with crackling chemistry between the guys and terrific humour, things get serious towards the second half since there’s one more person vying for Priyanka’s attention — Bobby Deol. There’s humour in this hour too, but the focus is mainly on who’d get Priyanka in the end.
The length is a slight deterrent in the second half and the editor could’ve easily cut the unwanted flab to make the narration in shape. But the film works as a package! Also, the film has a shocking end and people are bound to raise eyebrows.
Taran Adarsh dubbed Dostana as a “must see” movie. It comes with lots of laughter and fun and humor.
mouthshut.com says:
Although, the plot of the film is nothing very new, except for the very important gay element in the movie (which is something rare in mainstream Bollywood movies), it still manages to keep you glued to your seats because of its fresh treatment and because of some well-written and well-executed scenes, spontaneous performances and some clever dialogues. The film is basically a humorous one with a little emotional content (which, BTW, doesn`t look melodramatic at all).
Rediff.com says:
The problem then is that the film is genuinely entertaining, albeit very obvious, in a way that it is likely to be a smash hit and reach millions of people — setting the gay rights movement in India back at least a decade. Sigh. Nobody expected a Brokeback Mountain, but a dollop or two of perspective tossed in the middle of all the item songs and bling wouldn’t hurt now, would it?
Acting:
In terms of acting, Dostana is going to be a proof that John Abraham can act. Though Karan Johar made him expose his body a lot in the movie, it did not overshadow his acting talent. Same thing goes for Abhishek Bachchan. He gave one of the best performances of his career in the movie. Priyanka Chopra’s performance was also “A”class. It looks like 2008, is going to be a good year for the actress. First, Madhur Bhandarkar’s Fashion, and now its Dostana. Boman Irani is a talented actor and he comes with great sense for comedy timing. Movies like Munnabhai M.B.B.S., Khosla Ka Ghosla are examples of his comic acting. Bobby Deol, Kirron Kher, and Sushmita Mukherjee gave required performance for their characters.
Overall, Dostana is a hit all the way. If you are having a tough time and looking forward to do something hilarious then get a ticket and go and watch Dostana. It is a definite “paisa vasool” movie and guaranteed to put a smile on your face. There are beautiful locations, sexy girls in bikini, beautiful songs crafted by brilliant music composer duo Vishal-Shekhar that will keep your feet tapping, and last but not least, the gay twist of John Abraham and Abhishek Bachchan, two of the most popular actors of the contemporary Bollywood. Gay or homosexuality is not something that Indian people feel comfortable with. Despite knowing the fact, Karan Johar gave it a go and it clicked. However, Karan did not portray a serious gay relationship like the Oscar winning movie, the Brokeback Mountain. Instead, Karan used the theme to put some twist in the story. The movie is still very much enjoyable and analysts are predicting that it would attract a large number of young audience between the age of sixteen and twenty five.
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