Dostana (2008)

Dostana is a very stylish Bollywood flick that shows how modern and hip the Indian film industry has progressed over the years. Dostana is extremely vibrant, with excellent and clever editing and a real "cool" feeling that really lifts your spirits. It's no wonder it's only the fourth Bollywood movie to break into the U.S. Top 20 box office.Dostana boasts a fairly star studded cast, with many familiar names such as Abhishek Bachchan, John Abraham, Bobby Deol, and of course the stunningly gorgeous Priyanka Chopra, one of this year's most successful Bollywood actresses. Personally I thought it was Abhishek who steals the show most of the time, his humour is top notch without having to go over the top or appearing to be cheesy or forced. John Abraham may at first appear to be just eye candy for the ladies, but he also does extremely well and shows off his moves in various dances as well. I've never really been a fan of Bollywood's song and dances, but I thoroughly enjoyed the songs in Dostana especially "My Desi Girl" which I felt was one of the climaxes of the movie.This movie is in no way homophobic. Those who call it ridiculous and making fun of homosexuality are probably taking it too seriously. Dostana doesn't laugh at gay people, it laughs at the two bumbling idiots, Bachchan and Abraham, two supposedly macho young guys pretending to be a gay couple. Perhaps some scenes which depicted actual gay people were a bit stereotyped but I felt it was simply adding to the film's light-heartedness and humour. It does convey a decent message in that everyone should be accepted for who they are, regardless of their sexual preference. Dostana is well worth the rental if not just for the songs, but Abhishek Bachchan and John Abraham really do a great job playing off of each other and only the most uptight of people could resist laughing at this film.

Dostana well, its just like any other average Hindi film lack of originality. Though the actors put up a good show but still B-WOOD still has a long way to compete in terms of quality with the rest of the world. Dostana is a blatant copy of I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU CHUCK AND LARRY. At least 90% is copied from This Adam Sandler's movie. Bobby Deol's role is just an attempt to beef up the movie and make it even more silly. To an exposed mind this is just and nothing more than an average movie. I will give it a rating of maximum 4. I bet its time we explored what is beyond the average, obvious and predictable B-WOOD horizon!

The original Dostana starred Zeenat Aman, Amitabh and Straughan Sinha(remember the song "Bane chahe dushman zamana humara salamat rahe dostana humara). I have been a fan of Karan Johar ever since I saw Kuch Kuch Hota Hai so when I heard Karan Johar is directing it was very excited. I even consider KANK is an under-appreciated adult drama that gets unwanted criticism. There is however a limit to my devotion and Dostana has crossed the line. How does a director go from making a mature drama like KANK to a incohrent,tacky movie like Dostana?. Dostana lacked all the key elements that made previous Karan Johar movies so special. Previous Johar movies had a sense of fun, had great songs and a pretty solid script. The gay angle in Kal Ho Na Ho was the best part of the movie but with Dostana I personally feel that Johar has gone too far.The performances also nothing special. The highlight for me was Priyanka Chopra but not because of her performance but because she looked gorgeous in it. Even the climax is a dud, I didn't know it was the end until the end credits started rolling. What makes it worse is the fact that the original Dostana was produced by Karan's father Yash Johar, in my opinion Karan should have taken more care in ensuring that his movie doesn't tarnish the original's classic reputation. Agreed Karan let a newcomer direct it and he only produced it but Karan is the experienced professional and should have guided him. Now I normally see so good in every movie I watch but with Dostana I can see only negatives,it is disgusting revolting trash and I would advise all people who are expecting it to be a family entertainer to avoid it at all costs.

Dostana is not a gay comedy. It is actually another entry in the long line of comedies going back to time immemorial where men (temporarily) dress up and behave as women. From silent movies with Chaplin to Some Like it Hot, men appearing (superficially) as women has prodded our funny bones. The new incarnation of this tradition is men pretending to be gay and thus effeminate. A recent example of this was in Chuck and Larry. And just as that movie was totally panned, so will this one be, because they by nature deal with stereotypes. Nonetheless, I found Dostana to be one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. A big part of the hilarity is Abhishek's totally outrageously funny acting. His facial expressions are so cartoonish and purposefully exaggerated when he is pretending to be gay it's hard not to laugh (for me). Like a good actor should, he is totally comfortable in his role. In one roaring scene his character improvises the story on how he and his soul mate met in Venice. The way he parodies both feminine romantic behavior in Bollywood romance and Bollywood's typical concept of love is so funny. John Abraham on the other hand, IMO, seems to be miscast. He can do well in simple villain and action roles like in the movie Dhoom, but here he looks totally wooden and unfunny. Most of the times he seems to be only looking where he is supposed to look with no expression as if he just wants to go home and go to sleep. Priyanka is pretty good for her role, and Boman is creepy but hilarious. Deol is also good as the typical fiancé. Kiron Kher is once again cast as a mother, but her reactions in this movie are really funny (although at one part there is some trouble that can be avoided but isn't just to make things funny, but I'll let it go). The songs were largely forgettable. Imo the hilarious and vulgar writing and abhishek's zaniness was what made this movie into a great comedy. Obviously this is not a family movie, you should at least have the brains to realize that. Oh yeah: as with any Hindi comedy, it is absolutely essential you know Hindi and some Hindi slang. Don't complain that you didn't think it was funny if you watched it with some awful pirated subtitles! That, and 'all shak and no..." is one of funniest lines I have ever heard in a Hindi movie.