Dostana 2008 Movie Review
Somewhere in the ’80s When Harry Met Sally attempted to answer the question that has plagued every woman and man since eternity – can two persons from the opposite sex be just friends?
This week’s release Dostana also seeks to find an answer to a similar question that has troubled our little globalised and recession-ridden world – can two guys hugging and hanging out with each other ever be just friends? Because it seems like ‘the sex part always gets in the way.’
Of course Dostana is no patch on the Hollywood cult classic. But along the way it does give you enough reasons to laugh out. And when have we demanded anything more out of our (and specifically KJo’s) movies anyway?
It tells the story of Sam (Abhishek Bachchan) a ne’er do well nurse at a hospital in Miami and a hot-bod photographer Kunal (John Abraham) who are looking for an apartment to move into. As luck would have it, they end up at the same house at the same time driving in the very same cab. They are tad disappointed when they are told that the house was not open for ‘baba log’ since there was a pretty young thing staying there.
Not left with much choice they decide to bluff about their sexuality and move in with Neha (Priyanka Chopra). As days pass, the three become great friends and begin spending a lot of time together.
Meanwhile Neha loses her promotion to Abhimanyu Singh (Bobby Deol) who takes over as the boss of the magazine she works for. He assigns her an almost-impossible task, which she completes with a little help from our photographer hunk, and is left impressed.
By the time the tub of interval popcorn makes its way to your seat you realise that the three leading men have fallen for our pretty damsel. Our two ‘gay’ men decide to pull out the daggers and get Abhimanyu out of the way. How and who manages to take Neha home forms the climax of the film.
Dostana bases itself on the premise that one lie can make for a heck of a good film. Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Gol Maal was one such movie as were Mrs Doubtfire, Chachi 420 and I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry among many others. So the Abhishek Bachchan-starrer is no landmark film in any sense. And sure enough you are bound to find influences of all these movies (and many more not listed here) in it.
But what makes Dostana work for me is the sheer chemistry between John Abraham (his lack of expressions notwithstanding) and Abhishek Bachchan. The two seem so perfectly made for each other you begin wishing they were really gay.
What also works is the whole Two Guys and A Girl set-up, which though exciting and very new to most Indian men comes with a lot of strings attached.
The third thing that I could empathise with and therefore perhaps appreciate is how a single man has to lie through his teeth just to find an accommodation in a big city. And it is this one lie that snowballs into such a huge mess that it ends up destroying everything the three protagonists cherish the most.
However what is pi****g off is that the makers have managed to totally waste three brilliant actors – Boman Irani, Kirron Kher and Sushmita Bundela Mukherjee. Boman plays the gay editor of a fashion magazine for exactly three scenes, Kirron plays Abhishek’s ‘full on Punjabi ham scene’ mom and Sushmita is Priyanka’s wannabe model aunt.
Boman has done a much smaller role in Kismat Konnection but at least the character in the film was critical. Ditto for Sushmita (Kitty from Karamchand) who was so convincing as her two-minute performance as the Bengali mom in that horrendous Ugly Aur Pagli. And just what the hell was Tarun Mansukhani thinking while picturising that song on Kirron anyway?
Also to a certain extent the film tends to stereotype gay men, which can be a turnoff. But frankly the film itself is quite enjoyable if you keep the expressionless Bobby Deol out of the scene.
There are some great moments too. However none so brilliant that can make your eyes moist. In fact if there’s something that gets you even close to crying is the shot where John replicates the rain dance scene in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai for Priyanka. But that’s not so much because of John and Priyanka but because all along you’re watching Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol in the backdrop and thinking of the first time you watched Kuch Kuch ten years ago.
All in all Dostana is not such a bad movie after all. It’s been a while since a Karan Johar film has hit the screens. And watching this one reminds you how sorely you’ve missed those candyfloss happy endings.
Verdict:3/5
