VividSimon Simply Perfect

Spidersecu Don't Believe the Hype

Keeley Coleman The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

cooneya475 Friends or Lovers?Dostana, directed by Tarun Mansukhani, is a refreshing comedy with an unconventional twist on romance. It's great when it's funny, but loses some of the magic when the developed plot becomes an all too familiar story of love and friendship toward the end. Despite the storyline, the humor along with the spicy cast will keep you engaged the whole time. The story begins as Kunal (John Abraham), and Sam (Abhishek Bachchan) continue to run into each other all throughout Miami. They both are unknowingly looking for an apartment when they find one that meets all their needs. The catch is Neha (Priyanka Chopra) already lives there and her aunt won't rent the others to boys. In order to get the apartment, Kunal and Sam deceive the aunt into believing that they are a gay couple. After getting the apartment, Sam and Kunal must pretend to be a gay couple which leads to humorous and sometimes uncomfortable situations. Their lie starts to unravel when they both fall in love with Neha who is blind to their feelings because she is in love with her boss (Bobby Neol). Dostana is an entertaining, modern film that also possesses a traditional Bollywood feel. The music in Dostana, directed by Vishal Shekar, is tasteful and compelling. I love the all out Bollywood style spectacle seen in Hum Tum, directed by Kunal Kohli, but Shekar wisely blends it into the story. Another great aspect of the film is the on- screen chemistry between the main cast. Neha, Sam and Kunal develop a true friendship that is tested, but ultimately prevails in the end. And although not a true gay couple, Sam and Kunal pull it off well through many jokes and funny antics. One scene that grabbed my attention was when Kunal and Sam were both trying to get a cab when the screen splits into two showing both actors and then swiftly morphs into one screen again as they get into the same cab. This represents how Sam and Kunal become interconnected with one another. Another aspect that the movie touched on was the eventual acceptance of Sam's "alternative lifestyle" by his mother (Kirron Kher). These scenes are mostly shot using a typical mid-shot to really capture the extreme uneasiness and anger of the mother. She only sways to accept her son for who he 'really' is and who he 'loves' because of Neha, but no matter how or why, she does come around which conveys the genuine power of love. Despite her small role, Sam's mother adds to the humor of the movie which overall kept me interested and charmed the whole time.Ultimately Dostana was a good film. The humor, music, chemistry, and theme that friendship like love can be complex and unpredictable combined to create a film definitely worth seeing. Dostana mixes customary Bollywood ideals with modern issues that break the mold. I would highly recommend this film, especially to those looking for sheer, light-hearted entertainment.

skidmorer231 Two Guys, a Girl, & Miami Director Tarun Mansukani should receive an award for making a Bollywood film that I enjoy! Sameer (Abhishek Bachchan) and Kunal (John Abraham) think they are slick when they pretend to be a gay couple in order to reside in a Miami apartment with Neha (Priyanka Chopra). Their "relationship" stretches beyond the situation with Neha. Kunal needs to gain residency. Being in a "gay" relationship allows him to do so in the end. The two boys fall in love with Neha. Their jealousy rises as she falls for her new boss, Abhi (Bobby Deol). This comedy will leave you wanting to watch what the entertaining trio will get themselves into next.The interest of the audience is maintained throughout the film via various camera techniques. When the boys first lay their eyes on Neha, the camera shots are oblique. Her body is shown part by part, emphasizing one part at a time. Her eyes, bottom, lips, and back are shown individually, followed by a full body shot from ground level, upward. It is obvious that the objectified "male gaze" is focused on her beauty, as she is gorgeous.When the two boys, Neha, and Auntie (who oversees Neha's actions) are in the apartment, the scene cuts from the apartment to the made up scene of when the "lovers" first met in Venice. It is hard to forget a film is being viewed when a cut like that happens. When the three best friends go to a club and are doing shots, they are in sharp focus and everything occurring behind them is in soft focus, appearing fuzzy and blurred. This happens again as they are dancing. The focus in each situation is on Sam, Neha, and Kunal. I get the feeling that I am meant to think I am in the club with them drinking, as the background is blurry, as if I have been drinking. The audience can see their blurred vision and that they've been drinking a lot.One of the funniest scenes is when Sam, Kunal, Neha's gay boss, and the gay immigration officer, Javier, are dancing in the apartment. Head shots show the actual gay men in pure enjoyment. Sam and Kunal are beside themselves in disgust is apparent on their faces. Head shots shoe their discomfort in dancing closely with gay men.When Sam's mother "finds out" that he is gay, she has a meltdown. Over the shoulder shots are used as she is repeatedly smacking Sam in the face. A head shot captures the pain and feeling of betrayal shown on her face. A reverse shot shows Sam's pain in seeing his mother hurt over a lie at his expense. The overall treatment of homosexuality in this movie is accepted, over time.I enjoyed watching this film and would not mind watching it again. I had my boyfriend and house mate watch it with me. It is a film to watch if you need a good laugh and want justice to be served.

keithla43 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.

Peter Young Karan Johar came 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 was a very well-noticed balance. 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 proved to be successful 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 was pretty good, not that anything great was required there. The cinematography was well done, the locations were fantastic. The westernised music contributes to the light mood of the film. The film is stylish and modern, though surprisingly not as modern as 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 we had not seen that in a Hindi film before, and maybe because it's unbelievable to see the leading actors in such situations.Abhishek Bachchan and John Abraham get equal footage, and they are okay. John is good-looking and he 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 woman 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 not a great film but 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, so that it may elevate your level of enjoyment of it.