Chrysanthepop Needless to say 'Dostana' is an incredibly silly movie. It looks like just another expensive (but tacky looking) Yashraj film. Shot in America (or Australia masquerading as America), 'Dostana', may not be a total ripoff but it does take a lot from movies like 'I Pronounce You Chuck and Larry', 'Three To Tango' etc. In addition to making a mockery of gay people, the writing is poor. The story lacks focus as it bounces from one plot to another. Only some of the situational humour works. Tarun Mansukhani does not know how to direct. Abhishek Bachchchan goes over the top with his act and John Abraham is wooden. Kiron Kher is loud. Bobby Deol is competent. Priyanka Chopra does better in a non-challenging role. For me the plus point, was seeing Shilpa Shetty sizzle in her hot item number. I wonder why the director chose to put this in the opening sequence. As beautiful as Priyanka Chopra looked, even in a golden bikini, Shilpa's luminosity and sensuality overshadow hers. If only we had gotten to see more of Shetty, I would have liked 'Dostana' more.

long-ford 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

Avinash Patalay OK – the "Kanta Ben" episode forms the basic premise of Dostana but hey, just like in Kal Ho Na Ho some good interesting tracks were expected as well. Apartment? Instead of harping on a unbelievable reason, a better convincing reason should have been thought for pretending gay.The trio did an amazing job, so lets not go that area.Bobby Deol was a big downer and his look seemed he was just out of Chamku. In fact the entire track seemed a poor rehash of "6 din - Ladki In" episode of Kal Ho Na Ho.Kiron Kher was just OK.Shilpa Shetty in the opening number was an eye-candy.Sulabha Arya a.k.a Kaanta Ben – very good... very good. Sushmita Mukherjee – very bad... very bad.Songs are #1 and without doubt Vishal-Shekhar rule the roost.And yes, the costumes deserve a special mention.The visuals are stunning – it is visitmiami.com beckoning.

ali-mostaque I have always wondered why Indian movie makers have to choose exotic foreign locations to generate interest in a movie. I am not aware that any other movie industry in the world does this to such an extent, with their main projects. In my humble opinion India has many beautiful locations to recommend the country, which are not that often seen on Bollywood movies, even now----Darjeeling, Arunchal Pradesh, Andaman Islands, and Cochin, Kerala. From the perspective of Indian producers, Indian audiences might appreciate "exotic" mainly WESTERN foreign locations, but I am sure with excellent direction an equal amount of interest can be generated with local Indian scenery.This movie I am sorry to say has a certain "Coolie" mentally, carried over from the colonial era. That one should at least try and see the beauty in India first, if possible with all the problems, and then pay slavish homage to foreign Western locations, which lets face it the vast majority of Indians will never see in reality, or experience directly.Psychologically and politically since 1991, and the reforms of Manmohan Singh, after Rajiv Gandhi, and the ditching of Congress Socialism, the Indian elite has been seeking greater linkages with the USA.........after the long romance with Russia, and the movie by Karan Johar reflects this current political aspect at various levels. It has all the cliché nods in the direction of the USA, which are not that amusing any more.But Gunga Din salutes with this offering.Acha Sahib!!!!!! The subject matter of straight men acting as gay males has many potentials for a movie as a comedy, and do see "Some Like It Hot" 1959, directed by Willie Wyler,to remind ourselves how the subject can be treated in a really humorous way, also set in Miami, about two guys escaping the Chicago Mob.Perhaps the directors could have chosen San Francisco as a more appropriate location instead of Miami....to begin the movie with. Perhaps also the directors could have consulted with some actual gay men to make our hero's roles a little bit more believable and interesting...even as really straight men. We could have had amusing arguments and fights over furniture location, clothes and fashion, food, computer laptops, Indian gay men against American gay men..maybe arguing about politics...women's fashion.....how they might communicate with each other..the cultural clashes.....the scene with the Military guy talking with our hero's could have been elaborated a little bit more. That one particular scene has certain political, social, racial, sociological implications which the director could have pursued and developed in a professional but in a humorous manner. We don't need to flick from scene to scene in an endless barrage.Why not stay with one scene and let the characters talk, REALLY interact, and develop their dialogue and characters.The concept is interesting for an Indian movie at least, if not for Western audiences (where the subject is well covered beyond tedium since the early 1960's)The dialogue did not seem inspiring, though I don't understand Hindi...........consisted of short monologues, with short monologues of reactions....no real dialogue to speak of. The main joke being 2 straight Indian men acting gay......Ha! ha! ha!, and how long can you carry that as a joke? Maybe you can carry that for 3 hours with naive Indian audiences, not used to seeing their leading actors play such roles...i.e Novelty value, but don't you have to offer other jokes as well along the way? The leading actors even as straight men could have made their gay roles more believable, and funnier. Gay people can be very very funny without even trying....I had a distant cousin who was openly gay, and he was a constant source of wholesome everyday humor...because they represent through their character and lifestyles a pattern of human behavior which is wholly unconventional, and not normal-------thus they present a massive reservoir for comedy for the Indian "masses".If you are relying on dialogue to carry the movie, then the dialogue has to be creative and funny, and not cliché ridden. Dialogue is not that important if its a slapstick comedy such as the Police Academy movies. Clearly this wasn't looking to be a slapstick visual gag comedy, but only visual in the sense of beautiful locations, with beautiful people.The movie clearly relies on visual imagery, with the "Exotic' locations, and stars with beautiful bodies, and affluent lifestyles of two people with very modest incomes. Again one can imagine, SADLY, the Indian masses gawping over such visual, empty, soulless beauty. But it is the arrogance of people like Johar who produce such COMMERCIALIZED CRAP, which is WHOLLY disconnected with India that the main criticism must be directed against.We don't have to have a juvenile approach to such a sensitive subject, and then have the attendant juvenile lines with coy stars delivering their lines badly. This movie definitely doesn't elevate Indian cinema to the "next level" but, rather drops Indian cinema below the great quality of some of the classical productions, such as .........Sholay, Mughal E Azam and so forth. This movie takes Indian cinema backwards, into a cultural cesspool of miss matched Westernized Indians trying to look cool, and hip, along with he banner of "Shining India". There is of course nothing wrong with looking cool and hip, and modern, after all not Indians are computer techies, doctors or accountants.....but being cool and modern requires a certain believable panache that fits in with the characters, their acting, and most significantly the lines they deliver------in this movie, non of the stars did.Indian Baywatch it wasn't.