Customer Reviews

Dostana

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This very modern movie about 2 straight guys pretending to be a gay couple to share an apartment in the USA and gain quicker citizenship, was a lot of fun.

I gather the gay thing was a bit of a challenge for some conservative Indians but I doubt would raise an eyebrow in the West. The 2 guys are well played by Abhishek Bachchan and John Abrahams who are so secure in their own sexuality that they were able to inhabit the roles and have fun with them without looking awkward. In fact Abhishek is more relaxed than ever and even dances less woodenly. He and John have great 'friend' chemistry and obviously had a ball making it. His comedic timing resists going over the top and is very good.

Priyanka looks suitable gorgeous and acts fine (despite quite a few Bollywood critics who see her as a lousy actress- and in fact often lump Abhishek in with that in acting ability - quite unfairly I think). Bobby Deol also has a small but solid part to play. Not much is required of him but he does the nice guy thing well.

The plot leaves you guessing which guy she'll go for. There was one small part of the script involving manipulating a 5 year old (no spoilers though) that I did feel crossed the line.

There are some quite catchy songs and colorful dance numbers.

It is a light comedy piece - not of the over-the-top slapstick Indian's often like in comedy. It is much more Western in its pitch. I think they played sensitively with the gay thing and I don't think any gay person I know would feel offended by it. On the contrary it adds a certain respect for gays as a legitimate part of the world in a way they generally aren't in Indian movies - even one of their mothers accept this as 'Gods choice' for them!

I could almost give this a double the stars for the DVD producers finally addressing the needs of the DVD viewer.As the credits roll there is a colourful song and dance number reduced in size to fit next to the names. For the DVD viewer this is always hard to view - and generally is displayed in the same format if you try to select it through the songs menu. This time, after they had finished with the credits and the reduced size number, they replayed the number in full screen. Many thanks from a grateful viewer who finally got her moneys worth!

A lot of light-hearted, well acted fun - and Abhishek is opening up more and more in his range and ability and gives a great performance in particular.

I watched the movie at a Film Festival in Miami since my sister was a dancer in it. I didn't expect much from it, but it turned out to be an extremely well made and entertaining movie. It's hilarious and charming.

If there are bad reviews about this movie without explanation, it's probably because that person doesn't like singing and dancing. However, there really isn't anything wrong with it. This was my first Bollywood movie and definitely not my last.

I loved the film! Music, dancing and clothes are great. Priyanka looks lovely all the time. John & Abhishek look sexy, but you can fall in love for both, as they go from funny to tender. You can laugh a lot, no matter if you are straight or gay. There is a good message for a conservative society (or even conservative sectors of our "modern" societies), as being gay is defended and the most traditional character in the film finally accepts the "gay" couple. Which is the ending of this story? You can take your choice. I decided to look at the subtle body language of characters in the last scene and considered music video played during credits as an epilogue. Even my 71 y.o. mom loved this film.

I watched this movie despite mixed reviews from people who had seen it. I was not sorry at all .... Dostana is delightfully light-hearted and comes with very catchy music.

Watch it if you you're looking for a couple of hours of entertainment without any emotional undercurrents.

Abhishek Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra, and John Abraham are the best couple in history. I love this movie so much that I recommended to all my friends. They even bought copies. Absolutely fantastic movie.

I have memorized all of the songs and most of the dialogue from Dostana. This movie is hilarious. It is also chock-full of insulting stereotypes about straight men, straight women, and gay men. So how is it still funny to the viewer of conscience?

I guess I just found the stereotypes so laughable, the songs so over-the-top, the plot so unrealistic, the dialogue so canned, that it is just an explosion of hilarity.

I mean come on, we're talking about the Bollywood version of I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. It's trash humor in top form with a huge budget!

Mumbai crash-lands in Miami, and voilà, Bollywood meets 'The Birdcage.' The two go together like sun and sand. The reason it didn't happen sooner is because same-sex romance was a taboo movie topic in India--until 'Dostana' came along, that is. The film isn't preachy about tolerance in the least, but rather, it's a rollicking good time, right from the get-go. Maybe that's why audiences embraced the theme despite its touchiness and turned out in droves.

The film opens with Bollywood's favorite eye candy, John Abraham, emerging from the ocean Ursula Andress-style--a shimmering Adonis in tight swim trunks. Hero No. 2, Abhishek Bachchan, pulls up in a pink fishtail Cadillac with a bevy of babes in the back seat. And a bikini-clad Shilpa Shetty performs the catchy number "Shut Up and Bounce" along Miami's South Beach, cavorting with the two men. But wait--isn't the movie about a gay relationship? No, but it is about acceptance of gay relationships, done in the spirit of 'La Cage Aux Folles.' Instead of two gay men pretending to be a straight couple, two straight men pretend to be a gay couple.

The film firmly establishes that the main characters, Sameer (Bachchan) and Kunal (Abraham), like women--a lot. They're macho lady-killers who meet one morning over breakfast after shacking up with two women who live together. Kunal is a fashion photographer who has access to gorgeous women galore, while Sameer is a nurse, who's secure enough in his masculinity to comfortably work in a female-dominated field. They run into each other again when they both show up to rent the same apartment, and both are turned down by the landlady, who doesn't want virile young men as tenants, since they'll be sharing the place with her niece, Neha (Priyanka Chopra). They don't want to pass up the chance to live in this incredible pad, so they tell the landlady they're gay and she decides to make an exception for them. The problems begin when they meet Neha and both are immediately hot for her, but they can't reveal the truth to her or they'll get thrown out. The three become close friends as they hit the beaches and clubs of Miami. The comical complications pile up when Sameer's mother, who's unaware of her son's ruse, shows up for a visit, along with an immigration officer, who's checking to make sure their relationship is legitimate since they applied for permanent residency as a same-sex couple. When Neha starts dating her boss, Abhi (Bobby Deol), Sameer and Kunal--now completely in love with her--do everything they can to break them up, with hilarious results. Of course, only one of these three men can have her, and all of their friendships end up on the line.

[...]

Hop on board a rollercoaster of outlandish fun in Mansukhani's Dostana (2008). Brace yourself for two and half hours of pure belly laughter as you're introduced to Sameer (Abhishek Bachchan) and Kunal (John Abraham), two unlikely bachelors who through false identities discover the value of friendship.

In search of a new apartment in sunny Miami, Florida, Sam and Kunal's paths cross when they find themselves interested in the same venue. Much to their dismay, the landlord refuses them tenancy; less they corrupt her strikingly beautiful niece, Neha (Priyana Chopra). After being wrongly pegged as a gay couple, the two men cleverly ditch plans A and B, and head straight for Plan "G". Posing as a gay couple, Sam and Kunal are granted residency as Neha's roommates, unaware that the position will cost them not only money, but also their hearts.

After the trio becomes best friends, both Sam and Kunal find themselves hopelessly in love with Neha. Mansukhani's cinematography ingeniously accentuates this sexual tension throughout the film. Emphasizing the sexuality of the male body, Sam and Kunal are often seen half nude or in suggestive positions. This compliments the films efforts to humorously address homosexuality. The duo is often caught in presumably "gay" situations, who's hilarity renders offensiveness a non-issue.

"Who's the hottest girl in the world?"... Neha of course! In the film's hit single, "Desi Girl", Neha, Sam and Kunal sing about the power and beauty that a Desi Girl possesses. Panning up and down her vivacious curves, Neha's body becomes the prime focus as she sings of how she's the girl of every man's dreams. Full-body shots accentuate the song's purpose to objectify Neha, and emphasize the sexual prowess and untamed desirability that have made Sam and Kunal's illusion harder to maintain.

The difficulty in upholding their gay façade becomes increasingly evident when Abhimanyu Singh (Bobby Deol), the new editor-in-chief of Verve magazine becomes yet another contestant for Neha's heart. Through split-screen shots, Mansukhani's portrayal of the competition between Sam and Kunal, and later Abhi is skillfully depicted. Throughout the film, a split-screen is used to show Sam and Kunal hailing the same cab, arguing over the idea of forging a homosexual relationship, and later with Abhi to emphasize the love square between the three of them and Neha. This cinematographic element aids in the portrayal of rivalry evident throughout the film.

Resolutions are finally reached in a grab bag of surprising events. Sam and Kunal come clean about their sexuality, Neha realizes her love for Abhi, and all three learn the meaning of friendship. Mansukhani's Dostana is a delightful comedy that falls nothing short of clever.

Dostana is a great tale of friendship and love with a twist of comedy. Sam (Abhishek Bachchan) and Kunal (John Abraham) are two single, good-looking fellows who keep crossing paths. They both set out to find an apartment in Miami, where they meet Neha (Priyanka Chopra), a beautiful young girl. The only apartment they can find is with Neha and they are both ecstatic until they learn that Aunty will not allow that in fear of the boys hitting on Neha. So they come about an absurd idea to pretend they are a gay couple. This of course works so they continue to act gay and land themselves in some hilarious situations. The two fall in love with Neha which stirs up trouble because Neha, unaware of their feelings, has already fell in love with her new boss.

There are many ideas portrayed in this film. For instance, everything happens for a reason. Dostana shows the lives of two individuals-Sam and Kunal. In a split screen, director Tarun Mansukhani, freeze frames the two to illustrate they are the main characters. The scene suddenly turns into an overhead shot of Sam and Kunal getting into the same taxi. That is where they meet for the first of many times and ends up being an incredible friendship. There are many emotions throughout the film, such as love, humor, lies, and friendship so the frequent close-ups and mid shots express how the character was feeling at the moment. Another idea I recognized in Dostana is if you commit the crime you need to pay the fine. Sam's mother was a conservative Punjabi so when this "relationship" got back to her, she reacted in a fanatical manner. There is a scene when she shows up at the apartment and the two boys are dancing to a song with other men, one being Neha's gay boss. This drives Sam's mother up the wall as the many high angle shots show her desperation. Her reaction is a prime example of how the film depicts stereotyping. Because of their actions, Sam and Kunal's hearts got broken when Neha chooses to marry her new boss. Although neither of them got the girl, they formed an unexpected but unbreakable friendship.

I really enjoyed this movie; I found it to have a good storyline incorporating humor into it. If you have a good sense of humor as I do then I would recommend seeing it. If stereotyping is a subject that you don't find funny, you wouldn't enjoy this movie. Although Dostana is not the best film I've ever seen, it was an entertaining film that kept me very interested.

I have to admit I am a huge fan of bollywood and I will also that I have found myself fast forwarding through some of the musical selections in some bollywood films but not this one. I watched the entire movie. How could I not. It made me laugh, made me cry, and made me want to see Dostana 2 that's how good it was. I rent from netflix and often find myself sending movies back ASAP after watching them just to get the next bollywood film not Dostana I can't wait to watch it again. In fact I'm looking to purchase it for my own collection. This film is a must see. I enjoyed it very much and look forward to sharing and enjoying it with family and friends.