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.
Jason Lee
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.
Ibuk
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.
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.
