Dostana (2008)

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Unconventional love triangleThe 2008 hit movie Dostana by director Tarun Mansukhani is a romantic comedy with an unbelievable twist. Mansukhani goes against the classical Indian love story that we have seen since the dawn of bollywood cinema. Instead Dostana is a love rectangle between three guys and one girl, where two of the guys pose as a couple. Dostana will have you drawn in from the beginning all the way to the ending credits. After all who could resist watching a movie that keeps you laughing and in the end touches you. Dostana starts out with two single bachelors looking for pads in Miami. Sam (Abhishek Bachchan) and Kunal (John Abraham) who are from different walks of life keep running into each other and go to look at the same apartment to rent. When they arrived at the beautiful apartment, Neha's Aunty turns them down. Aunty will not allow two men to live with her niece Neha (Piryanka Chopra) for obvious reasons. The two hatch a plan to pretend to be gay so they can secure the apartment. They form an amazing friendship with Neha. Sam and Kunal's gayness leads to many humorous situations that will have you laughing out loud. But then things start to get serious. Both Sam and Kunal are falling for Neha, but she is blind to their emotions because she believes that they are gay. Neha is looking for love and wishes that she could find someone like Sam or Kunal. This is when her new boss Abhimanyu Singh (Bobby Delo) comes into to picture which leads to three men fighting for one lady's love.Dostana is translated to mean friendship. That is what this movie is really all about. In one of the beginning scenes Kunal and Sam are both looking for a cab on opposite sides of the street, the camera keeps switching focus between them. Finally they both catch a cab, the camera pans to the overhead position and you can see that they are both getting into the same cab. The camera splits and has Kunal on the left side and Sam on the right side and then fades into one shot as they get into the cab. These camera angles tie in with the overall theme showing how they come from two different worlds and are now coming together. The coming together shows how they become such great friends, and how they are going to pretend to be a gay couple. Sam and Kunal coincidentally say the same address at the same time to the taxi driver. Then once they get to the building they say 16B in sync. This shows how they are interconnected and will be friends throughout the movie. Dostana is a movie that will attract younger generations because of it humor, perky songs, and colorful atmosphere. Friendship is just like love complicated, unpredictable, and unexplainable. Everyone can relate to this. That is why I would recommend others to go and see Dostana. If the theme doesn't catch your eye I know Kunal and Neha's looks will!

I enjoyed this movie tremendously and would recommend it to anyone that's a sucker for romance. Even though the title means friendship, the film is more of a love story about how love can truly make or break a friendship. The men take a wild ride with Neha as she gets a new boss at her job and is given a task that is nearly impossible to complete. The two prove their undying friendships to her by helping her finish it, and it is a great success. Neha's job is going great, until she starts falling for her new boss, Abhimanyu Mishra, played by Bobby Deol. Abhimanyu decides that he cannot live without Neha, so he decided to propose to her. Neha is not sure what she should do, so she consults her two best friends, Sam and Kunal. Will they allow the woman they love to marry this man? Or will they confess their love for her? Dostana is the first Hindi film to be entirely shot in the United States; Miami, FL where the living is easy and the girls are even easier. You can see the influence of the Miami culture all throughout the movie, including fast paced music, and a lot more spoken English than other films. I enjoyed this aspect of the film very much, because it reminded me of a Hollywood movie that I would see. I could relate a lot more to it than other films that focus on Hindi culture. I really admired the way the movie was filmed and all of the camera angles that were used. The shots really emphasized the close relationship between the two men and Neha. For example there was a close up shot of Kunal when he is talking about his devotion to the woman. It really resonates with the audience that he would do anything for this woman. Along with shots and angles that compliment the friendship the three share, there are also many shots that focus on the budding romance. The one that I liked was when Kunal was standing alone and there camera was panning back and forth horizontally while birds flew behind him. This showed that all he was thinking about in that moment was his love for Neha, and the complications of it all, it was bittersweet. The music in this film went well with the main theme of falling in love and the complications of it all. Often while one of the men was talking to Neha there would be soft music playing in the background. It had a sad undertone to it, almost to insinuate that their love could never be. Overall, this movie will have you at the edge of your seat the whole time, wondering to yourself who Neha will end up with. You are never quite sure during the film how she would respond to either of the men is they confessed their love to her.. But, I can assure you that at least one of them is completely honest with her, and her reaction is quite surprising. Will she dump her new boss/boyfriend and risk it all with Sam or Kunal? Or will she take the safe route and just be with Abhimanyu? The twist and turns of this movie will make it worthwhile and I can guarantee what you expect will happen, will not. But you will just have to watch it and find out. So grab some popcorn and a soda, sit back, and let your mind go with the bumps and bruises of this friendship turned love story.

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.

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