|  Debutant director Tarun Mansukhani's Dostana, is a delightful comedy, spiced with just the right elements of gay eity. There is certain cheekiness about the film, especially in the very blatant manner in which it deals with gay relationships. But underlying the light hearted fun, are a few very touching and real moments, which make this a must watch film for all. Full kudos to the director for providing a twist to the age old theme of friendship! The actors are perfectly cast and do full justice to their roles. Everything about the film falls into place, its actors, their styling, the dialogues, the ridiculous situations and the music. It has been shot very stylishly, is well paced and makes for quite a hilarious experience.
Dostana's story is about three young friends i.e. Neha (Priyanka Chopra), Sameer or Sam (Abhishek Bachchan) and Kunal (John Abraham). Matters are slightly complicated by the fact that Sam and Kunal have lied their way into Neha's house. Professing to be a gay couple, the two are her tenants. Gradually, all three become good friends till a man enters Neha's life in the form of her new boss, Abhimanyu Singh, played with élan by Bobby Deol. The two men have also, in the meantime, fallen for Neha, but are unable to confront her with the truth. Each tries to upstage the other, and life would have gone on like this for the trio but for the fact that Neha falls in love and craves marriage. So when Abhimanyu falls in love with Neha and begins to woo her, the two friends gang up and try their best to break up the budding romance with all kinds of dirty tricks. Matters come to a pass and they are compelled to tell Neha the truth about their feelings for her, and that they had deceived her about being gay. Neha is crestfallen and justifiably feels betrayed by her two friends. To top it, Abhimanyu takes back his proposal of marriage, as his young son's mind has been poisoned against Neha by the duo. However, it all ends well when Sam and Kunal gang up again, but this time to set things right. All misunderstandings are cleared and Neha gets back with Abhimanyu, and her two friends.
The story is simple enough but has been well embellished by the witty and funny dialogues, ridiculous sequences and great acting. The film does not attempt to preach or talk seriously about a sensitive issue like homosexuality but rather uses it as a ploy to evoke laughter and comedy. But having said that, it is also true that the end has ambiguity enough to assure you that the film and the so called gay relationship between Sam and Kunal has been well thought out by a very intelligent director.
The chemistry between the two leading men is definitely one of the highlights of the film. They are competitors as well as partners in crime. While John is all about sculpted body and cool attitude, it is the junior Bachchan who walks off with all the accolades for his acting prowess. He has no body to display like his co stars, but he more than makes up for it with his superb comic timing. He is quite brilliant in the movie, as he gets into the spirit of things with a lot of gusto and fun. His is one of the best performances in the movie. Bobby Deol matches him with a charmingly sweet cameo as Priyanka's sweetheart. Priyanka does full credit to her role in Dostana and looks gorgeous as well.
The minor roles in the film too have been brilliantly done. One of the most hilarious is Kiron Kher's portrayal of the poor Punjabi mother, who is aghast when she learns that her son is gay. Kiron has done too many roles of the Punjabi mother in recent times, but the thing about each of these roles has been her ability to lend all of them individuality, which is quite a feat. The scene where she finally accepts Kunal as her daughter in law is quite a masterpiece. Boman Irani as the gay editor turns in a very well nuanced performance. The actor imparts certain freshness to his role, thus saving it from becoming a clichéd portrayal. As for Shilpa Shetty, she comes right in beginning and sets the screen on fire. Her sex appeal could give any one of Bollywood's young brigade a run for their money.
The film's look is cool and hip; the styling and colour palette used in the movie, perfectly brings out the mood and tone of the proceedings. Dostana's music has been composed by Vishal Shekhar and it rocks, specially the numbers, 'Maa Da Laadla', 'Desi Girl,' 'Jaane Kyun' and 'Maula Mere Maula'. Tarun Mansukhani is quite the captain of the ship as he displays superb control over his material, never allowing it to become sentimental or serious. Dostana is a lighthearted take on friends and friendships, and he never allows his focus to shift. With Karan Johar producing the film, Dostana is peppered with references to Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, a little self indulgent and quite un cool, one thought. But overall, Dostana does not really go wrong anywhere. It fits its genre perfectly and provides laughs galore!
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