From Dostana to Safar

After watching Dostana, I caught up with this old gem on telly. With the ongoing strikes of TV technicians, there's been a lull in programming regular serials. So channels are now airing movies on their air time

As I watched the movie, I couldn't help comparing it with Dostana. There's 38 years gap between the two. But Safar still outshines.

The plot: Like Dostana, Safar is also a story of friendship. Two young medical students, Neela (Sharmila Tagore) and Avinash (Rajesh Khanna) meet in medical college, become good friends, fall in love, but never confess so in words. Why? Because it was 1970. Neela couldn't have taken the first step. And Avinash is suffering from blood cancer, and he doesn't want Neela to suffer on his behalf. Enters into this picture Shekhar (Feroz Khan), a dashing businessman, who falls for Neela and proposes to her. Avinash convinces Neela to accept the proposal because he wants her to live a comfortable life. However, destiny has something else in store.

Neela gets married to Shekhar but still remains a close, platonic friend to Avinash. This is not taken in good spirit by Shekhar who is battling with his own business troubles. The drama is fueled further when he reads an old letter of Neela, which Avinash had written in Neela's handwriting as a prank. Considering the words in the letter to be true, he asks Neels to marry Avinash and commits suicide. Neela is tried for murder, but found not guilty, while Avinash disappears from her life. What happens? Does Avinash come back to Neela's life? How does she pass her journey (safar) of life? What happens to Avinash?

The movie is beautiful like a fresh dew in the morning, effective in its simple storytelling ability, and touches the heart like a sweet pang.

So finally, what do you say?

Dostana is contrived and basically a fiction for most of us. Be honest. How many open gay couples will you find in real life? How many people get as many choices and second chances as everyone in the movie gets? How can one simply afford the yuppie lifestyle in Miami unless one is born with the silver spoon and a very generous daddy? The movie is an unreal as it comes.

Safar, on the other hand, is too real to be comfortable. How many times we've compromised because we have been asked to think from our head and not heart? Love is a beautiful feeling, but life needs to be comfortable, so how many of us have come up with this choice and chosen life over love? How many women are there whose marriages have not been troubled when they've been too honest with their husbands? How many of us have actually suffered from the pain of losing someone we love? How many times we've felt helpless when the one we love is gone forever and we just stand by helplessly? Life is a journey and we have to travel it, whatever comes

So on that note, I wish you all a very beautiful jeevan ka safar (life journey)

God bless.

Dostana - Fun, frolic and gayness in Miami

Bollywood is pushing the traditional envelope, exploring previously taboo territories. And one such venture is Dostana.

The plot: Sam (Abhishek Bacchhan) and Kunal (John Abraham) are having the time of their life in Miami, with beach romps and one-night stands. What they need to make their life perfect is a nice apartment. They have just one in sight, but the landlady wouldn't lease it to them because she doesn't want two hunky lads to corrupt her sexy niece, Neha (Priyanka Chopra). The two guys decide to pretend as a gay couple. They get the apartment, but also a lot of hilarously misunderstood troubles. However, the biggest trouble is that both fall in love with Neha. Adding to their woes is that Neha's getting cosy with her straight and suave boss (Bobby Deol). How they deal with the situation? How they deal with each other? And with Neha's boss? Does Neha get to know the truth? And what's her reaction? And finally, who gets the girl?

Why this film works:

1. The plot - New story (previously untouched theme in India)
2. Hilarious situations - First half will have you in splits (When Abhishek tells how he met the love of his life John in Venice, when Abhishek and John dirty dance with Boman Irani and the American officer on 'Bidi Jalai Le,' when Abhishek's mom Kiran Kher enters the scene in this revelry and tries to first prevent the situation and finally accepts)
3. John, John, John - When he strips, when he poses, when he smiles, when he looks, when he breathes. Is there anything that guy can do when girls don't scream? I was witness to this banshee-like behavior by a group of girls sitting in the same row who screamed right from the first reel when John entered. Well! What can I say? Bipasha is a lucky girl.
4. Priyanka's hotness - She's one of the very few girls in Bollywood who can carry off skimpy clothes as sexy and classy, which would look vulgar on other women. The girl looks sensational in this movie and she can act. Fantastic job, indeed!
5. Abhishek's comic timing - The actor can tickle your funny bone and how. As for the drool factor, he's smart enough to know his limitation in that department, so he's remained cool and casual. More or less, like a "Bhaiya ji" in the US.

Why this film doesn't work:
1. The plot - Only the young people in metros can appreciate the theme. India is too traditional and family-oriented to broadly accept it. This is not a family movie either. People won't watch it with their parents or in-laws, or children for that matter. The topic is controversial and still unacceptable and even unrecognizable to the majority of people.
2. Editing - The film drags in the end. Though they've tried to make it snappy, but still the drama does seem a bit too much. That's a general problem with comedies, especially from Karan Johar's kitty. All of them have a fantastic opening but in the end somehow the magic is lost. Cases in point - Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, Kal Ho Na Ho, and the dinosaurial Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna. Dostana also has a fantastic opening but the ending is slow.
3. The finale - We Indians love close-ended ends. So who gets the girl, finally? It's everyone's guess. But yes Dostana remains among the three.
4. Message - None, whatsoever. Even not the one related with gays. The film is just a funnily hatched-up plot out of a situation involving gays. But what's the message? If I try hard, I can find only one - Do not lie and avoid embarassing pay-ups. In this case, the guys had to make up for their lies by kissing each other, a scene which will haunt them forever.
5. One time watch - Due to the lack of a message and not a very central theme, it's a one-time watch. Sex jokes at the expense of one community are fun, but they never make memories.

So overall, I would give the movie 3 stars out of 5.
But I would definitely call it a one-time must watch.

Cheers.