|
By Taran
Adarsh, September 28, 2007 - 13:42 IST
 Delhi University campus. Four youngsters. One
prostitute. University politics. Love. Friendship.
Sex… Really, given the topics amassed on the plate,
one could explore so much in those 2 hours. But in DIL
DOSTI ETC., the story only moves in the penultimate
15/20 minutes. Neither is the University politics
depicted with grit that’s associated with it, nor is
the bonding amongst friends or the various
relationships depicted makes your heart go dhak dhak.
Debutante director Manish Tiwary could’ve explored so
much given the choice of subject he has opted for his
debut vehicle, but he’s letdown -- and terribly at
that -- by the script. What the viewer eventually
carries home are a few poignant moments, besides a
superlative performance by Shreyas Talpade. But that’s
not enough!
Write your own movie review of Dil Dosti Etc
DIL DOSTI ETC. is set around students in Delhi
University, mainly two university hostellers, Apurv [Imaad
Shah], a rich, cosmopolitan guy and Sanjay Mishra [Shreyas
Talpade], an old-fashioned guy hailing from Bihar.
 Sanjay is an ambitious and focused student-politician
in Delhi. On the other hand, Apurv’s life is
directionless. With the abundance of time and money in
hand, he searches for meaning in life through amorous
escapades with various girls.
The three female leads -- a prostitute [Smriti Mishra],
a school girl Kintu [Ishitta Sharma] and a rich model
Prerna [Nikita Anand] -- provide a myriad of social
and emotional backdrops to the film.
The prostitute claims never to get emotionally
attached to her customers, the school girl Kintu
remains non-committal to Apurv’s flirtations and plays
hard to get and the model aspires to become an
international model and yet finds herself attracted to
the earthy and charismatic student-politician Sanjay.
The problem with DIL DOSTI ETC. begins soon after the
characters and their diverse characteristics are
introduced and the viewer has just one question in
mind -- What next? And the question continues to haunt
you till three-fourths of the narrative.
 All you get to witness is Shreyas and his opponents
contesting the elections [but the aggression is
missing] and Imaad eyeing everyone in skirts.
Actually, one is confused, is Imaad in love with
Smriti Mishra? And is the relationship with Ishitta
based on lust, not love? The penultimate 15 odd
minutes are interesting because it’s at this juncture
that there’s some movement in the tale. But it’s too
late by then. The viewer is exasperated by now!
Arvind K.’s cinematography is alright. Dialogues are
well penned. As for the music, just one song makes an
impression -- ‘Dum Laga’. The production values are
below par. The film bears an impoverished look at most
times.
Shreyas Talpade enacts his part with gusto. His
outburst in the end is electrifying. Imaad Shah is
cool, but it’s a clear case of miscasting. He doesn’t
look like a Casanova who wears his heart on his
sleeve. Smriti Mishra’s role should’ve had meat.
Ishitta looks cute and carries her role well. Nikita
Anand has the trappings of a fine actress.
On the whole, DIL DOSTI ETC. lacks the power to keep
you glued to the screen. Disappointing!
Rating:- *
1/2
|
