Awfully Amateurish!. Review on Dil Dosti Etc

'Abstruse' just begins to describe it. Though a friend who I saw the movie with called it 'Pornographic. Nothing else!''Dil Dosti....' attempts to pit anachronous idealism identified with college politics and true love, against shallow practicalism of 'bang, bang, thankyou ma'am' through its two lead characters - Sanjay Mishra (Shreyas Talpade) and Apurv (Imaad Shah).

Sanjay is this aspiring student leader of bihari origin with strict views on love and bikinis, which is a bit out of fashion at the moment (I mean the views, not the Versace bikini his girl friends wears). He befriends his hostelmate - Apurv, a confused rich-kid junior disinterestedly exploring the darkest corners of world around him including cheap brothels. Rather, exploring only cheap brothels! Prerna, Sanjay's girl friend, is an aspiring super model clear about her career goals but smitten briefly with Sanjay's machismo. Sanjay tries to bring Prerna around to accept his way of life and the consequences decide the story's fate.

Sanjay's challenge to Apurv, in a casual chat, to bed three women in a single day is the seed for the main plot. Apurv takes it rather seriously and in the end succeeds by having a quick romp with a girl who 'loves' him (schoolgirl love, don't take it seriously!), making tender love to a pr*stitute and achieves the hat trick through a betrayal. Sanjay's election games, and portrayal of a happy go-lucky college life are thrown in to form inconsequential sub-plots. The movie meanders to its end with none of the characters coming of age, which I gather is the original intention, except one who abruptly ends the lessons learnt in a road accident. At this point of time, you feel no sympathy but an immense sense of relief and get yourself ready to go.

The problem with the movie was, the director Manish Tiwary appears confused with what he wants to communicate. I think he never tried to communicate anything or express views. He just shot various scenes and got the editors to sew them together. If a meaning emerges eventually, that's because you spent 220/- on each ticket and you pretend you found some sense in the proceedings.

And the characters are poorly etched and conflicting. Upright morals and dirty politics go hand in hand, while the supposedly shallow Apurv displays more sensitivity than any other character. The music and background score are forgettable and the two unnecessary item songs only add to the misery. The movie seriously lacks coherent story telling and a character as a whole. And ends up as a confused attempt at 'coming of age' genre, betraying the directors need to come of age himself.

Abstruse, as I said, just begins to describe it!