When a film is titled “Dhol” one expects rhyme, rhythm and music. When the director is Priyadarshan, one anticipates a slap-stick comedy. The combination of the two – sounds promising for an audience who were recently burnt by RGV-Darling’s “Aag”.
Although I was disappointed with Priyan’s “Bhaagam Bhaag” I had enjoyed watching “Hungama”, “Hulchal” and “Garam Masala” and went to watch “DHOL” with an open mind.
Plot Summary: Story of the trials and tribulations of four aimless/ jobless young lads whiling away precious time, with hopes of striking it rich by marrying a rich girl.
How clichéd! We’ve recently seen a spate of films in Bollywood where in a bunch of dudes -the numbers could vary –2(Garam Masala), 3(Heyy Baby) and 4(Golmaal) end up sharing an apartment/ house together, and keep screwing up over and over again. Of late Bollywood seems to be obsessed with this theme and “Dhol” is yet another off-shoot of the same. I am sure there is more to male-bonding than just sharing an apartment, screwing up and chasing skirts.
The Dudes**:
Goti [Kunal Khemu] –It was interesting to see Kunal in a very different role compared to his previous flicks “Kalyug” and “Traffic Signal”. In this film, his hair is still long, but a bit more wavy, clearly some curls were added. Also, he is wearing polo shirts instead of old / worn out shirts. Wonder where he got the money to buy those T-shirts, since he does not have a real job and considering he even struggles to pay rent money. Also, he smiles a lot more in this film. Considering this was his first attempt at comedy, his performance was above average.
Sam [Tusshar Kapoor] – Having seen Tusshar in films like “Kya Kool Hai Hum” and “Gayab” – So far, I liked him the most in “Gayab”- for obvious reasons. Unfortunately in this film he was neither “kool” nor “gayab”. As a part of the group of aimless youth he often shoots out ideas like the rest of the guys and like them, his ideas backfire as well. Over all, his performance was strictly average. His expressions, and dialogue delivery still need some work. He continues to look and feel the same in every film, with the exception of “Shoot out at Lokhandwala”.
Pakkya [Sharman Joshi] –Having been thrown out of his house by his brother-in-law, Pakkya takes refuge with his friends Goti and Sam and thus joins the gang of aimless dudes(GADs). He is quite likeable here. Some of his scenes were quite funny. In particular the scenes where he plays it off as “Jai” are hilarious. A job well done.
Maru [Rajpal Yadav] – With a last name like “Dhamdhere”, Maru – Rajpal gets into the skin of the character and brings the house down. Maru winds up living with the GADs after their attempt at securing a bank loan is botched. He is under pressure to return a huge sum of money to his stingy uncle, and runs away from home to join his pals at their various endeavors. He is fantastic and this film would not be what it has turned to be without Rajpal. His presence and antiques simply lift every scene.
The Dudettes**:
Ritu [Tanushree Dutta] – After “Bhagam Bhaag” where she had a blink and you miss her scene, in this film, she has a bigger role. She plays the new hot and sexy babe in town, who happens to be the “Nayi Padosan” of the dudes. Needless to say the dudes immediately get their binoculars out and attempt a ‘peep show’. When they don’t get to see much of a show, they try to get a closer look by climbing on the walls of her house. All four of them, try their level best to impress her by various methods, which backfire big time. Those scenes encompass some of the funny moments of the film. Unaware of their real identity, she becomes friends with them, and tells them about her mission. Tanushree looks average and does not look like someone who is heir to her grandpa’s millions. In terms of acting, and comic timing she still has a long way to go. Hopefully she would have learnt some lessons during shooting with Rajpal.
Sofie [Payal Rohatgi] – After doing umpteen number of Z-grade films, looks like she is finally getting roles in A/B grade films. After “36- China Town”, in this movie, Payal plays a small, but crucial role to keep up the ‘thriller/ suspense’ aspect of the film.
The Supporting Cast:
*Om Puri – as Tanushree’s grandpa is perfect. My only complaint is to the make-up department. His hair looked fake and too white. Some of his scenes are absolutely hilarious. In particular I would like to mention two scenes:
Scene I: When Om Puri is working out early in the morning, using the trunk of his car as support, the dudes come by, thinking the car is stalled. In their attempt to befriend and impress “grandpa” they start pushing the car away. In the process the car ends up down the hills and the whole ‘help’ attempt backfires. The scene was hilarious, it is shot and edited well.
Scene II: Rajpal tries to nudge Om Puri on the road and in the process, ends up causing a huge mess. The chemistry and expressions of both actors is superb in this scene.
Asrani (as Sherman’s frustrated brother-in-law), and Tiku Talsania (as Rajpal’s miserly uncle) are adequate. Rasika Joshi plays the “landlady” most of her time is spent screaming at the dudes trying to recover her rent money. Her performance gives us a déjà vu feel since we’ve seen her screaming and yelling in some of her previous flicks as well.
The over all story tries to weave in a “thriller-suspense” aspect along with comedy, although the thriller element of the film is quite dreary and predictable. Murali Sharma and Arbaaz khan have small roles and add to the suspense part of the film. The climax is shot in a typical Priyan format – a chaotic climax scene very similar to “Hungama”, with people and things flying around and finally the “DHOL” makes its presence felt in the penultimate sequences of the film.
The film does attempt to tickle the funny bone, but succeeds only partially. Manish Korde’s writing was average. I missed Neeraj Vohra’s writing. It was clear the way the scenes were written, that the humor aspect was lacking. More effort should have been put for better characterization to create well-etched characters.
Pritam Chakraborty’s music was disappointing. Only the title number’Yaara Dhol Bajake’ is hum able, the rest are forgettable and Piyush Shah’s cinematography was average.
My Verdict: Three stars. I would say this film is yet another feather on Rajpal Yadav’s cap and is worth a watch simply to watch him bring the house down. However, if you are a Priyadarshan fan, and go in with high expectations, you might come out disappointed as Priyan’s comic timing and magic were certainly missing! I haven’t seen the original Malayalam film “Harihar Nagar” of which “Dhol**” is believed to be a remake of, but have been told that the original was better.