De Dana Dan Film Review
De Dana Dan
U/A; Comedy
Dir: Priyadarshan
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Sunil Shetty, Paresh Rawal, Johnny Lever,Katrina Kaif, Sameera Reddy, Neha Dhupia, Chunky Pandey, Archana Puran Singh, Rajpal Yadav, Asrani, Shakti Kapoor
HH 1/2
What's it about: Akshay Kumar is serious when he says that you might miss the link if you blink in this comic caper. There are so many characters, subplots and U-turns in this film that it might leave you a bit dizzy. Nitin (Akshay) and Ram (Sunil) are two friends trapped in their bleak jobs wanting to make overnight fortune and elope with their respective girlfriends Anjali (Katrina) and Manpreet (Sameera). Not knowing how to go about making their destiny shine, they decide to plot a kidnap that goes astray and lands them in a huge soup.
Chaddha (Paresh Rawal) and his son (Chunky) are equally desperate to reverse their debt-ridden status.
Promising not one but two suitors to marry off his son, Chaddha finds himself in a tight spot that he can't escape. This is just the basic premise, as the story progresses, a dozen-odd more characters are introduced to add to the chaos.
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What's hot: Priyadarshan sticks to his formula and uses slapstick and loud humour to raise ample chuckles. His ensemble boasts of some of the funniest acts in the business Paresh Rawal, Johnny Lever, Asrani, Shakti Kapoor, Rajpal Yadav and Chunky Pandey. There's chaos and mayhem in the second half with everyone shooting off like rockets on autopilot. Using this pandemonium to his advantage, Priyan pitches these characters against each other in one ludicrous scene after the other. Akki and Sunil show great camaraderie and display amazing comic timing. Among the supporting acts, it's Johhny Lever who reminds us why he's ahead of his game. His ability as a jokester is above everyone else.
What's not: The first half is too long and takes a while to settle in. Priyadarshan saves the best lines and situations for the second. The climax is a washout in the literal sense. The flood scene and everyone battling to save their lives doesn't really have a punch. There seems to be an internal competition for who's the loudest of all as actors Manoj Joshi and Archana Puran Singh screech and scream their lungs out every time they open their mouths. All the yelling and going crazy on each other gets jarring and repetitive after a while. A case of too many chefs spoiling the broth, the sheer number of characters in the film makes it lose its edge and grip.
The ladies Kat, Neha, Sameera hardly have anything to do. Except for the 'Paisa Paisa' song, the music is forgettable. Also how is Tinnu Anand slapping his wife and daughter supposed to be funny?
What to do: If you're in the mood for a ton of laughs, this slapstick riot is for you. That is, of course, you can keep up.