Dhol
wogma rating: Watch if you have nothing better to do (?)
Typical Priyadarshan fare. A few good dialogues placed randomly across the script and delivered very badly. Story stars over-insensitive men (and you thought that was not possible!) objectifying women.
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A host of good-for-nothings trying to make quick money to pay off the yelling landlady breathing down their necks. Heard that one before? They strike the brilliant idea of objectifying the fairer sex and start with turning into peeping Toms. But, just any woman won’t do. Not only does this particular lady have to have the perfect vital statistics, but she should also be a rich heir. Please note, there is no possibility of her being rich on her own merit. Mind you, though one woman will do for all of them put together. And of course the exaggeration plays equally on the male stereotype too. Poor things are shown to be even more insensitive than the average man, imagine that! Oh never mind, let’s move on before I get all feminist on you.
Oh come on, you cannot be blaming me for giving the story away; you have seen this bit before – many times. And anyway, giving credit where it is due, there is a little more to the movie than just the foursome wooing this lady. So what, if that little more might as well have made a different movie altogether. Now, why does the name Priyadarshan come to mind?
Also creditworthy is how some of the funny dialogues are slickly put in between regular lines. So, only the very attentive will get the jokes. But that’s about where the smartness ends. It pretty much doesn’t matter which character says those lines because the characters don’t have any individualistic characteristics. And it pretty much doesn’t matter where in the story those dialogues are scripted, because they could equally randomly be interspersed anywhere in the rest of the story (ies).
I think it is time I stop complaining about how wasted Om Puri, Sherman Joshi, and Rajpal Yadav in their loud characters or how wooden Kunal Khemu, Tusshar Kapoor, and Tanushree Dutta are in their loud characters or how loud Asrani and Tiku Talsania are in their loud characters. In future I will try and point out things about these actors only if they are any different.
Music? Lyrics? Don’t remember any of it. So, let’s just say they were very forgettable.
So, except for the few funny lines and the teeny-weeny bit of curiosity aroused by the second story, there isn’t much going for this movie. But, then again, we weren’t expecting anything different from this crew, were we?
- meeta, a part of the audience
Thumbs up, by Hanumant Bhansali, Radio Sargam : ...Actingwise, all the actors look competent in their roles.... full review
Thumbs up, by Nikhat Kazmi, Times of India : ... Of course, Rajpal Yadav steals the show with his mindblowing buffoonery... full review
So-So, by Nikhil Kumar, Apun Ka Choice : ...Alongside hilarious scenes are sequences that drag and bore you... full review
So-So, by Martin D'souza, Glamsham.com : ...Rajpal after his silly performance in RAM GOPAL VARMA KI AAG, makes you want to stand up and applaud his genius.... full review
So-So, by Vaibhav Wankhede, M TV : ...DHOL still has the potential to be the GOLMAAL (read: surprise hit) of the year... full review
So-So, Movie Talkies : ...unlike most of Priyadarshan's films, this is not funny all through... full review
So-So, by Ashok Nayak, Now Running.com : ...But fortunately Priyadarshan ensures the humor is not lost throughout.... full review
So-So, by Syed Firdaus Ashraf, Rediff : ...Pritam's music fails to impress, and except for the passable title track, the rest doesn't pass muster.... full review
Thumbs down, Bollyvista.com : ...The first half is funny, though without much progress in the story. The second half...meanders aimlessly... full review
Thumbs down, by Rachel Fernandes, Bollywood Mantra : ...the screenplay and execution is often too tacky and corny.... full review
Thumbs down, by Fatema H Kagalwala, Business of Cinema : ...Loud, dull and boring Dhol is an insipid fare that does not become the director’s illustrious portfolio... full review
Thumbs down, by Deepa Gahlot, Cybernoon: ...If the comic scenes are flat, the thriller part even more so...
Thumbs down, by Deep, Deep's Home : ...nothing new, same old story and crap... full review
Thumbs down, by Khalid Mohamed, Hindustan Times : ...the worst movie ever made by Priyadarshan – a comedy that’s about as funny as a toothache... full review
Thumbs down, by Rajeev Masand, IBN Live : ...What's not funny however, is the loud, over-the-top style of delivering dialogues which seems to have become a trademark of Priyadarshan's films... full review
Thumbs down, by Praveen Lance Fernandes, indiatimes : ... Hera Pheri was a fresh comedy in its time but continuing with similar plotlines again and again and again makes you feel that you have been there, seen that... full review
Thumbs down, by Amit Kaundinya, J.A.M : ...Recommend this one to your enemies.... full review
Thumbs down, by Amit R Agarwal, merinews : ...The part of Ritu played by Tanushree Dutta needed a certain chutzpah and oomph, which is just not there in her... full review
Thumbs down, by Anupama Chopra, NDTV : ...bad acting, an incoherent plot line, foolish dialogue and eye-sore costumes... full review
Thumbs down, by Subhash K Jha, Now Running.com : ...In making the ludicrous lucrative, Priyan has somewhere lost the plot.... full review
Twitter reviews for this movie are not available.
This page has additional observations, other than the ones noted in the main review.
Plot Summary
Already covered this one in the main review this time.
What Worked
- The visuals of the first song, “haadsa”, were brilliantly executed.
- The Film and Television Institute of India, Pune was aptly camouflaged to portray a regular street. The street signs showing directions looked awfully artificial, though. Not to mention that the directions were off too.
- Lighting in the night scene at Sophie’s house looked very nice.
What did not
- What’s with a pool table in every house?
- Pray, owner of which company asks the MD to decide the MD’s pay package with the CEO?
- And which owner calls his MD as “MD” instead of calling him by his name?
- The costumes of the people from Zikomo’s gang. They didn’t look like goons at all. In fact they looked like geeks!
- Why did Zikomo not smell the gas when he entered the kitchen?
Nitty-Gritty
- There should be some sort-of a usability check done for the titles. They were blurry because of the font and colors used.
- Also, someone should proof-read the title cards. One read, “six month later”.
- When did Crossword start to rent out DVDs? Even if they did why would they give away the customer’s information to a random person.
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Comments (2)
Review - Dhol...
Typical Priyadarshan fare. A few good dialogues placed randomly across the script and delivered very badly. Story stars over-insensitive men (and you thought that was not possible!) objectifying women....
A funny film which makes you laugh. What else is needed?
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