13
2008
Review: Drona - Smile toh karo na
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Despite rumors that people were selling their tickets for half price at INOX, I still dared to watch Drona. I am a sucker for mythology and that weighs just about everything. Hell, I’d watch even if the great Teeyaar was in a Mahabharata remake. Even if it was as bad as trade pundits claimed, it would still work for me as nothing gets worse than Jimmy. I may sound a bit biased for I have a soft spot for both Jr.AB and Ms.Chopra but then it’s my space and I can write what I want to! The audio had being playing in my car for over a fortnight now and a few of them have being growing on me. All said and done I watched Kidnap and Drona back to back and I probably liked Drona for it was much more bearable than Kidnap. I am not kidding about the smile like I mention in the title of this post. The only time when Jr.AB smiles is in the first dream sequence song but then he isn’t Drona then.
The makers kept maintaining that it wasn’t a superhero movie. Makes no sense to me but I guess they feared comparison to our only so-called-superhero ‘Krrish‘. The battle is half lost when you fear your opponent and that was mistake number one. If someone wishes to argue that Drona wasn’t a superhero movie, then they shall be forced to watch Veerasaamy on a 64inch TV with surround system! Ok I’m not gonna be that stubborn, so I shall condescend and explain. Any one who steps up and fight for justice against someone who is terrorizing(or plans to terrorize) innocent people with his/her treachery is a hero. If superhuman qualities or magic is involved then he/she becomes a superhero. By this definition, The Matrix, Harry Potter, Krrish, Superman, Spiderman etc are all classified as superheros and hence so is Drona. An ingredient that is assumed at has to be part of every superhero movie is the ‘cuteness factor’. They may lead double lives but the superhero avtaar is at least drool-worthy, sadly in this case Drona looks grumpy. For me, Drona was better than Krrish in almost every department except for the costumes and styling.
They got everything right like dressing up Kay Kay in black and giving him a black stallion where as Drona wore white and rode a white steed. They even paid attention to the royal mark on the horse and it was consistently on the left shoulder of the horse in every scene! Who engages in sword fights wearing a dupatta around your neck? It is possibly the easiest way to strangle someone and a potential weakness, also loose fitting garments and not probably a warriors favorite choice. This was probably the first ever movie I have seen where a savior, superhero sports a thick beard. I’m fine with a stubble, but this was thick enough that it needed to be mowed using a lawn mower. The grisly beard always makes Drona look like he’s sulking and grumpy. Staying with styling I didn’t get Riz Raizada’s look as well. A descendant of the asuras has to be demonic and ought to send shivers down your spine. This asura however sports a stupid so-called-mohawk and talk to puppets. What should have been more chilling than Shaakaal ended up being tamer than Dr.Evil.
The movie has a good plot and the characters are well etched also Drona has nothing to do with the Mahabharata. Asuaras chasing the secrets of the elixir of life is a very interesting concept and can be used to work wonders. However that is where the praises end because the makers forgot an very important ingredient. You may have a very good star cast, some of the best technicians and SFX specialists from Hollywood, also some fantastic songs. However ‘Bhaiyon aur unke Behenon’ there exists a very important thing called screenplay, just like salt in any recipe. The makers faltered and came up with a wafer-thin screenplay and the movie ended up being a mess. Drona has too much rona-dhona and that works against it. What could have been an interesting tussle between some wizardry and a mythical warrior ends up being a damp sword fight and that too way into the climax.
I wonder who Priyanka Chopra’s Babuji was, she repeatedly kept uttering the highly irritating ‘Babuji kehte they’ with such ease. I’m glad the old man was no more, for I would have surely slashed his neck! Some of the songs were totally out of place and the Oop Cha sequence with the groovy-garage-cum-underground-hideout was hideous! The picturization of Teri Bandagi somehow reminded me of this song(telugu), good song but strikingly similar. Nanhe Nanhe is probably one of the best lullaby’s that have been churned out of the mire of Hindi Cinema this year. There are a few sequences that may seem inspired from a few other flicks but then they gel with the story line and hence do make sense. Kay Kay as the antagonist is reduced to a caricature and goes over the top in most scenes. My guess was that the makers wanted to make it more child friendly given the Dushera and Id holidays, and hence the movie comes of being too light and kiddish in a few places. Below are what worked and didn’t work for me.
Sooperbu
- The desert sequence where Dronas ancestors talk to him
- The train sequence where Drona frees his horse Devdutt
- Priyanka Chopras entry scene
Worstu
- Kay Kay’s comical villain character that is spineless
- Too much sentiment, and the tears from a statue
- Lack of any action sequences barring the damp sword fight
- The whole raazpur sequence and the boring fight scene that follows
(Images courtesy: Eros Entertainment)
PS: I know it’s a week late but then I didn’t wanna do two back to back movie reviews. This was on public demand! Love you all…
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Well, if one is “chasing the secrets of the elixir of life” one must refrain from such movies!
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me: My guess is that even 10yr olds found it boring…
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Just skimmed through this entry, coz I am planning on watching the movie (yes, despite, er, because of all the warnings, just to see how bad it is.)
But I think TR has more suited to play a character in the Ramayana - Jambavat, for example, is a bear! Also, I think he would look convincing as Kumbhkarna without any make-up.
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me: Good luck my friend! Karadi kong TR as jambavat? The bears would go on a hunger strike and demand a public apology!
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And Max, what’s with my avatar being a grumpy square?
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Well, the ‘worstu’s seem to be more than the ’superbu’s. But at least for all the pain you’ve taken in defending ‘Drona’, in spite of the ‘worstu’s, I will watch it! For Anna!
PS: Although the ‘Bandagi’ song is beautiful and Pinky looks fab, AB’s face looks like the quitessential ‘aamudam tagi kakkukunna mokhamu’ (one that has swallowed and then thrown up castor oil). His deadpan face is unbearable!
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me: That makes two of you who want to endure the pain! I have actually left out a few worstu’s but you will find out which ones! Yea the bandagi song is good, my peeve was the oop cha number!
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Drona, groana, nekku vendave vena!
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me: that’s a really neat tagline! Nice to see you maami!
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Your tolerance leves are quite amazing!
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me: ha ha thnx! this way you can concentrate on yor mid term and leave this stuff to me!
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@idling
his new avatars are screwed up. Mine’s a weirdass triangle.
@maxxu
Hello no insulting TR please. He’s the ultimate dude. I heard he’s planning to do a ramyana remake where he plays ram, lakshman and hanuman apart from doing the production, direction, screenplay, dialogues, music, script, tea-boy, lights-boy. Mumtaj ofcourse, will be the pathni-deivam sita.
200 days blockbuster!
thanks for the review btw, i will most definitely not watch this! Although AB baby is so dreammmmy.
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me: ya rite you complain bout the monsters, you complain bout these as well! I don’t think TR can do a ramayana for there is no scope of thangachi sentiment there! Yor comment just reminded me of the climax scene in Veerasamy!
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vettiyathooki villayaadu!
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If I do watch it, it would be for Jr.AB. He’s cute.
..and fantasy is such an escape anyway.
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me: that sad thing is, what could have been made into a good movie ended up as a shoddy effort!
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I loooooove AB soooo much. That I married a man with those initials. Only. Sigh.
I wish he’d smile, really, more often. I feel his smile is magical and it kinda touches my heart. Will watch this on one of those housewifely depressing afternoons when I’m all alone, nursing my ego
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me: Even if I had not reviewed it you will have watched it! Watch dostana for sure in a theatre if possible!
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Hearing bad reviews about this movie. Our folks don’t know to make proper superhero movies. They forget screenplay all the time, its like oh god I left the binder at home so lets make something up at the shooting spot and film it. One has to wonder even if that screenplay binder exists! Sounds like a good story and sothappufied in a bollywood way! Avoiding this one !
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me: Yea they have everything else and somehow manage to forget the screenplay! Yup good story but full sodhapification!
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im confused..
paarkanuma vendama?
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me: watch it just for kicks!
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Yea..i stopped watching the muvie after a while..I wonder why abhishek even chooses such movies. Apparently this was his and goldie’s dream project. Other than the music i don’t think i liked anything else in this muvie…after watching a lot of good movies, i guess i needed a couple of bad ones to strike a balance !
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me: this will be listed as one of those could have been great movies! All set fro karzzz this week?
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Review: Drona - Smile toh karo na…
Drona was depressing but better than Kidnap. The story had a lot of potential and could have been made into an awesome movie. Sadly this is what it ended up becomng. I hope the sequel is better….
My thoughts, exactly! The garage song was soooooo unwarranted!
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me: thnk u ji! all hopes on Karzz and dostana now!
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