Rajshri Productions is known for making family dramas which every age group of audience can connect with. Rajshri’s last film Uunchai was directed by Sooraj Barjatya. Uunchai was based more on friendship with a backdrop of trekking. There is a saying that friends are no less than family and Uunchai showed us that.
Rajshri’s latest film Dono is a love story which sheds light on complex relationships. Dono is directed by debutant Avnish S. Barjatya who is son of Sooraj Barjatya.
Avnish follows the same outdated 90s style of filmmaking in Dono. Dono is a stretched film with unnecessary melodrama.
The first half of Dono is a timepass, but the second half is a big bore. Dono tries too many complex things in its narrative.
Performance wise Rajveer is not upto the mark. We can’t even see 10% of Sunny Deol’s reflection in him. Rajveer’s acting, dialogue delivery, dance, everything is a big letdown. Paloma also failed to leave a mark. The chemistry between Rajveer and Paloma is not that interesting. Kanikka Kapur looks more gorgeous than Paloma in many scenes. Rest of the cast is strictly average.
The music has always been the soul of a Rajshri film. Dono’s music doesn’t work at all. The songs are situational but don’t create any magic. The title track of Dono is the only track which will give pleasure to your ears.
Avnish’s direction is too outdated. He still follows the same outdated style of filmmaking. He is still in the 90s zone and does nothing new. There are many scenes which seem very repetitive. The story has nothing new but Avnish could have presented it in a refreshing way. Dono targets family and youth as their main audience, but it won’t please any of them.
Dono is a good time pass in the first half, but the second half is extremely stretched and gives boredom. Avnish has literally made a TV serial of 156 mins.
The long duration is one of the biggest problems of Dono. Majority of Rajshri films have a long duration, but they hold your interest. Dono follows the Rajshri tradition of making a long film, but presents a dull show. Dono makes you bored after one point of time. The unnecessary complex conversations, emotional scenes hurt the narrative. Dono could have been easily trimmed by 20-25 minutes. Songs are misplaced and unnecessarily increase the duration.
The writing is in bits and pieces. The characters act dumb in some parts and confuse the audience. The characters have been made unnecessarily complex by the writers. The so-called mature characters fail to make basic decisions. Dono is a confusing script for both family and youth audiences.
Rajshri has made Dosti, which is the best film made on friendship in Bollywood. Rajshri has given finest family dramas like Hum Aapke Hain Koun, Maine Pyar Kiya, Hum Saath Saath Hain and Vivah. Dono is an epic disappointment in Rajshri’s filmography.
Dono could have been a good film, if Avnish would have followed the recent trend and modern filmmaking style. Sooraj Barjatya’s Uunchai was also not upto the mark and turned out as an average product. Dono goes one level down from Uunchai. Uunchai had a solid star cast, good music and beautiful message which made it a one time watch. Dono will end up as another unforgettable film after ‘Hum Chaar’ in Rajshri’s filmography.
Dono could have celebrated love, friendship and life in a good manner, but the makers decided to follow the same outdated path. The script is a total lackluster and writers should be bashed for it.
Overall Dono neither appeals to youth nor family audiences. The film has nothing new in store for the audience. Dono destroys the legacy of Rajshri and can harm their image. Instead of Dono one should revisit the old films made by Rajshri. Dono is the same outdated 90s melodrama which should be skipped at any cost.
Rating – 2/5*
