Starring: Akshay Kumar, Sunil Shetty, Paresh Rawal, Katrina Kaif, Sameera Reddy
Directed by Priyadarshan
Rating: *
First things first. This is not a sequel or prequel to Hera Pheri despite the presence of the original triumvirate—Akshay Kumar, Sunil Shetty and Paresh Rawal. In fact, if Hera Pheri marked a high point in Priyadarshan’s career, De Dana Dan must be the lowest ebb he would have struck in recent times. Logic and reason is not what one went looking for in De Dana Dan. A certain lunacy was expected. The question is whether the madness made you double up in laughter and the answer, unfortunately, is a big no. Not a single gag or joke works. Even if you do laugh, it’s at the film rather than with it.
There are way too many characters and subplots and Priyadarshan fails miserably in justifying them or stringing them together. Silly, witless, trying-too-hard-to-be-funny characters seem to walk in and out of the frames for no reason whatsoever. And they are all residents of Singapore, mind you. Which makes one wonder if the pointless film was made for the heck of Singapore Tourism. There’s Akshay who’s working for a boorish rich woman, Archana Puran Singh, because his dad took a loan from her for his education that he needs to repay. He loves rich and winsome Katrina but her dad Tinnu Anand won’t allow them to get together. Poor Sunil has a similar problem of not being able to wed Sameera. Paresh is the crook with the silly son, Chunky Pandey, who’s marrying Sameera for the money. There’s an assortment of other characters to confound the confusion. And they all descend into the Pan Pacific hotel for the Chunky-Sameera wedding only to get swept off their feet, literally.
The film gets so scattered that after a point even the star draw—Katrina and Akshay—vanish from the proceedings only to reappear when the film hurls towards the climax. Either the actors are uniformally jarring and over-the-top (Akshay and Archana Puran Singh competing on who shouts louder) or they are there as mere pretty props (Sameera, Katrina). A seasoned Paresh Rawal cuts a pitiable picture in the mess. Why should he be doing such infantile tripe? De Dana Dan provides tough competition to Kambakkht Ishq for my Turkey of ’09 award.
High Fives
Bollywod
1. De Dana Dan
2. Kurbaan
3. 2012 (dubbed)
4. Ajab Prem ki Gazab Kahani
5. Tum Mile
Hollywood
1. The Twilight Saga: New Moon
2. The Blind Side
3. 2012
4. Old Dogs
5. A Christmas Carol
Folk Album
1. Christmas in the Heart (Bob Dylan)
2. The List (Rosanne Cash)
3. Strict Joy (The Swell Season)
4. A Friend of a Friend (Dave Rawlings)
5. Monsters of Folk (Monsters of Folk)
Courtesy: Film Information
