Dono Review {3.0/5} & Review Rating
DONO is the story of two strangers falling in love. Dev Saraf (Rajveer Deol) is based in Bengaluru and runs a start-up named Primary Workflow Solutions. The business is not going great. On top of it, Alina (Kanikka Kapur), his best friend since childhood and whom he loves dearly, is getting married. Dev declines to be a part of the festivities. But he changes his mind as he feels that attending her marriage can help him find closure. He flies to Hua Hin, Thailand where the marriage is taking place. There, he bumps into Meghna Doshi (Paloma), a close friend of the groom, Nikhil (Rohan Khurana). Another close friend of Nikhil, Gaurav (Aditya Nanda), is also present. He happens to be the ex-boyfriend of Meghna. Both broke up just a month ago. Dev and Meghna are poles apart. While he’s unable to come to terms that the love of his life is getting married, Meghna seems to have moved on rather well. Yet, both get attracted to each other. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
Avnish S Barjatya's story is nothing special. There’s hardly any storyline. Avnish S Barjatya and Manu Sharma's screenplay is engaging and is peppered with sweet and simple moments. However, the writing gets stretched after a point. Avnish S Barjatya and Manu Sharma's dialogues are devoid of any over-the-top one-liners and are very situational.
Avnish S Barjatya's direction is uncomplicated. He understands the technicalities like a pro, despite being a debutant director. Also, just like the style of his father Sooraj Barjatya, his content is devoid of any intimacy or violence. It’s a complete, clean family entertainer. The situations in the film are very relatable be it domination by a partner, the quest to find closure, unrequited love, hypocrisy of the society involving womenfolk etc. Also, the troubles and fun associated with a destination wedding, especially when it’s abroad, make for a great watch. Some characters and comical scenes like the cricket match, Dev-Meghna's meeting at the pani puri stall, etc, add to the humour.
On the flipside, at 156 minutes, the film is too lengthy. After a point, it becomes tedious to sit through the film. Secondly, the track of Dev and his parents is very unconvincing. It is strange that Dev is meeting his parents after three years at the Thailand wedding. Yet, he’s not shown spending time with them. Some factual errors distract viewers. For instance, Dev coolly says that he has a flight in 2 hours. Yet, he’s seated in his hotel which is more than an hour's drive from the nearest airport!
Both Rajveer Deol and Paloma look great on screen and have a fine presence. However, they need to fine-tune their craft. Kanikka Kapur is decent. Aditya Nanda plays his character with panache. Manik Papneja (Gopal aka Gappu) is superb and raises a lot of laughs. Poojan Chhabra (Vilas) also adds to the fun. Rohan Khurana gets no scope. Sanjay Nath (Jagmohan; the groom’s father) is excellent as the man who never smiles. Micky Makhija (Dilip Saraf)’s performance suffers due to the writing. Mohit Chauhan (Ashok Jaisingh) leaves a mark in the beginning but later on, he doesn’t have much to do. Tisca Chopra (Anjali Malhotra) hams. Varun Buddhadev (young Dev) and Muskan Kalyani (young Alina) are lovely.
Dono: Official Trailer | Rajveer Deol, Paloma Thakeria, Avnish S. Barjatya
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's music doesn’t have a shelf life. The title song is the most memorable one. 'Khamma Ghani' is based on an interesting idea. This is followed by 'Mann Mauji', Khatt Mitthiyaan', 'Agg Lagdi', 'Lehenga Padd Gaya Mehenga' and 'Raangla'. George Joseph's background score has a cinematic, commercial feel.
Chirantan Das' cinematography is appropriate. The locales of Thailand are well-shot. Sujeet Sawant and Sriram Iyengar's production design is top-class. Terrence Lobo's costumes are very glamorous, especially the ones worn by the leading actors. Shweta Venkat Mathew's editing is weak. The film could have been shorter by at least 15 minutes.
On the whole, DONO is a clean family entertainer and works due to its simplicity, relatable goings-on and some funny and emotional moments. At the box office, it’ll need a strong word of mouth to attract its target audience.
