Priyanka Chopra with underprivileged kids for a special screening of Drona

Movie Review of Drona

DRONA is a big film in all respects -- big stars, big canvas, big expenditure on SFX, big ad spend, big expectations. Sadly, it's a big, big, big letdown as well.

Fantasy films are a rarity in Bollywood. The screenplay is a complete mess. What saddens your heart is the fact that the producers of DRONA, have spared no efforts in giving DRONA a spectacular look. The vision is perfect, but how about narrating an absorbing and attention-grabbing story? One would remember DRONA for its striking visuals, not storyline.
Although the makers have been maintaining all along that it's not about a superhero, the fact is, it is. In DRONA, the protagonist does everything that a superhero does. However, the lead character would only look more powerful if the anti-hero is equally authoritative. Surprisingly, the negative force here is more of a buffoon than a villain.

Dhruv Ghanekar's music is a big yawn. The tunes are listless and the placement of songs is equally jarring. Also, the length is a problem.The film goes on and on and after a point, it is difficult to bear it.
In a nutshell, DRONA disappoints.
DRONA rests on a thin plot, there's not much that director Goldie Behl can do to salvage the show. Yet, Goldie has executed two sequences with style. In fact, these two sequences stand out like an oasis in a desert. The first, when Kay Kay turns Jaya Bachchan into a statue. The second, the train sequence. Awe-inspiring sequences!
Sameer Arya's cinematography is, quite surprisingly, inconsistent this time. The lighting is too dark at places. The production design is innovative.

Jaya Bachchan is grace personified. The only regret is, she gets less footage. Abhishek does very well. He plays his part most convincingly. Priyanka's introduction is fantastic, but her 'Babuji kehte hain' dialogue gets on your nerves after a point. Kay Kay fails to impress. Navneet Nishan hams.

On the whole, DRONA lacks soul. At the box-office, the publicity blitzkrieg might ensure good returns in its opening 4-day weekend, but the cracks should start appearing sooner than expected, since the film fails to keep you hooked.

Drona Premiere Party Pics

Priyanka is the new Item Girl of Bollywood

Actress Priyanka Chopra is on a roll these days. Despite the debacle of Love Story 2050, she has a lot to look forward to this year and so do her fans. The actress is believed to have done a bikini number in Tarun Mansukhani's Dostana . Also recently she has gone ahead and done a sizzling number in the soon-to-be released Drona.

The actress will be seen in a lot of glamorous avatars this season. First was her golden bikini bit in Dostana, then there is the Drona item number, finally culminating in Madhur Bhandarkar's Fashion. But coming back to Drona, the actress has just shot an item number for the film. It is believed to be the female version of the title track, to be sung by Sunidhi Chauhan. The dance has been choreographed by Ahmed Khan. The actress plays a character called Sonia in the film. Sonia is Drona's bodyguard. Her character is portrayed as being tough and intense and powerful. The actress professes to have enjoyed shooting for the film as her character was a different one and for which she had to undergo a lot of training. Priyanka's role is perhaps a first for Hindi cinema, where the female is the bodyguard and a sexy and tough one at that. Goldie Behl's Drona is supposed to be a fantasy film, on the lines of Hollywood classics like Indiana Jones and Pirates of The Caribbean.