Eros International’s Desi Boyz (A) is the story of two friends, Jerry alias Jignesh Patel (Akshay Kumar) and Nick Mathur (John Abraham), who live in London and who are hit hard by recession. Jerry does odd jobs for a living as he is an undergraduate but Nick has a white-collar job. However, both find themselves jobless due to the economic downturn. Jerry has a little, school-going nephew (Master Virej Desai) to look after as the child has lost both his parents. Nick is to marry his girlfriend, Radhika Awasthi (Deepika Padukone), who dreams of a lovely wedding, a great honeymoon and a wonderful house to live in after marriage.
Out of job, Jerry finds it difficult to even pay the school fees of his nephew because of which the government is on the verge of giving the custody of his nephew to a foster family. Nick fears, he won’t be able to fulfil the dreams of his to-be wife. It is to tide over the difficult times that Jerry and Nick turn to the oldest profession in the world. They become male escorts, fulfilling the costume fantasies of girls and ladies. Ironically, Jerry can’t ultimately prevent his nephew from being sent to a foster home; and Nick loses Radhika when she learns of what he has been up to while she is away in India. Frustrated, Nick blames Jerry for forcing him into the profession and asks him to move out of his house and life.
Nick now tries hard to win Radhika back and help comes from the most unlikely source – Radhika’s father (Anupam Kher) who has come to London with her. Meanwhile, Jerry registers in college again to complete his graduation so that he can earn enough money to get his nephew back home. In college, Jerry meets Tanya Sharma (Chitrangada Singh) who used to be his over-sized classmate and is now a hot and a sexy professor in the same college. Sparks fly between Jerry and Tanya.
What happens thereafter? Is Jerry able to pass his examinations and get a degree? Does he get a job? Does Radhika forgive Nick? Or does she settle down with Ajay (Omi Vaidya), a lawyer-friend of hers? And what about Jerry’s nephew – does he unite with Jerry?
Desi Boyz Review: Script Analysis
The story, penned by Rohit Dhawan, is quite fresh as topics such as recession and friendship have not been used the way they have been in this film. Also, the two main male protagonists of the drama turning to the profession of male escorting is a new twist in the tale. Rohit Dhawan’s screenplay is also fresh and moves at a fast pace most of the times. The best part of the screenplay is that it treats the subject of recession, break-up of friendship, heartbreak, and family drama in a light-hearted manner and keeps the audience entertained throughout. Perhaps, the only two places where the screenplay is found wanting are the portions when Nick is trying to woo Radhika back and in the emotional drama of Jerry and his nephew. The track of Nick trying to make up with Radhika gets a bit repetitive till Ajay arrives on the scene (which portion is really interesting).The emotional impact of Jerry and his nephew’s separation and the scenes of the nephew in the foster home should’ve been far more emotional and dramatic. The climax looks a bit incomplete. However, in spite of these shortcomings, the fact remains that the drama is engaging and entertaining. Comedy evokes laughter at many places. In particular, the track of the owner of the Desi Boyz Club (Sanjay Dutt), the sequences of Ajay and Radhika and then in the court, the sequence of Jignesh’s mother (Bharti Achrekar) and the sequence of the job interview of Jerry after his graduation and how he embarrasses the boss (Satish Kaushik) in the interview are highlights. Dialogues, written Renuka Kunzru, are excellent.
Desi Boyz Review: Star Performances
Akshay Kumar, known for his fantastic sense of comic timing, does remarkably well in the comic role. He is also suitably restrained in the emotional scenes. This film will help him resurrect himself after his recent spate of flops and average grossers. His dances are delightful. John Abraham spring a pleasant surprise with a free-spirited performance. He has improved tremendously in comedy. He is also quite free in dances. Deepika Padukone looks glamorous, exudes sex appeal and acts with effortless ease. Chitrangada Singh is another surprise, having made a confident and smooth transition from art to commercial cinema. She looks sexy and acts well. Sanjay Dutt is a highlight and leaves a mark whenever he comes. The background music which accompanies his arrival is a masterstroke. Omi Vaidya is just too cute and delivers a wonderful performance. Master Virej Desai is lovable. Anupam Kher entertains with a natural performance. His dialogue about getting ambitious is interesting and enjoyable. Mohnish Bahl leaves a mark for his dignified acting. Bharti Achrekar is extraordinary and makes her presence wonderfully felt. Satish Kaushik is very good. Suparna Marwah is nice as the judge.
Desi Boyz Review: Direction & Music
Rohit Dhawan makes a confident debut as director. He knows the art and craft of filmmaking and credit to him for extracting good performances from his cast and also not letting the drama dip in entertainment value. He, however, needs to treat emotional scenes with a little more dexterity. Pritam’s music is a major plus point. All the songs are delightful. The title track is the best number. Subah hone na de, Allah maaf kare andJhak maar ke are also entertaining songs. Let it be appeals in its own way. Lyrics (Kumaar, Irshad Kamil and Amitabh Bhattacharya) go well with the mood of the film. Song picturisations are very eye-filling, thanks to Bosco-Caesar’s choreography. Natarajan Subramanian’s camerawork is splendid. The foreign locations and the actors have all looked beautiful. Sets, erected by Sukant Panigrahi and Helen Jones, are lovely. Production values are rich. Technical aspects are of a high standard.
