Debutant director, ‘Dono’ star kids show promise

Sheetal

Given the specifics, the film could easily have been titled ‘Teeno’. ‘Dono’ marks the directorial debut of Avnish Sooraj Barjatya (of the Rajshree production house), and star kids Rajveer Deol (Sunny Deol’s son) and Paloma Dhillon (Poonam Dhillon’s daughter).

The title sums up the plot line — two strangers sailing in the same boat yet having a different perspective. Dev Saraf (Rajveer) is trying to find closure in an unrequited love situation as he attends the wedding of his best friend Alina. Also present at the event is Meghna Doshi (Paloma), best friend of the groom who is trying to act normal after her recent break-up with her boyfriend of six years.

The story is as simple as it can get. There are no twists and the dialogues lack recall value. A modern approach towards romantic family films, it falls short on several counts. While Meghna’s conflict with her ex, Gaurav (Aditya Nanda), is well etched, Dev’s distance with his father is one loose end. The other weak part is the music. The lyrics fail to connect except for the title song, ‘Dono’. Also, for a basic story of two strangers falling in love, the length of the film is stretched.

In the first half, the film has some fun moments such as a cricket match between the families of the groom and the bride, with Dev helping Nikhil nail the dance steps.

Rajveer’s character has both low and high moments, but could have done with better writing. For debutant actors, both he and Paloma have delivered fine performances. That guarantees them more work in the near future. Paloma’s smile is infectious and she drops some ravishing outfit goals for a wedding guest. Rajveer, it feels, struggles during romantic scenes but emotes well in tense situations.

Avnish’s eye for detail in the beautifully shot landscape of Hua Hin beach in Thailand, and costume designer Terrence Lobo’s designs for the lead pair keep you hooked to the screen even for an average storytelling.

For an over-the-top destination wedding dreamers, the production designers have done some wonderful recce.

For all that is wrong, ‘Dono’ does get the chemistry between two strangers right. That’s heart-warming.

It is a one-time watch, let’s grant the three debutantes that.