DRONA is a big film in all respects

Fantasy/adventure films are a rarity in Bollywood. Actually, you want to laud Goldie Behl for being courageous, for venturing into a lane that's rarely visited by dream merchants here. But the screenplay is a complete mess. In fact, if at all there would be Razzies in Bollywood, the three writers of DRONA -- Jaydeep Sarkar, Rohini Killough and Goldie Behl -- should be nominated proto for coming up with a sloppy and slipshod screenplay.

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.

What saddens your heart is the fact that the Lullas of Eros and Shrishti Arya, 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? You remember DRONA for its striking visuals, not storyline. It's like embellishing priceless and precious jewels on a mannequin.

What's wrong? Goldie Behl and his writers can't decide if DRONA is a superhero film or fantasy. 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 [Kay Kay Menon] is more of a buffoon than a villain.

More minusses! 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. You wouldn't mind a 3-hour film even today, provided it has the power to keep you glued to the screen. In this case, the 2 + hours seem never-ending. The film goes on and on and after a point, you actually want to scream, 'Enough!'.

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. Its fall is imminent!