London Dreams Movie Reviews

In real life, if you feel your colleague is far more superior to you in intelligence, talent, charisma, efficiency, chances are you might feel the heat. Jealousy, generally, stems from there. In the process, the best of relations get strained. LONDON DREAMS, directed by Vipul Shah, talks of two musicians, thick pals actually, and how jealousy drives a wedge in their friendship. Let's clear a few myths before discussing the positive and negative factors of this film.

Amadeus, anyone? We'd suggest you don't even mention the name of the legendary film, which went on to win eight Oscars, in the same breath as London Dreams, the film that is ostensibly inspired by it. Only then will it be possible to savour the finer aspects of this desi dosti pix that follows the relationship between two childhood buddies who share a similar passion for music. If Milos Forman's Amadeus traced the stormy comradeship between Antonio Salieri

Here’s a movie that derives its basic plot from an American film (the Oscar winning Amadeus ), which was based on the rivalry between an Italian (Salieri) and a German (Mozart) composer. Served with Indian sentiments, it’s named London Dreams . Nevertheless, this globalization of cinema clicks for its worldly charm. Arjun (Ajay Devgn) and Manu (Salman Khan) are childhood friends from Punjab. Arjun is inclined towards music, much against opposition from his family

London Dreams has a lot going for it. Two big ticket stars, Ajay Devgn and Salman Khan, a successful producer-director, Vipul Shah, who has delivered hits like Namastey London and Singh is Kinng, brilliant music by Shankar Ehsaan Loy and a matching background score by Salim Sulaiman. But the technical flourish and the lavish canvas fail to deliver what's promised. Neither does London Dreams have the subtle, nuanced play of emotions of Abhimaan

London Dreams, directed by Vipul Shah, is a frustratingly foolish film about foolish people. It's the kind of film whose central conflict could be instantly resolved if the characters concerned simply sat down and had a chat. Ajay Devgan plays Arjun, an aspiring pop-artiste obsessed with performing before a cheering crowd at London's Wembley Stadium. He becomes jealous of his devoted best friend and band-mate Manu, played by Salman Khan, who is evidently more talented

An ironic tale that represents a clash between ambition and friendship, somewhat like the far superior Amadeus, London Dreams is given a leg-up by a strong story let down in execution and technique. The lifelong dream of Arjun (Devgn) is to perform at London's Wembley Stadium to correct a blemish on his family's history. A twist of fate and Arjun moves from his village in Punjab to London, leaving behind his best friend. Mannu (Khan) is a happy-go-lucky flirt

London Dreams starts with a brooding Ajay Devgan reminiscing about his life saying “Maine zindagi mein kuchh achcha, bura aur kuchh bahut bura kiya hai”. The same goes for this film too. The achcha thing is the basic story about two friends, one with a deep ambition to be a world class pop star, while the other is a pure natural singer, but uninterested in stardom. The bura thing is the jumpy, stereotypical screenplay, with little freshness anywhere

With his latest film, Vipul Amrutlal Shah goes back to familiar territory : Punjabi ‘munda’ in London town, all set to conquer the world. Akshay Kumar did it wonderfully in ‘Namaste London’. This time around, it is Ajay Devgn’s turn, accompanied by partner-in-crime Salman Khan, but the two-for-the-price-of-one isn’t as much of a success. Young Arjun (Devgn) runs away from his music-hating uncle at Heathrow airport, arriving at a conservatory

My biggest apprehension about London Dreams was how director Vipul Amrutlal Shah would convincingly transform two middle-aged actors, Salman Khan and Ajay Devgn, into pop stars. As it turns out, that is the least of this film’s problems. London Dreams is about two friends, Arjun played by Ajay and Mannu played by Salman, who have been together since their school days in Bhatinda. Despite his rural surroundings, Arjun nurtures a fierce desire to be a pop singer.

Staring at an undressed girl making love to a pole in public, Salman Khan’s Manjeet (nee Mannu) rightly grumbles, “The British built for us roads, a rail network, postal services... If they’d stayed on 20 years longer, they could’ve left us a night-life (and strip clubs as well).” Alas, that didn’t happen. Yet, there’s a change in line out here from Vipul Shah’s last blockbuster Namaste London, a culturally uncomfortable ‘Purab Aur Paschim’ type patriotic film