De Dana Dan follows the 3Cs of a Priyadarshan comedy – cash, confusion and lots of chases. Faithfully obeying his own template, the director could might as well have made this film in his sleep. Packing in almost two dozen characters in a hotel, De Dana Dan is one long comic ride. The basic premise involves a bunch of greedy conmen caught in a web of lies. Thankfully, it is actually funny in most parts.
There are a few things that catch you unawares in this comedy. Though the promotion has been driven around Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Katrina Kaif and Sameera Reddy, the four are just a part of the ensemble. In fact, for a good part of the second half, Kumar and Shetty go missing. And while ardent fans might complain, the character actors more than make up for their absence.It’s a film targeted at a mass audience looking for a light hearted joy ride at the theatre. While one might accuse Priyadarshan of silliness and moments of low brow humour, he deserves full credit for managing such a huge cast. Not once does the confusion go out of hand as the director is in full control of the proceedings. Each actor delivers an energetic performance doing full justice to the loud, over the top tone of the film.De Dana Dan doesn’t aspire to be a Hrishikesh Mukherjee or Rajkumar Hirani product. It’s got its goal clear and delivers what it promises.
Verdict: It would be harsh to run it down by drawing unnecessary comparisons with classic comedies. De Dana Dan has tremendous entertainment value. Given the style of most Bollywood comedies – De Dana Dan is the funniest film of the season.
