By:
Taran
Adarsh,
IndiaFM
Friday,
July
20,
2007
Some
do's
and
don'ts
you
need
to
follow
while
watching
Partner...
Lock
your
brains
in
the
almirah,
before
you
head
for
the
nearby
movieplex
to
catch
this
zany
entertainer.
Don't
look
for
logic.
Don't
ask
questions.
Don't
raise
eyebrows.
Don't
argue
with
what
the
master
chef
David
Dhawan
serves
on
your
plate.
Do
carry
some
earplugs/earwax
if
you're
allergic
to
noise.
The
cineplex
will
reverberate
with
high
decibels
of
laughter,
which
could
tax
your
ear-drums
if
you're
overtly
sensitive.
Welcome
to
Partner,
David
Dhawan's
new
comic
caper.
It's
stylish,
it's
crazier,
it's
a
bigger
entertainer
than
David's
last
two
laughathons,
Mujhse
Shaadi
Karogi
and
Maine
Pyaar
Kyun
Kiya.
Making
people
laugh
is
an
art
and
David
has
mastered
this
art
over
the
years.
Like
wine,
he
has
only
matured
with
time.
Let's
come
straight
to
the
point.
Partner
is
for
those
seeking
non-stop
entertainment.
It's
targeted
at
those
who
swear
by
masala
films.
Those
who
want
to
get
transported
to
a
world
of
make-believe
in
those
2
hours.
It's
definitely
not
for
those
who
actually
know
what
to
expect,
but
pretend
to
rubbish
escapist
cinema.
Also,
it's
not
for
certain
critics
[looking
for
art
cinema
in
a
masala
entertainer]
whose
star
ratings
are
a
much
bigger
joke
than
the
one
David
Dhawan
pulls
off
with
Élan.
The
film
works,
and
works
big
time.
In
a
nutshell,
if
you're
into
escapist
cinema,
if
you're
looking
for
laughter
unlimited,
if
you're
curious
to
watch
the
bonding
between
Govinda
and
Salman
Khan,
if
you're
a
big
fan
of
David
Dhawan
movies,
if
you
believe
in
shelling
out
Rs.
150
for
a
ticket
and
expecting
entertainment
worth
Rs.
200,
Partner
is
just
for
you!
Prem
[Salman
Khan]
is
a
'date
doctor'
who,
for
a
fee,
has
helped
hundreds
of
men
woo
the
women
of
their
dreams.
In
his
childhood,
he
understood
a
woman's
likes
and
dislikes
in
food,
clothes
or
men.
His
aim
is
to
help
those
men
who
like
or
love
women,
not
to
take
them
to
bed.
The
ultimate
professional
bachelor,
Prem
discovers
that
his
tried
and
tested
tricks
are
no
match
for
Naina
[Lara
Dutta],
the
one
woman
he
truly
loves,
who
works
for
a
newspaper
as
a
journalist.
He
comes
across
Bhaskar
[Govinda],
who
is
in
love
with
Priya
[Katrina
Kaif],
the
rich
and
famous
daughter
of
a
tycoon
[Dilip
Tahil].
Prem
helps
Govinda
find
his
lady
love
and
eventually
also
finds
a
soulmate
in
Naina.
Inspired
by
director
Andy
Tennant's
likable
Hollywood
hit
Hitch
[2005;
Will
Smith,
Eva
Mendes,
Kevin
James,
Amber
Valletta],
Partner
is
a
true-blue
David
Dhawan
film.
It's
glossy,
has
some
stunning
visuals,
boasts
of
very
catchy
and
hummable
music
and
of
course,
hardly
has
any
tense
moment
in
those
16
reels.
What
works
is
the
casting
of
the
two
characters,
who're
as
dissimilar
as
chalk
and
cheese.
Although
the
romantic
portions
have
the
right
chemistry
between
Salman
and
Lara
and
Govinda
and
Katrina,
the
USP
is
undoubtedly
the
terrific
bonding
between
Salman
and
Govinda,
whose
on-screen
escapades
take
the
film
to
dizzier
heights.
Besides,
the
witty
one-liners
[Sanjay
Chhel]
are
another
ace
that
has
the
viewer
in
splits.
The
dialogues
are
truly
funny
and
actually
accentuate
the
impact
of
every
sequence.
Any
'hitch'es?
Yes,
there's
one!
The
track
that
leads
to
the
misunderstandings
in
the
climax
looks
unwarranted.
Writer
sahib
[screenplay:
Yunus
Sajawal,
David
Dhawan],
this
track
[Rajat
Bedi,
Aarti
Chhabria]
compels
you
to
break
into
a
yawn.
Also,
it
adds
to
the
length
of
the
enterprise.
But
the
subsequent
portion
[Govinda's
honeymoon
travails]
is
rip-roaringly
funny.
David
Dhawan
gets
it
right
yet
again.
He's
on
familiar
ground
and
like
a
seasoned
cricketer
knows
the
game
inside
out.
He
hits
a
boundary
yet
again.
Sanjay
Chhel's
dialogues
are
superb.
Sajid-Wajid
make
a
terrific
comeback,
with
every
song
having
the
stamp
of
a
chartbuster
embossed
on
it.
Even
their
picturizations
[choreography:
Bosco-Caesar]
are
excellent.
Cinematography
[Johny
Lal]
is
first-rate.
The
film
bears
an
opulent
look
all
through.
Costumes
of
Salman
and
Govinda
[Alvira
Khan
Agnihotri]
are
stylish.
The
question
is,
who
steals
the
show?
Actually
both!
Salman
performs
like
never
before.
Sure,
he
looks
dapper
[one
compliment
he's
heard
umpteen
times],
but
he
packs
in
a
solid
punch
whenever
he's
on
screen.
His
fans
will
only
multiply
with
this
film.
Govinda
sets
the
screen
blazing
with
an
incredible
performance.
Although
the
actor
has
featured
in
a
few
films
after
a
hiatus
[Bhagam
Bhag,
Salaam-E-Ishq],
Partner
is
his
comeback
film.
He
has
the
viewer
eating
out
of
his
hands
actually.
Those
who
felt
that
he's
a
spent
force
will
have
to
eat
back
their
words.
Lara
Dutta
looks
gorgeous
and
pairs
off
very
well
with
Salman.
Katrina
Kaif
looks
gorgeous
and
pitches
in
a
natural
performance.
Rajpal
Yadav
is
really
funny.
Puneet
Issar
is
alright.
Dilip
Tahil
is
okay.
Suresh
Menon
is
excellent.
Child
artiste
Ali
Haji
is
wonderful.
His
confidence
level
is
astonishing!
On
the
whole,
Partner
is
a
winner
all
the
way.
This
one's
a
laugh-riot
that
will
have
the
viewers
laughing
in
the
aisles
and
its
distributors,
laughing
all
the
way
to
the
bank.
A
sure-shot
Hit.