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.
London
Dreams
is
not
Baiju
Bawra.
London
Dreams
is
not
Rock
On!!,
Abhimaan,
Yaarana
or
Saajan
either
[a
section
of
the
industry
wants
us
to
believe
that].
The
truth
is,
London
Dreams
borrows
from
Milos
Forman's
brilliant
film
Amadeus
[1984],
which
was
based
on
Salieri
and
Mozart's
life.
In
fact,
Suneel
Darshan
too
had
made
a
film
based
on
Amadeus
called
Shakalaka
Boom
Boom
[2007;
Bobby
Deol,
Upen
Patel].
London
Dreams
is
a
complete
departure
from
Vipul
Shah's
earlier
outings,
Aankhen,
Waqt
Namastey
London
and
Singh
is
Kinng
[produced
by
Vipul,
directed
by
Anees
Bazmee].
This
film
is
about
relationships
and
tends
to
get
very
real
and
intense,
in
the
post-interval
portions
specifically.
The
scale
of
London
Dreams
is
gigantic
and
the
execution
of
concerts
[it's
about
a
band]
sweeps
you
off
your
feet.
In
terms
of
execution,
it
wouldn't
be
erroneous
to
state
that
London
Dreams
is
amongst
Vipul
Shah's
most
accomplished
works
to
date.
Also,
it
boasts
of
incredible
performances
by
Salman
Khan
and
Ajay
Devgn.
But
there
are
hiccups
too
and
it's
these
deficiencies
that
bog
the
film
down!
They
were
childhood
friends.
But
they
had
little
in
common
except
their
family's
connection
with
music.
While
Arjun's
[Ajay
Devgn]
life
was
consumed
by
a
passionate
drive
to
get
on
stage
and
realize
his
grandfather's
unfulfilled
dream,
Mannu
[Salman
Khan]
was
content
with
remaining
a
child
at
heart
with
no
higher
ambition
than
enjoying
the
good
things
in
life.
As
Arjun
forges
a
band
with
Zoheb
[Rannvijay
Singh],
Wasim
[Aditya
Roy
Kapur]
and
Priya
[Asin],
a
music
enthusiast
from
a
conservative
South
Indian
family,
far
away
in
Punjab,
music
becomes
a
survival
tool
for
Mannu,
who
takes
to
playing
in
wedding
bands
in
his
village.
Arjun
gets
Mannu
to
London
and
makes
him
a
part
of
the
band,
but
soon
realizes
he's
created
the
biggest
threat
and
obstacle
to
his
own
ambitions.
Mannu,
with
his
inherent
musical
gift,
becomes
an
instant
darling
of
the
crowds.
Arjun's
unbearable
pangs
of
jealously
and
insecurity
only
worsen
when
Mannu
also
unwittingly
woos
and
wins
his
secret
love,
Priya.
As
he
battles
his
inner
demons,
Arjun
slowly
devises
a
sinister
plan
to
destroy
his
best
friend.
It
takes
time
to
get
into
Ajay's
world
[its
Ajay
who's
narrating
the
story
here].
The
film
moves
back
and
forth
and
it's
only
when
the
two
buddies,
now
adults,
meet
that
you
realize
where
the
story
is
headed.
The
first
hour
depicts
the
two
extreme
characters
-
Ajay,
who's
an
introvert
and
who
cannot
think
of
anything
but
his
goal
and
Salman,
a
happy-go-lucky
guy,
laidback
and
fun-loving,
least
focused.
The
narrative
has
some
interesting
moments
in
the
first
hour,
but
the
actual
story
unravels
only
towards
the
second
half.
The
first
half,
frankly,
only
sets
things
up
for
the
explosive
drama
that
is
to
follow.
The
wheels
start
moving
when
Ajay
plays
a
vicious
game
and
hatches
a
conspiracy
to
ruin
his
buddy's
career.
It's
the
second
hour
that
does
the
trick.
You
can't
help
but
carry
several
sequences
in
your
heart,
even
after
you've
made
an
exit
from
the
auditorium...
*
Note
the
scene
when
Salman
makes
four
different
tunes
from
the
original
tune
created
by
Ajay.
*
Note
the
scene
when
Ajay
meets
an
inebriated
Salman
and
professes
revenge,
while
Salman
is
completely
clueless
about
Ajay's
sinister
plans.
*
Note
the
scene
when
the
band
arrives
in
London
after
a
3-city
concert
and
they're
received
by
aggressive
mediapersons.
But
there're
roadblocks
too.
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's
music
is
a
downer.
London
Dreams
is
about
a
rock
band,
about
music,
about
concerts
and
the
music
had
to
be
the
soul
of
the
film.
Unfortunately,
it's
not!
The
songs
have
been
filmed
in
the
most
energetic
fashion,
but
how
one
wishes
its
music
was
one
of
the
strengths
of
the
film.
Also,
the
film
could've
concluded
when
the
two
friends
re-unite
at
the
station.
Adding
one
more
song
thereafter
only
dilutes
the
impact
of
the
emotionally
correct
sequence
that
has
just
been
witnessed.
Besides,
the
song
in
question
hasn't
been
promoted
either,
so
it
only
comes
across
as
an
aberration.
Prior
to
that,
Ajay's
outburst
at
the
end
of
the
concert
is
far
from
convincing.
The
film
has
a
real
feel,
real
characters
and
real
situations,
but
the
outburst
looks
unreal
and
is
one
of
the
drawbacks,
from
the
writing
point
of
view.
It's
just
not
convincing!
Besides,
Ajay's
childhood
character
is
shown
fleeing
from
the
airport
and
making
it
big
in
a
foreign
land
[London],
without
any
support
whatsoever.
It's
unpalatable!
Vipul
Shah
has
handled
this
intricate
subject
well,
but
the
writing
could've
been
tighter.
Sejal
Shah's
cinematography
is
super.
Brownie
points
for
capturing
the
concerts
brilliantly.
Salim-Sulaiman's
background
score
matches
international
standards.
Both
Salman
and
Ajay
vie
for
top
honours.
Salman
has
a
role
that
the
junta
would
take
to
instantly
and
the
actor
too
endears
himself
to
the
viewers.
He's
stupendous.
When
it
comes
to
displaying
intensity
on
screen,
very
few
can
live
up
to
the
standards
set
by
Ajay.
To
state
that
he
packs
in
a
power-packed
performance
would
be
an
understatement.
They,
in
fact,
compliment
each
other
wonderfully
well.
Asin
is
admirable
and
pairs
off
very
well
with
Salman.
She
is
sure
to
have
a
new
name
after
this
film
-
Chennai
Express
[that's
how
Salman
addresses
her
affectionately,
all
through
the
film].
Om
Puri
has
a
brief
role.
Aditya
Roy
Kapur
is
very
good
and
registers
an
impact.
Rannvijay
Singh
doesn't
get
much
to
do,
except
throw
nasty
looks
at
Salman.
Manoj
Pahwa
provides
some
funny
moments.
Brinda
Parekh
is
okay.
On
the
whole,
London
Dreams
has
superb
performances
from
its
principal
cast
and
several
emotionally-charged
sequences
as
its
two
trump
cards.
But
its
biggest
drawback
is
its
climax
and
also
the
music,
which
is
the
weakest
link
of
the
movie.
At
the
box-office,
the
film
should
appeal
more
to
the
multiplex
audience
than
the
masses.
Business
at
big
centres,
especially
at
metros,
should
be
better,
but
mini-metros
and
towns
will
be
a
contrast.