Dono (film) explained

Dono is a 2023 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film directed by debutant Avnish S. Barjatya, son of Sooraj R. Barjatya, and written by Avnish S. Barjatya and Manu Sharma.^[3] It is jointly produced by Rajshri Productions and Jio Studios. The film stars newcomers, Rajveer Deol and Paloma Dhillon.^[4]

The cinematography is done by Chirantan Das. The music is composed by Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy, and the lyrics are written by Irshad Kamil. The film was released on 5 October 2023.

Premise

The film follows the story of two strangers, Dev and Meghna. Dev, who is the friend of the bride, meets Meghna, who is the friend of the groom, at a lavish destination wedding. The film explores their relationship.

Cast

• Rajveer Deol as Dev Saraf
  • Varun Buddhadev as Young Dev
• Paloma Dhillon as Meghna Doshi
• Aditya Nanda as Gaurav
• Kanikka Kapur as Alina Jaisingh Kothari
  • Muskan Kalyani as Young Alina
• Rohan Khurana as Nikhil Kothari
• Manik Papneja as Gopal "Gappu"
• Poojan Chhabra as Vilas Kothari
• Sanjay Nath as Jagmohan, Nikhil's father
• Micky Makhija as Dilip Saraf, Dev's father
• Mohit Chauhan as Ashok Jaisingh
• Tisca Chopra as Anjali Malhotra
• Gurdeep Punj as Shilpa Kothari

Production

In March 2021, it was announced that Sooraj Barjatya's son Avnish Barjatya would be making his directorial debut with Dono.^[5] Rajveer Deol, son of actor Sunny Deol and Paloma Dhillon, daughter of actress Poonam Dhillon were cast as the leads, marking their acting debut.^{[6] [7]}

Soundtrack

The songs are composed by Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy. The lyrics were written by Irshad Kamil. The film score is composed by George Joseph. The title track of the film was released by Salman Khan and Bhagyashree.^[8]

Release

Theatrical

It was released on 5 October 2023.^{[9] [10]}

Reception

A critic of Bollywood Hungama gave the film 3 out of 5 stars and noted, "Dono is a clean family entertainer and works due to its simplicity, relatable goings-on and some funny and emotional moments. At the box office, it’ll need a strong word of mouth to attract its target audience."^[11] Ganesh Aaglave of Firstpost gave the film 3 out of 5 stars and noted, "Dono is a modern-day love story, which works well because of its fresh writing. The story will find relevance among the youth but the stretched runtime of over two-and-a-half hours plays a bit spoiler. The film is visually appealing."^[12]

Sonil Dedhia of News18 India gave the film 3 out of 5 stars and noted, "With Dono, Avnish gives Bollywood romance a simple yet interesting love story. The film is much too long, though. There is a noticeable dip just before the interval and things tend to get convenient. The film delivers decent entertainment and leaves you with a smile at the end of it."^[13] Deepa Gahlot of Rediff.com gave the film 2 out of 5 stars and noted, "With Dono, Avnish has slowly dragged the story a few miles over the boundary into the territory of contemporary lifestyle. There are no great emotional highs or lows in the film. It is just made up of little moments of normal interactions between young people."^[14]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Dono Box Office. 15 December 2023. Bollywood Hungama. 15 December 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231215150005/https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/dono/box-office/. live.
2. Web site: Dono box office collection day 5: Rajveer Deol's film earns mere Rs 7 lakh on first Monday, struggles past Rs 1 crore mark . 10 October 2023 . 31 October 2023 . 31 October 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231031065204/https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/box-office-collection/dono-box-office-collection-day-5-rajveer-deols-film-earns-mere-rs-7-lakh-on-first-monday-struggles-past-rs-1-crore-mark-8975760/lite/ . live .
3. News: Rajveer Deol-Paloma Thakeria Dhillon's debut film, directed by Sooraj Barjatya's son Avnish Barjatya, titled Dono . Bollywood Hungama . 29 August 2023 . 6 September 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230906145411/https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/amp/news/bollywood/scoop-rajveer-deol-paloma-thakeria-dhillons-debut-film-directed-sooraj-barjatyas-son-avnish-barjatya-titled-dono/ . live .
4. News: 'Dono' trailer: Rajveer Deol, Paloma look for closure in Avnish Barjatya's film . India Today . 5 September 2023 . 4 September 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230904110230/https://www.indiatoday.in/amp/movies/bollywood/story/dono-trailer-rajveer-sing-paloma-avnish-barjatya-2430762-2023-09-04 . live .
5. News: Exclusive - Sooraj Barjatya's son Avnish Barjatya to make his directorial debut with the film titled Dono . Pinkvilla . 1 September 2023 . 29 September 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230929042524/https://www.pinkvilla.com/entertainment/news/sooraj-barjatyas-son-avnish-barjatya-to-make-directorial-debut-with-film-titled-dono-1231094?amp . dead .
6. News: Dono: Avnish Barjatya's directorial to introduce Rajveer Deol and Paloma under Rajshri Productions . Mid Day . 28 August 2023 . 19 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230819091937/https://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/bollywood-news/article/dono-avnish-barjatyas-directorial-to-introduce-rajveer-deol-and-paloma-under-rajshri-productions-23299697 . live .
7. News: Watch: Sunny Deol's son Rajveer and Poonam Dhillon's daughter Paloma make their acting debut . Scroll.in . 6 September 2023 . 6 September 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230906144424/https://amp.scroll.in/reel/1055386/watch-sunny-deols-son-rajveer-and-poonam-dhillons-daughter-paloma-make-their-acting-debut . live .
8. Web site: Salman Khan, Bhagyashree launch the soothing romantic title track of Avnish S Barjatya's Dono. Watch . 16 August 2023 . Hindustan Times . 16 August 2023 . 16 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230816193142/https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/salman-khan-bhagyashree-launch-soothing-romantic-title-track-avnish-s-barjatya-dono-watch-101692167748656-amp.html . live .
9. News: Dono: Rajveer Deol and Paloma's debut film to be released on October 5. Mid Day. 5 July 2023. 19 August 2023. 19 August 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230819091932/https://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/bollywood-news/article/dono-rajveer-deol-and-palomas-debut-film-to-be-released-on-october-5-23304457. live.
10. Web site: Dono trailer: Sunny Deol's son Rajveer Deol and Poonam Dhillon's daughter Paloma pair up in fresh rom-com. Watch . 5 September 2023 . Hindustan Times . 4 September 2023 . 5 September 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230905195216/https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/dono-trailer-sunny-deol-son-rajveer-deol-poonam-dhillon-daughter-paloma-101693819622586-amp.html . live .
11. Web site: Bollywood Hungama . Dono Movie Review: DONO is a clean family entertainer and works due to its simplicity . Bollywood Hungama . 5 October 2023 . 5 October 2023 . 6 October 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231006144825/https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/amp/movie/dono/critic-review/dono-movie-review/dono-is-a-clean-family-entertainer-and-works-due-to-its-simplicity/ . live .
12. Web site: Ganesh Aaglave . Dono movie review: Rajveer Deol & Paloma Dhillon starrer is a breezy modern-day romantic entertainer . Firstpost . 5 October 2023 . 5 October 2023 . 9 October 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231009052658/https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/dono-movie-review-rajveer-deol-paloma-dhillon-starrer-is-a-breezy-modern-day-romantic-entertainer-13206362.html/amp . live .
13. Web site: Sonil Dedhia . Dono Movie Review: Rajveer Deol and Paloma Dhillon Make a Promising Debut in a Decent Rom-Com . News18 India . 5 October 2023 . 5 October 2023 . 5 October 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231005184719/https://www.news18.com/movies/dono-movie-review-rajveer-deol-paloma-sunny-deol-poonam-dhillon-8604789.html . live .
14. Web site: Deepa Gehlot . Dono Movie Review: Charming Rajveer-Paloma . Rediff.com . 6 October 2023 . 9 October 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231009192302/https://m.rediff.com/movies/review/dono-review/20231006.htm . live .