Creative Quotient
Filmmaker Vipul Amrutlal Shah goes deep into the farmland of Punjab in Bhatinda to base his film. Two school friends Arjun and Mannu are best buddies - while Arjun aspires to be Mai Ka Lal Jai Kishen (that’s Michael Jackson for the Punjabi munda) and his father is dead against his musical ambitions, Mannu couldn’t care less about music and he won’t heed to his father’s entreaties to practise music. The untimely death of his father forces Arjun to move to London with his uncle played by Om Puri. When his uncle also vehemently opposes his music, the teenager rebels and flees. He grows up on the streets of London and pursues his dream most ardently. Arjun (Ajay Devgn) is now a musician with a burning desire to make it big. His sole goal in life is to perform to a packed capacity at Wembley Stadium, the same venue where years earlier his grandfather had been disgraced as he suffered a strange stage -fright attack that disabled him from performing, and consequently he had committed suicide out of the sheer ignominy. Arjun’s self-inspired solo show at Trafalgar Square earns him not only instant public approval but also Pakistani band-mates Zoheb(Rannvijay Singh) and Wasim (Aditya Roy Kapoor). They also find their lead dancer in Priya(Asin), a dancer born in a conservative Tamil family and forced to be traditional. The foursome break free with music and hit big- time with their band, London Dreams.

Back in Punjab, Mannu (Salman) is now a dashing young man who plays in the local marriage processions. Steeped in debt, his buddy Arjun comes to his timely rescue and brings him to London. A reluctant singer with natural talent, Mannu wins over the audience with his easy charm much to the chagrin of Arjun. What follows is a raging drama of jealousy, betrayal and destructive effects of blinding ambition.

Essentially Suresh Nair’s story deals with an interesting aberration of human nature - jealousy, but his screenplay fails to establish the basic strengths and weaknesses of his protagonists with conviction. Arjun’s struggle and rise and Mannu’s drug addiction and downfall have been dealt with most abruptly. Asin’s character has no scope except for hovering in the backdrop. If only the writer had woven it in more carefully, the film could have been a great celebration of friendship. But that was not to be! Credit is due to dialogue writer Ritesh Shah for smart lines that he has written for Mannu’s character. Creatively, the film scores but logically it doesn’t play out.

Technical Expertise
Director Vipul Shah builds up dramatic scenes with great expertise - Arjun’s burning desire to reach out to the stars and Mannu’s total acceptance of his friends dream standing atop a haystack are noteworthy, as is Arjun’s jealous rant in front of packed Wembley Stadium. But Arjun’s self-flogging with a belt was an unnecessary melodramatic inclusion that tends to make him look a tad mentally-deranged. But he’s unable to map out the passion of Arjun’s musical journey. Ajay Devgn’s intense performance pulls through the half-baked character of pop idol Arjun. Salman is the life and soul of the film right from the word go. His effervescent desi mannerisms, easy flirting and open-mindedness are thoroughly endearing. Salman is an absolute treat to watch as he plays out the eminently-likeable drunken, aimless bumpkin with a heart of gold and hordes of talent. His reference to Asin as Chennai Express is very cute. Sadly, Asin is relegated to the backdrop jumping wildly with the group dancers in the film. MTV Roadies VJs Ranvijay and Aditya make effortless essays. Om Puri doesn’t have much to do except look sombre.

Technically, Sejal Shah’s cinematography brings live the glittering spirit of Paris and London and Amitabh Shukla’s edit is sharp right through excepting the finale which is too long-drawn. The biggest drawback of this supposedly musical film is Shakar-Ehsaan-Loy’s lack-lustre score. Barring the Man ko ati bhave number, the rest are just cacophonic. London Dreams is rescued by Ajay’s and Salman’s stellar performances.