London Dreams- Review

London Dreams is a complete departure from Vipul Shah's earlier outings Aankhen, Waqt, Namastey London. 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. 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. 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.

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 the music was one of the strengths of the film. 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.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.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.

This film was originally planned over a decade back to be made by Rajkumar Santoshi with SRK and Aamir. Well, it may not star them now but makes for an excellent musical journey worth an experience in the big cinema hall.

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.