Desi Boyz
Encyclopedia
Desi Boyz
Desi Boyz is a Hindi
comedy drama
film directed by debutant Rohit Dhawan, son of director David Dhawan
. The film stars Akshay Kumar
, John Abraham
, Deepika Padukone
and Chitrangda Singh in lead roles whilst Sanjay Dutt
features in a cameo. The film released on 25 November 2011, and received generally positive reviews upon release.
) and Nick Mathur (John Abraham
), who live in London
and who are hit hard by recession. Jerry does odd jobs for a living as he is an undergraduate but Nick has a white-collar job. However, both find themselves jobless due to the economic downturn. Jerry has a little, school-going nephew Veer (Master Virej Desai) to look after as the child has lost both his parents. Nick is to marry his girlfriend, Radhika Awasthi (Deepika Padukone
), who dreams of a lovely wedding, a great honeymoon and a wonderful house to live in after marriage.
Out of job, Jerry finds it difficult to even pay the school fees of his nephew because of which the government is on the verge of giving the custody of his nephew to a foster family. Nick fears, he won’t be able to fulfil the dreams of his to-be wife. It is to tide over the difficult times that Jerry and Nick turn to the oldest profession in the world. They become male escorts, fulfilling the costume fantasies of girls and ladies. Ironically, Jerry can’t ultimately prevent his nephew from being sent to a foster home; and Nick loses Radhika when she learns of what he has been up to while she is away in India
. Frustrated, Nick blames Jerry for forcing him into the profession and asks him to move out of his house and life.
Nick now tries hard to win Radhika back and help comes from the most unlikely source – Radhika’s father Suresh (Anupam Kher
) who has come to London with her. Meanwhile, Jerry registers in college again to complete his graduation so that he can earn enough money to get his nephew back home. In college, Jerry meets Tanya sharma (Chitrangada Singh
) who used to be his over-sized classmate and is now a hot and a sexy professor in the same college. Sparks fly between Jerry and Tanya.
Jerry completes his graduation with the help of Tanya. For his graduation ceremony, Nick brings Jerry's mother from India and the old friends thus unite. Jerry helps Nick regain his girlfriend while Nick helps Jerry win a job thereby regaining custody of his nephew following a law suit which Jerry and Nick fight together.
as the lead actress, but she declined the film. There were also rumours of the film being offered to Anushka Sharma
, but she denied this. Eventually, Deepika Padukone
and Chitrangda Singh were finalised as the female leads. Padukone will be seen opposite John Abraham
for the first time and Singh will star opposite Akshay Kumar
in her first commercial venture.
After short on extras for a scene at Oxford University, the film used website StarNow.com to recruit extras for filming. The first theatrical trailer was released on 23 September 2011, alongside Mausam
, whilst the second trailer was released alongside Ra.One
on 26 October 2011.
and lyrics are penned by Irshad Kamil
, Kumaar & Amitabh Bhattacharya
.
gave the album 4 stars, saying "Music of Desi Boyz exceeds expectations" and described the album as "one of the better 'masala' albums of the year." Furthermore, he chose Subha Hone Na De, Allah Maaf Kare, Make Some Noise For The Desi Boyz and Jhak Maar Ke as favorite picks.
Glamsham gave the music a rating of 4 out of 5 saying, "Pritam builds up a good tempo in Make Some Noise For The Desi Boyz and carries the fun promisingly with Jhak Maar Ke and Tu Mera Hero with an all-together new breed and genre of music."
due to the male escorts in the movie, although the makers were expecting a U/A certificate. The movie released in the United States on 23 November 2011 due to the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend and released in India two days later on 25 November 2011.
Conversely, Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama
gave the film 2 stars, owing to the "tedious and least compelling second hour". However, he praised the chemistry of the lead actors, commenting that "the camaraderie between Akshay and John is piping hot" Aniruddha Guha also gave the film 2 stars, and called it "tolerable", despite recalling that "the film did make [him] laugh out loud about twice." Rajeev Masand
gave it 2 stars of 5, calling it a a generic, indifferent film. Raja Sen
of Rediff gave 1.5 stars calling it "a disaster."
and collected around on its first day. The film grossed over its first weekend.
Desi Boyz is a Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
comedy drama
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
film directed by debutant Rohit Dhawan, son of director David Dhawan
David Dhawan
David Dhawan is an Indian film director. He has studied at the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune.-Career:Dhawan started off as an editor and then took the plunge into directing...
. The film stars Akshay Kumar
Akshay Kumar
Akshay Kumar is an Indian film actor, producer and martial artist who has appeared in over a hundred Hindi films. When he began his acting career in the 1990s, he primarily starred in action films and was particularly known for his appearances in feature films commonly called the "Khiladi series",...
, John Abraham
John Abraham (actor)
John Abraham is an Indian film actor and former model. After modeling for numerous advertisements and companies, Abraham made his film debut with Jism , which earned him a Filmfare Best Debut Award nomination. This was followed by his first commercial success, Dhoom...
, Deepika Padukone
Deepika Padukone
Deepika Padukone is an Indian actress and a former model. She appears mostly in Hindi as well as Tamil and Kannada language films. Born to Badminton player Prakash Padukone, she chose to become an actress and not pursue a career in sports.Padukone made her acting debut in the 2006 Kannada film...
and Chitrangda Singh in lead roles whilst Sanjay Dutt
Sanjay Dutt
Sanjay Dutt is an Indian Hindi film actor and politician. Dutt, son of Hindi film actors Sunil and Nargis Dutt, made his acting debut in 1981.-Personal life:...
features in a cameo. The film released on 25 November 2011, and received generally positive reviews upon release.
Plot
Desi Boyz is the story of two friends, Jerry alias Jignesh Patel (Akshay KumarAkshay Kumar
Akshay Kumar is an Indian film actor, producer and martial artist who has appeared in over a hundred Hindi films. When he began his acting career in the 1990s, he primarily starred in action films and was particularly known for his appearances in feature films commonly called the "Khiladi series",...
) and Nick Mathur (John Abraham
John Abraham
John Abraham is the name of:* John Abraham , Bollywood actor* John Abraham , Malayali Indian filmmaker and scriptwriter* John Abraham , NFL defensive end playing for the Atlanta Falcons...
), who live in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and who are hit hard by recession. Jerry does odd jobs for a living as he is an undergraduate but Nick has a white-collar job. However, both find themselves jobless due to the economic downturn. Jerry has a little, school-going nephew Veer (Master Virej Desai) to look after as the child has lost both his parents. Nick is to marry his girlfriend, Radhika Awasthi (Deepika Padukone
Deepika Padukone
Deepika Padukone is an Indian actress and a former model. She appears mostly in Hindi as well as Tamil and Kannada language films. Born to Badminton player Prakash Padukone, she chose to become an actress and not pursue a career in sports.Padukone made her acting debut in the 2006 Kannada film...
), who dreams of a lovely wedding, a great honeymoon and a wonderful house to live in after marriage.
Out of job, Jerry finds it difficult to even pay the school fees of his nephew because of which the government is on the verge of giving the custody of his nephew to a foster family. Nick fears, he won’t be able to fulfil the dreams of his to-be wife. It is to tide over the difficult times that Jerry and Nick turn to the oldest profession in the world. They become male escorts, fulfilling the costume fantasies of girls and ladies. Ironically, Jerry can’t ultimately prevent his nephew from being sent to a foster home; and Nick loses Radhika when she learns of what he has been up to while she is away in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Frustrated, Nick blames Jerry for forcing him into the profession and asks him to move out of his house and life.
Nick now tries hard to win Radhika back and help comes from the most unlikely source – Radhika’s father Suresh (Anupam Kher
Anupam Kher
Anupam Kher is an Indian actor who has appeared in nearly 400 films and 100 plays. Though mainly appearing in Bollywood films, he has had roles in some films from other nations as well...
) who has come to London with her. Meanwhile, Jerry registers in college again to complete his graduation so that he can earn enough money to get his nephew back home. In college, Jerry meets Tanya sharma (Chitrangada Singh
Chitrangada Singh
Chitrangada Singh Randhawa is an Indian film actress. She is best known for starring in the Sudhir Mishra's 2003 film Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi. She is married to Indian golfer Jyoti Randhawa.-Early life:...
) who used to be his over-sized classmate and is now a hot and a sexy professor in the same college. Sparks fly between Jerry and Tanya.
Jerry completes his graduation with the help of Tanya. For his graduation ceremony, Nick brings Jerry's mother from India and the old friends thus unite. Jerry helps Nick regain his girlfriend while Nick helps Jerry win a job thereby regaining custody of his nephew following a law suit which Jerry and Nick fight together.
Cast
- Akshay KumarAkshay KumarAkshay Kumar is an Indian film actor, producer and martial artist who has appeared in over a hundred Hindi films. When he began his acting career in the 1990s, he primarily starred in action films and was particularly known for his appearances in feature films commonly called the "Khiladi series",...
as Jignesh Patel/Jerry (Rocco) - John AbrahamJohn AbrahamJohn Abraham is the name of:* John Abraham , Bollywood actor* John Abraham , Malayali Indian filmmaker and scriptwriter* John Abraham , NFL defensive end playing for the Atlanta Falcons...
as Nick Mathur (Hunter) - Deepika PadukoneDeepika PadukoneDeepika Padukone is an Indian actress and a former model. She appears mostly in Hindi as well as Tamil and Kannada language films. Born to Badminton player Prakash Padukone, she chose to become an actress and not pursue a career in sports.Padukone made her acting debut in the 2006 Kannada film...
as Radhika Awasthi - Chitrangda Singh as Tanya Mehra
- Omi VaidyaOmi VaidyaOmi Vaidya is an Indian American actor who is best known for his performance as Chatur Ramalingam or "The Silencer" in the 2009 Bollywood film, 3 Idiots. In addition, Vaidya has directed two short films and worked as an editor on others. He has also appeared in a number of television programs and...
as Ajay - Rajat BarmechaRajat BarmechaRajat Barmecha is an Indian film actor who is best known for his lead role in the multi award winning 2010 Bollywood film Udaan.-Childhood:...
as Sameer - Sartaj GarewalSartaj GarewalSartaj Garewal is a British actor who works in films, TV, theatre and radio drama.Films include The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Dirty War, The Infidel and Baseline...
as Menon - Ashwin MushranAshwin MushranAshwin Mushran is a voice over artist and thespian who currently resides in Mumbai, India. He has appeared in numerous movies and plays. He is also featured in the Quick Gun Murugan movie, as Dr...
as Defence Lawyer - Anupam KherAnupam KherAnupam Kher is an Indian actor who has appeared in nearly 400 films and 100 plays. Though mainly appearing in Bollywood films, he has had roles in some films from other nations as well...
as Suresh Awasthi - Shraman Jain as Rohan
- Mohnish BehlMohnish BehlMohnish Bahl Mohnish Bahl Mohnish Bahl (Hindi: मोह्निश बहल,(born 14 February 1963) is an Indian actor working in the Bollywood film industry. He is currently playing the role of Dr. Ashutosh in the show Kuch Toh Log Kahenge-Personal life:...
as Social Activist - Sanjay DuttSanjay DuttSanjay Dutt is an Indian Hindi film actor and politician. Dutt, son of Hindi film actors Sunil and Nargis Dutt, made his acting debut in 1981.-Personal life:...
in a Cameo - Bruna AbdullahBruna AbdullahBruna Abdullah was born in October 1980 in Porto Alegre, Brazil. She is an Indian model of Brazilian and Arabian origin. She is known for her role as Giselle in Punit Malhotra's I Hate Luv Storys, alongside Imran Khan and Sonam Kapoor. However, she was first noticed on Channel V's show, India's...
in a Special Appearance in song "Subha Hone Na De" - Master Virej Desai as Veer
Production
Desi Boyz started filming on 7 November 2010, and completed shooting in May 2011. The film was to feature Sonam KapoorSonam Kapoor
Sonam Kapoor is an Indian film actress who appears in Bollywood films. Kapoor made her acting debut in the unsuccessful film Saawariya opposite newcomer Ranbir Kapoor, which earned her a nomination for Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. She earned her first commercial success in I Hate Luv...
as the lead actress, but she declined the film. There were also rumours of the film being offered to Anushka Sharma
Anushka Sharma
Anushka Sharma is an Indian actress and former model who appears in Hindi films. In 2008, she was signed by Aditya Chopra for a three-film contract and made her screen debut in Chopra's Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. She later received acclaim for her role as Shruti Kakkar in Band Baaja Baaraat...
, but she denied this. Eventually, Deepika Padukone
Deepika Padukone
Deepika Padukone is an Indian actress and a former model. She appears mostly in Hindi as well as Tamil and Kannada language films. Born to Badminton player Prakash Padukone, she chose to become an actress and not pursue a career in sports.Padukone made her acting debut in the 2006 Kannada film...
and Chitrangda Singh were finalised as the female leads. Padukone will be seen opposite John Abraham
John Abraham (actor)
John Abraham is an Indian film actor and former model. After modeling for numerous advertisements and companies, Abraham made his film debut with Jism , which earned him a Filmfare Best Debut Award nomination. This was followed by his first commercial success, Dhoom...
for the first time and Singh will star opposite Akshay Kumar
Akshay Kumar
Akshay Kumar is an Indian film actor, producer and martial artist who has appeared in over a hundred Hindi films. When he began his acting career in the 1990s, he primarily starred in action films and was particularly known for his appearances in feature films commonly called the "Khiladi series",...
in her first commercial venture.
After short on extras for a scene at Oxford University, the film used website StarNow.com to recruit extras for filming. The first theatrical trailer was released on 23 September 2011, alongside Mausam
Mausam (2011 film)
Mausam is a Bollywood romance film directed and written by first time director Pankaj Kapoor under the Vistaar Religare Film Fund banner. The film stars Shahid Kapoor opposite Sonam Kapoor in the lead roles....
, whilst the second trailer was released alongside Ra.One
Ra.One
Ra.One is a 2011 Indian science fiction superhero film written and directed by Anubhav Sinha. The film features Shahrukh Khan in dual roles, and also stars Kareena Kapoor, Armaan Verma and Arjun Rampal in the lead...
on 26 October 2011.
Soundtrack
The film's music is composed by PritamPritam
Pritam Chakraborty , better known as Pritam is a music director and composer from Kolkata who currently works in Bollywood, Mumbai.- Early life :...
and lyrics are penned by Irshad Kamil
Irshad Kamil
Irshad Kamil is an Indian Hindi/Urdu poet and lyricist. He has written songs for many Bollywood hits like Jab We Met, Chameli, Love Aaj Kal and Rockstar .-Early life:...
, Kumaar & Amitabh Bhattacharya
Amitabh Bhattacharya
Amitabh Bhattacharya is an Indian lyricist and playback singer who works in Bollywood films. He shot to fame with the film Dev.D. The song "Emosanal Attyachar" from the movie was an instant hit. He has been continuously writing lyrics for a variety of Bollywood movies since then and has also sung a...
.
Audio Listing
Reception
The music album of Desi Boyz received positive reviews. Joginder Tuteja of Bollywood HungamaBollywood Hungama
Bollywood Hungama is a leading Bollywood entertainment website, owned by hungama.com....
gave the album 4 stars, saying "Music of Desi Boyz exceeds expectations" and described the album as "one of the better 'masala' albums of the year." Furthermore, he chose Subha Hone Na De, Allah Maaf Kare, Make Some Noise For The Desi Boyz and Jhak Maar Ke as favorite picks.
Glamsham gave the music a rating of 4 out of 5 saying, "Pritam builds up a good tempo in Make Some Noise For The Desi Boyz and carries the fun promisingly with Jhak Maar Ke and Tu Mera Hero with an all-together new breed and genre of music."
Release
Desi Boyz got an 'A' certificate from Central Board of Film CertificationCentral Board of Film Certification
The Central Board of Film Certification is a Government of India regulatory body and censorship board of India controlled by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. It reviews, rates and censors motion pictures, television shows, television ads, and promotional material...
due to the male escorts in the movie, although the makers were expecting a U/A certificate. The movie released in the United States on 23 November 2011 due to the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend and released in India two days later on 25 November 2011.
Critical reception
Desi Boyz received positive reviews from critics. Nikhat Kazmi of Times of India gave the film 3.5 stars, praising the chemistry between the lead actors. Likewise, Komal Nahta gave the film 3.5 stars, describing it as "an enjoyable entertainer" and praising the performances, comedy and music of the film. Sonia Chopra of Sify gave the film 3 stars, calling the film "a fun ride." Subhash K. Jha gave the film 3.5 out of 5 Stars adding: "Put your hands together for "Desi Boyz". Smart, sassy, sexy and sparkling with dark audacious humour, the film brings us a striking director in Rohit Dhawan" . The Zeenews Bureau gave an extremely positive review of 4 stars, praising the music, chemistry between Kumar and Singh and comic timing of the lead actors. Priya Joshi gave 3 stars.Conversely, Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama
Bollywood Hungama
Bollywood Hungama is a leading Bollywood entertainment website, owned by hungama.com....
gave the film 2 stars, owing to the "tedious and least compelling second hour". However, he praised the chemistry of the lead actors, commenting that "the camaraderie between Akshay and John is piping hot" Aniruddha Guha also gave the film 2 stars, and called it "tolerable", despite recalling that "the film did make [him] laugh out loud about twice." Rajeev Masand
Rajeev Masand
Rajeev Masand is an Indian film critic and entertainment reporter for CNN-IBN. Masand started his career as an entertainment correspondent at the young age of 16...
gave it 2 stars of 5, calling it a a generic, indifferent film. Raja Sen
Raja Sen
Raja Sen is an Indian film and television director, and the winner of three National Film Awards from Kolkata, West Bengal, India.-Career:...
of Rediff gave 1.5 stars calling it "a disaster."
Box office
Desi Boyz opened to 50-65% occupancy in IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and collected around on its first day. The film grossed over its first weekend.