As far as the story of Dhan Dhana Dhan…Goal is concerned, there is nothing much to write home about. The film comes across as being inspired by too many other sports movies. Often while watching it, you get a feeling of déjà vu, with scenes from Chak De and Iqbal, coming into your mind. The only thing that reminds you of the fact that Goal revolves around professional football is the adroit juggling of John Abraham. Apart from that, there is nothing in the movie that urges you to sit up and take notice.
The concept of anti-Asian discrimination in UK professional sports seems to be too outdated in today’s world. Most of the Indian football players in the movie are shown to be born and brought up in Britain. But, sadly, there is not the slightest trace of accent in the way they speak. Rather, it resembles the Mumbaiya Hindi to quite an extent. Even from the technical aspect, Goal is almost a dud, with the dubbing often going haywire. However, one must give the cameraman credit for some excellent shots of the football matches.The film Goal revolves around Arshad Warsi, the captain of Southall United Football Club, which is undergoing great crisis and badly needs to win the tournament this year. His dream is to build up a competent team of Asian men, who can beat the British at their game one day. However, his team members are just not the match-winning material. He hires Boman Irani, a disgraced ex-soccer star, as coach. But, what he really needs is an excellent player who can help them turn their hard luck. Who better than John Abraham, an Indian?
The only problem is that he thinks himself to be more British than Indian and plays for the rival team. On top of that, we have his constant arguments with his Dad, which are simply irritating. Bipasha Basu is the physiotherapist of the team, who is incidentally Arshad Warsi’s sister too. The end of the movie is very much predictable. John ultimately realizes that he is an Indian first and joins the team. Southall United finally wins the tournament, though the typical drama and nail-biting scenes that accompany the end-match in a usual sports film is missing.From performances point of view also, Goal does not offer much. Bipasha Basu, in the role of the physiotherapist, does not get much chance to exhibit her acting skills. Boman Irani, an otherwise excellent actor, is definitely not meant for playing such ill-fitting roles. John Abraham, with his bulging biceps and charming dimples, definitely catches your attention, but just for a few minutes. As for Arshad Warsi, he tries hard to put life into his role, which sadly does not offer him much to do. All in all, Goal is a film you will be relieved to see ending.
Goal Movie Pre Release Review
The film Dhan Dhana Dhan…Goal directed by Vivek Agnihotri and produced by Ronnie Screwvala is a contemporary story of the Asian community in the United Kingdom narrated via the dynamic prism of professional football. Written by Vikramaditya Motwane, Goal’s star cast comprises John Abraham, Bipasha Basu, Arshad Warsi and Boman Irani. John Abraham plays the lead character in the movie.
In the film Goal, there this football club in UK by the name of Southall United, which is undergoing a real crisis. The crux of the problem is that its football team has no stars, no sponsors, no spectators and above all, no coach. Despite all this, it rears a hope of winning the cup this time. Anne, the manager of the city council together with sports commentator, Johnny Patel, try to grab a large tract of land owned by Southall United.
In order to succeed in their motive, both Anne and Patel underscore the jaded performance of the team members associated with Southall United. They also warn to grab the land owned by this football club, unless the scenario changes for the better. Now everything lies upon the performance of the Southall United team, which on the contrary, is showing all signs of losing the game, once again. Despite all problems, Sir Devi Dayal Dhariwal, owner of the club, is still hopeful about saving the land from Anne and Johnny Patel. Hanif, who is the captain of Southall United, is a real fighter. He hopes to win by playing the last card the club has and thus, brings in a renowned ex-player to coach the team. Apart from Hanif, there’s the character of Sunny Bhasin played by John Abraham, who hopes to become a member of a top team and play first division football.
But does the impossible happen? Does the team manage to win the cup? To find out, watch the film Dhan Dhana Dhan…Goal that will be released on 23 November, 2007. This film is being produced under the UTV Motion Pictures banner. The film has been shot in London, United Kingdom. A short preview of Dhan Dhana Dhan... Goal was unveiled at the Cannes Film Festival.
