Dostana (2008 film)

Dostana (transl. Friendship) is a 2008 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Tarun Mansukhani, and produced by Hiroo Yash Johar and Karan Johar under the Dharma Productions banner. The film stars John Abraham, Priyanka Chopra and Abhishek Bachchan and follows two men in Miami who pretend to be gay in order to share an apartment with a woman—only to both fall in love with her. It marked the second collaboration between Bachchan and Abraham after Dhoom (2004).

The film was Mansukhani's directorial debut and was inspired by his personal experience of sharing an apartment with friends. Initially conceived as a story of friendship, the script was later adapted to include a homosexual premise—one of the first of its kind in mainstream Hindi cinema. Principal photography took place in Miami, Florida, with music composed by Vishal–Shekhar and costumes by Manish Malhotra and Aki Narula.

Released theatrically on 14 November 2008, Dostana received positive reviews, with praise for its performances, humor, styling, and music. A commercial success, it grossed over ₹871 million, ranking as the seventh highest-grossing Hindi film of the year. At the 54th Filmfare Awards, it received nine nominations including Best Film, Best Actor (Bachchan), Best Supporting Actress (Kirron Kher) and Best Music Director (Vishal–Shekhar).

The film became a pop culture phenomenon, influencing fashion trends and youth styling. Chopra's silver sari in "Desi Girl" and Abraham’s beachwear look were widely emulated. Dostana is considered one of the most stylish Hindi films of the 2000s, and was ranked No. 1 in Filmfare's 2013 list of trendsetting films.