User reviews

If you manage to get past the shockingly corny first 20 minutes, you'll see a pretty original film. SRK's acting is the high point, and he switches between the two roles effortlessly. The ending is stolen from an old Buddha story, but hey....

Duplicate is a sort of spin-off on the 1978 classic Don, starring Amitabh Bachchan, which would later be remade officially by Farhan Akhtar in two hit films. Duplicate, however, is not very good, although it is slightly enjoyable. Shah Rukh Khan plays two roles, Bablu and Manu, the good and the bad, and he really hams it up in both roles. That being said, he is quite fun and through the role of Bablu and his story we get to see some lovable qualities. He is an innocent cook, very endearing, and has a wonderful relationship with his mother (Farida Jalal). The same cannot be said about the forced villain of Manu, and Bablu remains the main element that makes it partly work, which is only enhanced with the entrance of the lovely and kind Sonia Kapoor (Juhi Chawla). Their interaction is quite heartwarming and entertaining. Juhi Chawla is really wonderful in this film, and she is able to balance Khan's immature Bablu, which could otherwise get on the nerves. Everything else in this film, sadly, is a mess, and it only becomes messier as the story goes on. At many points it is really hard to believe this film was directed by Mahesh Bhatt. It would be ineffective even for David Dhawan, and towards the end it becomes really mindless, and not very entertaining. Duplicate could be watched for those fond of Shah Rukh Khan, even those willing to forgive his wild, childish overacting which is more than evident in this film. His screen presence, however, remains undiminished, and so is his ability to make fun of himself and to shed all his inhibitions, and that's why fans could give it a half chance.

One time watchable....it includes one beautiful song .....story is good.....but that old comedies and fight scenes(not all of them) are boring. Keep in mind. Its an old movie. It can still entertain yoi. I love old SRK

Duplicate is a lame-brained comedy that cheerfully showcases the manic over-acting of Shah Rukh Khan and the ditsy charm of Juhi Chawla. Check your brain at the door and just enjoy.

Khan has a double role this time, in case one of him is not enough for you: as Manu the escaped psychotic criminal and Babloo the lovable (but not too bright) mama's boy whose dream is to become head chef at a five star hotel. Normally the hardest working actor in Bollywood, SRK really outdoes himself this time: he's so over the top in both roles that I was afraid he was going to hurt himself. Throw in the fact that at one point Manu pretends to be Babloo and Babloo pretends to be Manu, and the results are chaotic fun. Juhi Chawla is sweet and endearing as always, and makes the perfect foil for Khan's silliness, even adding a bit of her own. And if you've ever wondered what SRK looks like in drag, here's your chance to see (I'll give you a hint: it's not a pretty sight.)

Also involved is Sonali Bendre as Manu's showgirl mistress, who ends up falling unknowingly for Babloo. She's beautiful and classy. I like most of the musical numbers in Duplicate, except the gratingly stupid Waji Wa song performed by Shah Rukh/Babloo with a chorus of aproned chefs and waitresses. I've developed a pretty high goofy-tolerance level since becoming interested in Hindi films, but this dance exceeded my limit. However, Waji Wa is more than balanced out by the delightful Mere Mehboob Mere Sanam dance number performed by Sonali, Juhi and Shah Rukh.

If you're in the mood for some mindless entertainment and good music, give Duplicate a try.

I do know that Shah Rukh Khan is one of the biggest names in Indian films today. And, I've seen quite a few of his films and loved most of them. But I noticed that his older films from the 1990s tend to be not as good...mostly because the quality of Indian films have improved tremendously since this time. Unfortunately, "Duplicate" is one of his poorer 1990s films....mostly because the writing and acting are not especially good...and the original source film "The Whole Town is Talking" is much better by comparison. Subtle this film is NOT.

In this story, Khan plays dual roles. Bablu is a nice guy who is a professional chef. He's also a bit awkward and likeable....but clearly a dork. Manu is identical to Bablu (an odd cliche), but instead he's an evil, over-the-top super criminal. And, when Manu escapes from prison, he ends up pretending to be Bablu...and hilarity abounds...or should. But the writing and acting are pretty embarrassing and it's almost impossible to see the great Khan in this sort of fluff. In other words, it's a turn off your brain and enjoy it sort of film with little depth.

I know it's a bad movie, but when I was a kid, Indian movies were very famous in Azerbaijan and I found it funny and entertaining to watch in my childhood.

I have to say, Duplicate is probably the best film I've ever seen!

Duplicate is basically about two men, Babloo and Manu who happen to have the same face. Babloo dreams of becoming a chef at a five-star hotel, while Manu is a criminal who has escaped from jail and is out to get revenge on his three friends. Babloo is in love with Sonia (Juhi Chawla), the hotel's banquet manager and Manu romances with Lily (Sonali Bendre).

Some parts of the film were hilarious and left me laughing like crazy! It really amazed me how much of an idiot Babloo could be at times, like when he told Manu about an ID card given to him by the police to reduce the confusion between the two. I also found many of Duplicate's action scenes to be quite entertaining.

As for the music, each and every song was excellent and somewhat unique in its own way. I especially enjoyed "Mere Mehboob Mere Sanam." Not only is it an amazing song, but Shahrukh, Juhi and Sonali did an awesome job at performing it!

I thought the acting in the movie was fantastic! Shahrukh did an excellent job playing both roles of Babloo and Manu. Juhi's acting was amazing as usual, and even Sonali did a great job at playing Lily's vampish character.

I myself have watched Duplicate hundreds of times and would recommend it to anyone. This film is guaranteed to leave you satisfied!

Duplicate deserves a 10/10!

In the realm of cinema, inspiration often breeds innovation, but unfortunately, "Duplicate" seems to have missed the mark. A blatant rip-off of the 1935 classic, "The Whole Town's Talking," starring Edward G. Robinson, this Bollywood rendition falls short of capturing the essence and brilliance of its predecessor.

The original film, a comic masterpiece, showcased the unmatched talent of Robinson and delivered a timeless narrative. In contrast, "Duplicate" attempts to replicate the magic but ends up offering little more than cringeworthy Bollywood masala. The charm and wit that made the original a classic are lost in the translation, replaced by exaggerated theatrics and formulaic storytelling.

While the source material provided a perfect canvas for humor and satire, the Bollywood adaptation struggles to maintain the same level of comedic finesse. The attempts at humor often feel forced, relying on overused tropes and exaggerated scenarios that do little justice to the subtlety of the original.

Comparisons aside, the film fails to stand on its own merits. The cringeworthy moments, the overdose of masala elements, and the lack of a genuine comic touch make it a forgettable addition to the genre. It's disheartening to witness a classic storyline reduced to a formulaic Bollywood potboiler that fails to capture the spirit of the original.

In the end, "Duplicate" serves as a stark reminder that recreating cinematic magic requires more than copying a successful formula. While the concept may have held promise, the execution falls flat, leaving audiences with a sense of disappointment and a yearning for the authentic brilliance of the original "The Whole Town's Talking."

It is funny, it is a comedy, isn't it? It is highly enjoyable.

It has great songs and great dance (SRK in a silver T-shirt hitting Juhi against his chest - the best moment in Bollywood ever)

It has some wonderful (comedy-type, Bollywood-style - never forget this judging this one) acting

It features SRK and Juhi together - such a wonderful pair.

And it has one more fantastic quality: Shahrukh definitely looks his best - he's still young, yet not so teen-age-like anymore, you can see his wonderful dark skin (which was whitened more and more in the movies as he became such a huge star later on) and as he carries two totally different roles - he makes the full range of his cute and angry eyes.

10/10, no further questions

Babloo (Sharukh Khan) is basically a daydreamer and aspires to a chef on international repute. He is forever daydreaming of cooking at five star establishments. Manu Dada (Sharukh Khan) on the other hand is a ruthless criminal on the run. Babloo is in love with Sonia (Juhi Chawla) who is the Banquet manager of an up market hotel that Sharukh Khan works at. Manu Dada likes Lilly (Sonali Bendre). Babloo and Manu's tracks keep alternating till they converge at the interval part of the film. After which Manu takes advantage of the innocent Babloo and continues his violent escapades using Babloo's identity and Babloo uses Manu. This film was a good movie and very funny. I loved watching the fighting parts.

'Duplicate' is a failure. While Shahrukh is competent, the script is ridiculous. His role as a villain is plain nasty, while the good Shahrukh is too childish, almost behaving like a six year old. Again, Juhi Chawla is energetic, but is saddled with weak lines. The story is obvious and corny, the humor too overacted to be fun and the climax is not to be believed. One plus point: some good songs by Anu Malik, and a hot Sonali Bendre who struts her stuff very well. A disappointing film then, because it really should have been much much better. Keep hand on remote ready.

Overall 3/10

The show is not that bad, Bablu/Manu acting is okie... great tagline. The songs are great... but too many... it's like a musical...