In the 2009 comedy De Dana Dan , Akshay Kumar plays Nitin Bankar, a debt-ridden chauffeur in Singapore who is forced to serve his boss, Kuljeet Kaur (Archana Puran Singh), to pay off his late father’s debts. Nitin and his equally broke friend, Ram Mishra (Suniel Shetty), are both in love with wealthy women—Anjali (Katrina Kaif) and Manpreet (Sameera Reddy)—but their fathers demand money before they can marry.
Desperate for cash, Nitin hatches a plan to kidnap his boss's beloved dog, Moolchand ji, and demand a hefty ransom. However, the plan spirales into a chaotic "comedy of errors" when:
The Wrong Kidnapping: The dog escapes and returns home, but because Nitin is missing, his boss and the police mistakenly believe Nitin has been kidnapped.
The Hotel Chaos: The story shifts to the Pan Pacific Hotel, where a massive ensemble of characters converges, including a conman (Paresh Rawal), a hitman (Johnny Lever), and a prostitute (Neha Dhupia).
Mistaken Identities: Due to mixed-up room numbers and photos, characters are chased by the wrong people, and Nitin even ends up trapped inside a wardrobe for a large part of the film.
The Climax: The chaos peaks when a bomb accidentally causes the hotel's massive water tank to burst, leading to a literal flood where the entire cast is swept through the hotel.
Ultimately, through the mess, Nitin and Ram manage to get the money they need and end up with their girlfriends, while the rest of the characters are left in the wreckage of the flood. De Dana Dan (2009) - Plot - IMDb
De Dana Dan is a 2009 Bollywood screwball comedy film that reunited the iconic trio from Hera Pheri Akshay Kumar Suniel Shetty Paresh Rawal —under the direction of Priyadarshan Plot and Character Breakdown
The film follows the chaotic misadventures of two struggling friends, Nitin Bankar (Akshay Kumar) and Ram Mishra
(Suniel Shetty), who are desperate to get rich quickly to marry their wealthy girlfriends. Nitin's Role akshay kumar de dana dan
: Nitin works as a servant for a wealthy, eccentric woman named Kuljeet Kaur (Archana Puran Singh). In a desperate bid for ransom money, he attempts to kidnap his employer's beloved dog, Moolchand ji
, but the plan spirally quickly into a "comedy of errors" involving mistaken identities and accidental kidnappings. The Setting
: Most of the high-energy gags take place within the fictional Pan Pacific Hotel
, where multiple storylines involving various quirky characters—ranging from contract killers to wedding guests—unintentionally collide. Production and Box Office Highlights The Flood Climax
: One of the film's most famous sequences is the elaborate flood climax. While the movie is set in Singapore, this scene was actually shot over
in Mumbai, where a massive replica of the hotel was constructed. Financial Success : Produced on a budget of roughly ₹40 crore , the film was a commercial success, grossing approximately ₹84 crore worldwide and earning a " " verdict at the box office. Cast Chemistry
: The film is celebrated for the "sizzling chemistry" between Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif
, a pairing that was highly popular in the late 2000s after hits like Namastey London Key Cast and Crew : Priyadarshan Lead Actors
: Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Paresh Rawal, and Katrina Kaif Ensemble Cast In the 2009 comedy De Dana Dan ,
: Johnny Lever, Rajpal Yadav, Archana Puran Singh, Shakti Kapoor, and Chunky Pandey De Dana Dan
remains a fan favorite in the Bollywood comedy genre, often cited for its rapid-fire gags and the impeccable comic timing of its ensemble cast. Are you interested in exploring more Bollywood comedies featuring the Akshay-Suniel-Paresh trio, or would you like to see a list of Katrina Kaif's most successful films?
De Dana Dan (2009) is a slapstick Bollywood comedy film directed by Priyadarshan, famously reuniting the Hera Pheri Akshay Kumar Suniel Shetty Paresh Rawal Core Premise & Characters The story follows two struggling friends in Singapore: Nitin Bankar (Akshay Kumar):
A personal driver and servant to a wealthy, demanding woman (Archana Puran Singh). He is stuck in this job to pay off his father's debts. Ram Mishra (Suniel Shetty): A delivery man and Nitin’s best friend.
Both men are in love with wealthy women—Anjali (Katrina Kaif) and Manpreet (Sameera Reddy)—but are told they must get rich to marry them. The Plot: Chaos Unleashed The Scheme:
Desperate for cash, Nitin and Ram plan to kidnap Nitin’s boss's pampered dog, Moolchand Ji, to demand a ransom. The Complication:
The plan goes horribly wrong when the dog goes missing, leading to a massive chain of misunderstandings. The Setting:
Most of the chaos unfolds at the Pan Pacific Hotel, involving a massive ensemble cast including hitmen, gamblers, and an Indian Ambassador. The Climax:
The film famously ends with a massive flood scene in the hotel, which took 15 days to shoot in a Mumbai studio. Key Highlights De Dana Dan - Amazon.com "Paisa" (The Money Song): Featuring Akshay Kumar and
Unlike Hera Pheri where he played the greedy goofball Raju, here Akshay plays the relatively sane Nitin. He has the punchlines, but his frustration at Suniel Shetty’s stupidity (Ram) drives the humor. Watching his eye twitch as Ram explains why breaking a vase "saves money" is classic deadpan comedy.
The soundtrack was composed by Pritam. While the album wasn't a chartbuster like Bhool Bhulaiyaa, it had a cult hit:
The background score, especially the "bumbling bomb" leitmotif, is what elevates the comedy. Every time the bomb tickles, the frantic violin plays, and Akshay Kumar’s panicked face fills the screen, you know chaos is imminent.
Akshay, a former martial artist, doesn't just rely on dialogue. In De Dana Dan, there is a sequence involving a runaway wheelchair, a steep slope, and a wedding cake. Akshay performs the stunt himself, turning a potential tragedy into a three-minute slapstick masterpiece.
Before dissecting the plot, one must understand the weight of the names attached to this project.
This was a reunion of the Hera Pheri trio—Akshay, Suniel, and Paresh—but with a twist. While Hera Pheri relied on situational irony, De Dana Dan leaned heavily into farce and mistaken identity.
| Aspect | Detail | |--------|--------| | Character Name | Nitin | | Profession | Unemployed / aspiring businessman | | Love Interest | Anjali (played by Katrina Kaif) | | Best Friend | Ram (Suniel Shetty) | | Goal | Marry Anjali, but needs money to convince her rich father |
While De Dana Dan is an ensemble piece, Akshay Kumar holds the center. Here is why his performance is noteworthy: