Friday, December 27, 2013

Dhoom 3 Review - Back with a bang!



Relying on the success of the Dhoom brand and the superstar appeal of Aamir Khan, Yash Raj films banner have poured in tons of money over making this slick and stylish action thriller. The most awaited film of the year, does Dhoom 3 have enough style and substance to live up to the massive hype and expectations?

Aamir Khan AKA Sahir owns a circus in Chicago and apart from being a very talented magician, he is an equally cunning thief. The movie begins with a bank robbery leading to an amazing chase sequence between Sahir and the Chicago police. The motive behind the robbery is already well-established in the start. This leads to the introduction of AB Baby and his sidekick Uday Chopra into the picture.

Every frame shot in the movie is a visual delight. The chase sequences are wonderfully shot and the thief’s escape scenes in the movie are genuinely cool moments. Especially the Chicago waterfront scene, where Aamir uses his bike as a convertible motor-boat is terrific. You may not find them very realistic, but if you are in a mood to look past that, you are in for a treat! .. As the plot reveals itself, the melodrama and the revenge saga begin to kill the fun-ride. It was smart thinking on the director’s part to blend an intense revenge drama with a Fast and Furious type action thriller to cater to the Indian audience. But, the problem here is it is overdone and overplayed to the point where it begins to irritate you and disrupt the flow of the movie. The focus of the brand has always been cool thiefs, catchy chase sequences and basically .. fun! However, there are enough twists and turns to somehow keep you interested till the end.

The sound track complements the proceedings well. ‘Malang’ is wonderfully shot and picturized. The choreography and acrobatics displayed in the song are top-class. Katrina sizzles with her amazing dance moves in ‘Kamli’ and the foot-tapping track is quite catchy.

Speaking of performances, the movie completely rests on Aamir Khan’s shoulders. Aamir Khan doesn’t quite fit the mould of a super-cool villian which has always been the USP of this franchise.  He tries too hard and always wears the same expression on his face throughout the movie.  However, his strong on-screen presence shines through and he delivers a decent performance, although you got to expect a lot better from this talented actor. Katrina has absolutely no acting scope, but she shines with her amazing acrobatics and dance moves. Hats off to her for the amount of hard work she has put into her short role, and it shows! AB Baby does much better than the previous two episodes of Dhoom. He is much more bearable this time around. Uday Chopra is there just for the silly gags, and some of his lines will make you chuckle.

Cons:
-         Although the pace is steady, the movie is a bit lengthy. There are some 15-30 minutes in the movie where it feels dragged on and could have been cut shorter.
-         The romantic track between Aamir and Katrina doesn’t strike a chord and lacks chemistry.

Pros:
-         Slick and Stylish Action Thriller. Some really mark-out moments in the escape sequences. Good music. Brilliant cinematography/ camerawork.

Rating:  3/5

Final Word:  Dhoom 3 is a enjoyable thrill-ride even though its gets bogged down by unnecessary over-plotting and melodrama. It’s a must watch, at least once . It will set new records at the box office and mint a lot of money, almost certain to cross the 250 crore mark in the domestic circuit. With a tighter script, it would have made even more money.

Signing off with some of the best and inspiring lines I have heard in a Bollywood movie recently …. Bande hain hum uske, humpe kiska zor ;)