The joy of entering a hall to watch a big film after waiting for weeks, months or even years cannot be denied. You have to admit that these are the few movies you really want to watch; these are the movies you perceive to be worth your moolah and you expect nothing less than some solid entertainment. Backed by big production houses with a superstar to its biggest credit in most occasions, these movies bring in the major chunk of business for the Film Industry. The very well-reputed Yash Raj Films’ began one such franchise in 2004 – ‘Dhoom’ which went on to create ‘Dhoom’ for them at the Box-office at a time when they needed a big hit to prove their sustainability. The sequel in 2006 was even bigger with a much bigger star. Result – a bigger ‘Dhoom’. They are back and with Aamir Khan playing the bad guy this time, one can only expect all records to be shattered. Will it or not is yet to be seen but does ‘Dhoom-3’ work? Even if it doesn’t, does it matter? No! It will be a blockbuster and you probably knew it even when the movie was announced.
I must admit here – I’m not an Aamir Khan fan (we are entitled to personal opinions and I disagree he is a perfect actor; pretentious is what I call him) and I did give it a second thought to review ‘Dhoom-3’. Not that I was hesitant because I might be a little skeptical about giving an unbiased review but I was more apprehensive about watching Vijay Krishna Acharya attempt direction after that so-called movie (duh!) – ‘Tashan’. Yes. Acharya who had penned the scripts for the first two installments (okay, let’s be fair… he must have scribbled something) replaces Sanjay Gadhvi this time. Having said that, I was looking forward to ‘Dhoom-3’ and expecting some mindless but good entertainment and some great action – something that this franchise promises.
To give its due, this ‘Dhoom’ has a plot and this time you know why the thief (well) is doing what he is doing. The movie begins in Chicago on a cold snowy evening in 1990 (sadly, it seems like 1800’s) where we are introduced to an old magician (Jackie Shroff) running ‘The Great Indian Circus’ at huge losses… and his little son. The magician’s last try at pleading with the bank to give him one last chance to repay his loan fails and bang! He shoots himself! I wondered why he didn’t lease out the place and used his head. Okay… it is a big film and loopholes in the plot can be excused. So, the son grows up to be Sahir (Aamir Khan) who successfully runs the same circus and also loots branches of the bank – that damned bank that took his father’s life away. He leaves a clown mask and scribbles something like ‘bank ki 
aisi ki taisi’ in Hindi after looting each branch. So, the cops decide to outsource Indian Cops Jai Dixit (Abhishek Bacchan) and Ali (Uday Chopra) for the mission. Jai is the same stern cop with hardly more than three odd expressions and Ali, the same irritating dumb buffoon fantasizing getting hitched with every girl and then thanking his ‘mummy’. We also have Aliya (Katrina Kaif) who storms into Sahir’s circus and auditions for a chance and while she does that by dancing to ‘Kamli’ you wonder if she was auditioning for a stripper. Revealing the twist in the plot will deprive you of one of the better parts of the movie but the second hint here is (in case you haven’t yet got the first one) – it is evidently inspired from one of Christopher Nolan’s gem, ‘The Prestige’. What follows is some ‘Dhoom’; a cat-and-mouse chase between the dumb cops and the clown thief (well).
Direction by Acharya isn’t bad at all but it isn’t good either. What he adds in this sequel is a plot but sadly, he infuses so much melodrama that doesn’t belong here. Then there is the romantic track between the leads and it falls quite flat not because they don’t have a sizzling on-screen chemistry (they don’t) but because it drags in the second half. There isn’t any action post-interval barring the last twenty minutes. A few scenes (mostly in the first half) stand out. Take for example, Aamir’s entry – running down a building (there wasn’t any reason though) which is really well-shot; it will bring the house down and should be a treat for his fans. The chase scene just after that is equally nice and so is another one which comes later with Abhishek and Uday giving him a tough fight. The slow motions are slowed down even more but don’t add to a better impact. Quite right but sad, Acharya doesn’t at all focus on Abhishek and Uday’s characters; perhaps they are in the movie just because they have to. The twist in the plot just before the interval does add weight to the proceedings but it becomes a drama after that; something we don’t expect from an action flick which promises some excitement. The climax though well-shot didn’t have me convinced. Music by Pritam is ordinary. I didn’t enjoy watching or listening to either ‘Malang’ or ‘Kamli’ or even ‘Dhoom Tap’. ‘Dhoom Machale’ is the only pick but the last two ‘Dhoom Machale-s’ were far better.
It will be wrong to compare Aamir Khan with the last two villains of ‘Dhoom’ played by John Abraham and Hrithik Roshan but comparisons are inevitable. Aamir does a much better job than them if you talk about the performance but he doesn’t make a charming villain. He frowns, he scowls, he stammers, he expresses… but quite in vain as you see a good performance but perhaps, a little miscast. He seems to be frowning even during the tap dance. The drama in the second half gives him scope for a good performance and he makes good use of it. A lot of effort must have also gone into building his physique (he does something only when the character demands it… he says) and he also looks comfortable doing action. Abhishek Bacchan sleepwalks through yet another role and he has done it often barring very few movies though he stands up confidently against Aamir when in the same frame. Uday Chopra hams it up again but is quite funny this time for a change. Katrina Kaif has a meaningless role in a big film. She does what she mostly does – looks pretty, shows some flesh and even a parrot can emote better than her. Jackie Shroff in a cameo is a pleasant surprise and it is good to see him act after a hiatus. The child who plays little Aamir is very confident.
Watch it or not: Aamir Khan Loyalists should not complain. Fans of the ‘Dhoom’ series will find it long (nearly three hours), dramatic and stretched; might complain there isn’t too much of action.
At the Box-Office: Most awaited film of the year and the biggest release so far… 4470 screens in India and 820 screens overseas. I’m expecting the business to be phenomenal. There are big chances of it shattering both the records of ‘Chennai Express’ and ‘Krrish-3’. Records are meant to be broken and records will be broken again later. Reviews will range from poor to good but reviews never really affect a big film’s BO Performance. Among the biggest money-churners so far for the moment… if not the biggest! The ‘Dhoom’ franchise is a huge success and I’m looking forward to watch all the biggest superstars play the bad guy once here.
My Verdict
My Rating
This year wasn’t supposed to end with a bang but a ‘dhoom’! Yes… for the makers! They will laugh all the way to the bank. Dhoom Machale!
