The Dhoomsday Conspiracy
Film: Dhoom 3
Cast: Aamir Khan,
Abhishek Bachchan, Katrina Kaif, Uday Chopra
Directed by: Vijay
Krishna Acharya
Duration: 2 hr 52 mins
Rating: * *
Going
by the hype and frenzy of Dhoom 3, you would assume that the previous two films
were cult classics but nothing could be farther from the truth. It is just that
the franchise has got a name for itself and more over, this film stars Aamir
Khan and in the last few years, everything that he has touched has turned to
gold.
Dhoom
3 has already offered the film makers gold at the box office but beyond that
there is not a great deal to gloat about. Clocking almost three hours, the plot
is more labored than the labor room of the government medical hospital on a
particularly busy day. Yes, it is a very slick film with lots of action but
most of it is ineffective, pretty much like the Zimbabwean currency. Moreover,
the screenplay doesn't make an effort to be convincing and there is a lot of ‘inspiration'
that is drawn here. If imitation is the best form of flattery, Christopher
Nolan will be mighty pleased to see Dhoom 3.
Rewind to circa 1990 in Chicago where an Indian
magician (Jackie Shroff) is having a tough time repaying the bank loan to keep
his Great Indian Circus going. Looks like they don't want EMI's, they want the
whole sum back which leads to him taking drastic measures.
His
magician son Saahir (Aamir Khan) grows seeking vendetta against this particular
bank. He vows not to rest in peace till he brings the bank and the owner whose
name is Warren Anderson, to their knees.You
may have heard of the rupee being floated by our V for vendetta guy believes in
robbing the bank and lets those green backs fall from the sky. Now if you rob a
bank will you try to make a quiet getaway or try your best to draw as much
attention as you can so that you can race the cops on the bike? In this film, the answer is the latter. Especially considering that the bike he has a
Transformer type BMW that can change its shape and also become a speed boat. I
hope we get such bikes in India, might come in handy considering the traffic.
Speaking of India, we meet Inspector Jai
(Abhishek Bachchan) who makes a grand entry in what is the most strongly built
auto rickshaw ever, beating up baddies along with his side kick Ali (Uday
Chopra). I can't remember the last time when we saw the same vehicle pass
through so many walls.
Considering the ineptitude of the Chicago police
in tracking the culprit, the Indian police are summoned to crack the case.
"Do we know who's responsible for the robbery?" asks the bank owner.
"At this point, all we know is that he was a thief." says the
policeman. Such an enlightening conversation.
Katrina Kaif is also seen a minuscule role, she
auditions to be a part of the circus by showing her dancing skills and by
impressing Saahir with the several layers of clothing she wears. She becomes a part of the circus all right
and they also get a standing ovation in America for singing Hindi songs in front
of the audience.
The film makers have spent considerable amount
of effort and money in making the film look good, except in the writing
department. Aamir Khan's character drawing attention after a theft once can be
pardoned once but to see the same thing every time, you would need a bottle of
Hajmola to digest that.
A bit of tongue in cheek action is fine but
mixing that up with a serious plot doesn't yield good results - for instance
Samar's intention of shutting the bank are serious and so is the cops
objective. As a result, most of the humor generated is unintentional except
where Ali is involved to provide comic relief.
The cinematography by Sudeep Chatterjee is from
the top draw, the editing though could have been sharper, minus all the
flashbacks. This may not be Aamir Khans most memorable performance but still he
manages to carry the film through by adding that zing to his character.
If it was shorter, Dhoom 3 would have made it to
the so-bad-that-it-is-good category but at three hours no bad film can be
deemed as good.
Published in The Navhind Times
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