Aamir aur sirf Aamir ne machaayi dhoom. Review on Dhoom 3

DHOOM 3 - MOVIE REVIEW

STATUTORY WARNING: This reviewer will not delve too much into the story of the movie, reckons a one line description will do just fine. For filmophiles who have suffered for years at the hands of sadistic reviewers including yours truly, all SPOILERS are at the end i.e. are only for those already done watching.

STORY: Essentially the same story where the Jai Ali duo are cops who are trying to catch a chor. And their new adversary is Aamir. The only change is that Aamir's character has a back story.

INTRO: Making a sequel mostly is a futile exercise in self indulgence. Even in Hollywood, eight out of ten sequels turn out to be damp squibs. For a writer, the problem is two fold. To retain the essence of the first part which made it such a hit in the first place and on top of it, to add more layers to the sequel so that it has it's own recall value. No wonder that most sequels which are planned after the success of the first part, as an afterthought seldom work. Personally speaking, MR INDIA was one film that should have had a sequel long ago. And yes, one hopes that GANGS OF WASSEYPUR has a third installment soon.

When it comes to making sequels and creating franchisees in Hindi cinema, the Bhatts( RAAZ, JISM, JANNAT, AASHIQUI) have been more successful than any other production house. Where they have failed is in creating a distinct identity for each franchisee. In fact, in all of the movies which have had a sequel in Hindi cinema so far, there have been only two instances where the sequel was as good or better than the original. One was obviouslyLAGE RAHO MUNNABHAI. The other was DHOOM 2.

CAST AND CREDIT: Key to the success of any action thriller are the technicians behind the background score, editing,  camerawork and of course, the action director. And in Dhoom 3, the Fab Four of Julius Packiam(background score) Ritesh Soni(editing) Sudeep Chatterjee(cinematography) and Olliver Keller(the action man from 24, the English series) get their act spot on. And as a result, every heist scene in the film is enthralling. A big letdown is Pritam's music which is the weakest link of this film. The picturisation of the songs does somewhat make up for this especially the MALANG song which is fantastically designed and shot.

Though Abhishek Bachchan has gone on record to say that he is the hero of the film, truth is that in the DHOOM series, it is the antagonist who adds the X-factor to proceedings. VK Acharya who has written all the three DHOOM films recognizes this. Which is why at the scripting level, some effort has gone into the back story of Aamir's character. This proves to be a masterstroke as audiences emotionally connect with his character and root for him throughout. Goes without saying then that one of the big plusses of DHOOM 3 is it's tight screenplay. The production values from any Yash Raj production are expected to be high but in the case of DHOOM 3, one has to say this. You can enjoy this spectacle ONLY on the big screen.

Acharya who last directed the dismal TASHAN was supposedly goaded by Aamir into directing this venture and he justifies the faith put in him by Aamir. Be it the scale on which it is mounted(huge) the narration style(crisp) or the engaging drama, he gets it all correct. This effort will surely erase all memories of TASHAN and put him in the league of the brightest talents in the industry. Though one does hope Acharya comes up with a original script next time around. About the cast, be it Jackie Shroff(passes muster) the Abhi-Uday duo(suprisingly good) or Katrina Kaif(hardly there) they are all there to provide support to the character of Aamir and nothing more.

The hero of this fantastic commercial venture is without a shred of doubt, Aamir Khan. The actor whose body of work in the last decade has been enviable again delivers. He makes what could have been a wishy washy affair into a superbly enjoyable ride and lends much needed gravitas to the DHOOM franchisee. This writer predicts that this film will turn out to be his biggest hit, beating THREE IDIOTS and beyond that, the sky is the limit for what this movie might achieve.

In terms of aesthetics, DHOOM 3 is not a going to be a cult movie like RANG DE BASANTI orLAGAAN. But when compared to this year's other blockbusters( CHENNAI EXPRESS, KRRISH 3, RAM-LEELA) this one is way better. Easily.

RATING: 3/5 ONE EXTRA* FOR AAMIR.

P.S. After remaking Nolan's classic MEMENTO into GHAJINI(it was not half as good), Aamir here is inspired by his PRESTIGE. If you have seen PRESTIGE, this one might leave you cold.

SPOILERS.

Best Scene: Has to be the scene in which Aamir fools Abhishek in the amusement park. Nice little twist, one must say.

Best song: The Kamli song for Katrina's jawdropping hot looks, svelte figure and come hither moves.

Best dialogue: The entire film stands on this dialogue' bande hain hum uske, humpe kiska zor' sounds corny at hearing but Aamir's conviction when saying this makes it memorable.