Dhoom 2 hit cinema screens on the back of a high voltage publicity campaign. Everyone was left with tantalizing glimpses of Bipasha in a bikini, Aishwarya in assorted short and tight accoutrements and Hrithik Roshan looking fabulous. The trailers were slick and the promos were, pardon the cliché, very international. The first Dhoom in 2004 was a surprise hit that took everyone by surprise and permanently glued the ‘biker’ persona to John Abraham. Mr. Abraham, having driven off a cliff two years ago, was replaced by the exciting Hrithik Roshan, fresh from the success of Krrish, for the sequel. The sequel also had spanking new leading ladies in Ash and Bips. (This was a pity really. I had really taken a liking to the lissome Rimi Sen.)The services of the ‘good guys’, Abhishek Bachchan and Uday Chopra were retained for the sequel. Small B has had mixed fortunes recently and Uday Chopra was last seen in the unmentionable, desperate Neal n Nikki.
If you are one of those people who waited in lines or clicked frantically on websites to get a D:2 ticket but went back disappointed I envy you.
Dhoom 2 is a terrible movie. Even by the standards of the first part. And that was no piece of cinematic genius either.
The movie starts with a daring heist by the unstoppable Mr. A. Roshan parachutes onto a moving train in the middle of the desert and uses a clever disguise to steal jewels of immense value. At the end of the movie I left feeling the entire movie was written around this one scene. And the scene itself is almost well done. The fight on top of the train is poorly shot and Mr. A’s antics prove not only that he is a mean hand with a portable surfboard but also does not function according to widely accepted theories of gravity in particular and physics in general.
Now I understand that this is Bollywood and we are still learning the basics of high-voltage action filmmaking. But please please spare us the insipid inspirations. If you can’t really copy the phirangs then think up something interesting yourself. But don’t try a copy and then let it fizzle out.
The heist is followed by the well-choreographed title song and then we are given a quick recap on the state of the protagonists we last saw in the first edition. Ali, played by Chopra, is now a bonafide man of the uniform who still gives Small B nightmares. Rimi is with child and has a blink and miss role.
Bipasha’s entrance is of moderate male interest and soon we are told that she has been asked to work with Small B to solve the curious case of Mr. A.
How Bachchan cracks Mr. A’s modus operandi is a wonder to behold. Primarily because he makes it sound like a particularly bad CAT question. At this point several people in the audience begin to shoot glances at each other in discomfort. Things are not looking so good for Dhoom 2.
What follows is a cat and mouse game as Bachchan and Ali follow Roshan around the globe. Along the way Mr. A picks up a femme fatale counterpart in Sunehri, Aishwarya Rai in a role that she hams up completely.
Ms. Rai has clearly traded in all the little acting ability she had for a permanent tan, flat abs and annoying speech delivery. She is hideous and out of place in an important role. Does she look good? Yeah sure. But her dialogue delivery is laboured and she ends up being completely overshadowed by Roshan’s Mr. A.
The movie meanders from place to place with not even the music giving a respite. The songs are unimaginative and downright boring. The director seems to have thought up the movie and the story in shots or distinct sequences. And that’s exactly how the movie feels. Things happen. People sing songs. Roshan flexes his muscles. Bachchan frown. Uday Chopra bumbles and everyone else pouts. And yes the director also manages to actually to make the carnival in Rio de Janeiro look boring. It has to be gift.
But to be honest the few good scenes in the movie are all those with, I shudder to think I am saying this, Uday Chopra. His dream sequences are genuinely hilarious and some of his dialogues with Bachchan are smirkable at.
Can you believe that? Chopra being the highlight?
Ugh.
Finally good triumphs over evil of course. But only after an array of unspectacular heists, terribly forced melodrama and a daring double cross. Or was it a boring quadruple cross? I really don’t remember. Abhishek Bachchan summed it up nicely in the end, if inadvertently, when he says “Kya Bakwaas Hai”.
The movie leaves you unimpressed, untouched and under-awed. Dhoom 2 is a dud. Sit at home rent a Dhoom:1 VCD and chill. The second part should be on cable soon.
Also by Hafta
- A walk in the clouds - February 26th, 2007
- Off the beaten path in Toledo - February 26th, 2007
- Lazy French Holiday - January 22nd, 2007
- Mumbai Votes - January 15th, 2007
- Full House Mumbai - December 4th, 2006