DHOOM (2004)
Producer: Yash Raj Films
Director: Sanjay Gadhavi
Cast: Uday Chopra, John Abraham, Abhishek Bachchan, Esha Deol and Rimi Sen
Music: Pritam
Lyrics: Sameer and Asif Ali Baig (Guest Lyricist)
Audio: T-Series
RS RATING: 6/10
Background:
After receiving some success with his last movie Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai, the Bollywood filmmaker Sanjay Gadhvi returns to Yash Raj Films with his second offering, the action packed Dhoom! The fresh cast includes many people desperate for hits, including Abhishek Bachchan, Uday Chopra, John Abraham, Rimi Sen and Esha Deol. Will Sanjay Gadhvi bless them with a much-needed blockbuster?
Synopsis:
A gang of robbers led by Kabir (John Abraham, repeating his screen name from Jism) are carrying various impressive crimes in the city. They all zoom around on fantastic looking motorbikes, picking up loot in a series of pre-planned locations. The cops are obviously not too happy because they don’t have a clue about the identity of the criminals and therefore cant try to end their crime spree.
Enter Jai (Abhishek Bachchan, repeating his father’s screen name from Sholay), who is a dashing and talented cop assigned the job of catching the gang. Jay needs the help of a street-smart guy and seeks out Ali (Uday Chopra, not repeating any screen name!). Ali is a garage mechanic with hot biking skills. Although Jai and Ali don’t really get along, they work together to solve the case.
CRITIQUE:
The promotions of Dhoom already revealed that the film has a slick and modern look. Its been well shot and uses some innovative techniques. However such things don’t equal a good film… it needs to be supported by a good story! Dhoom has a fairly impressive story, which is aided by a short running time.
Some parts defy common sense and the audience are forced to accept these things as logical once again! The film is mainly aimed at the male audience. There’s action and thrills, twists and turns, not to mention ladies exposing every now and again. Its basically Bollywood’s own mixture of Fast and Furious with Ocean’s Eleven.
Abhishek Bachchan provides a natural performance and seems to settle into the character with ease. Uday Chopra surprises with his comedic performance - the audience will be backing him in a big way! John handles some scenes very well too. Neither of the two girls have amazing roles - they are needed to sing and dance, and provide some twists too. Perizaad Zoriban has a sweet special appearance opposite Uday too.
Conclusion:
A well packaged action flick, Dhoom will appeal mainly to the young male audience. It provides something a little different and it will be interesting to see how the audience reacts. The first half moves at a fast pace, but the second half drags a little, mainly because of a climax that never seems to send and defies logic - the actors provide such over the top gymnastics on top of a truck that they should enter the Olympics. Bollywood needs to get over its Matrix hangover and fast!
Reviewed by: Qamar Zaman
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