Dhoom 3

DHOOM-3 is vigorous and spectacular, but with very elementary content!

For a movie that runs for quarter to three hours, it’s surprisingly riveting, but despite several attempts to go the Nolan’s Batman Series way, it never quite touches the same depth in content. It’s an Aamir Khan show all the way, who springs out a radiant act in an otherwise average theme.

What’s evident right from the beginning is the apparent influence of the Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight series on the film. Dark events enhanced by a strong background score and mystery and flashbacks haunting the emotions. While this is true for the storyline bordering Sahir’s character, and even adds a touch of class to the proceedings, the same cannot be said about the man to man fight scenes, which are as hoi-polloi as you see in every other action comedy these days. Even the comedy scenes involving Uday Chopra are dull and usually monotonous. In fact, most sequences where Aamir Khan isn’t around (scenes shot in India) pull the bar considerably down. However, the frames captured in Chicago, the presentment of a dark past, and the chase sequences have a Hollywoodish feel to it. But in hindsight, it all seems very amateurish and otiose. There is suspense unfolding in between that actually takes you by  surprise, but there’s hardly anything else in the story that you can take back home.

The film scores exceptionally in the visual department. The look and feel is extremely rich and aesthetically pleasing too. Even the VFX is really neat throughout. The background score is stimulating and action sequences are mostly well presented. Although the over-the-top, unbelievable tricks, I feel, could’ve been replaced by more convincing pieces.

Of the performers, as I said, there’s Aamir Khan and Aamir Khan only. He brings a sense of meaning to all of the meaningless action that’s going around in the script. He puts in so much effort to bring about that beau ideal, (in his appearance, his expression and his antics) that you really start finding the film conceptually coherent every now and then. Even his surprise act, which I can’t disclose about here, is terrific. You just can’t take your eyes off him. Another actor who you just take your eyes off of is Katrina Kaif, who sadly appears for only about 10 mins in the film (including the songs). But she looks stunning and smouldering, dances superbly and her acrobatics are spectacular. Abhishek Bachchan is decently composed, but has hardly anything to offer here. And Uday Chopra’s character ends up being something we could’ve totally done without. All others are mere caricatures to move the film forward.

In all, DHOOM-3 eventually qualifies as a guilty pleasure, and what remains after is just Aamir Khan and the gorgeous optics.