Dhoom 3 - Thrice the entertainment...

Dhoom 3 -

Prologue: Dhoom and Dhoom 2 were not spectacularly great films. Nonetheless they were entertaining. So the people who are disappointed with Dhoom 3, either hadn't seen the earlier installments and went with expectations of seeing a movie about a dyslexic boy riding bikes (could have been titled "Bechaare Zameen Par") or they are those Hollywood aficionados who can tolerate similarly inconceivable action scenes and logical loop-holes in the screenplay if it is an English film (e.g. Fast & Furious series) till the time it entertains. Infact I thought Dhoom 3 had more of a plot as compared to all six Fast & Furious films ;-) So for these set of people my review is going to be highly disappointing.

Review: Dhoom 3 delivers on all the promises of this franchisee and in fact it over delivers both in terms of entertainment and best-in-class production values. Presence of Aamir Khan actually enhances the franchisee because for the first time in Dhoom series one gets to see top notch acting apart from its regular elements of high octane chase sequences, high quality stunts (even if they are implausible) and hot looking girls in Katrina Kaif and Tabrett Bethell.

Aamir Khan has done this kind of role for the first time and he aces in presenting different facets effortlessly. For a change even Uday Chopra nails his character sketch right. Katrina Kaif looks and moves every bit like a Goddess of Beauty. She has never looked this stunning before. Cinematorgraphy, visual effects and BMW bikes - all are way better than what one expects in a Hindi Film. The songs 'Malang' and 'Kamli' are exquisitely shot. In nutshell, the film is fast paced and thoroughly entertaining.

Post Ghajini, this is the second Aamir Khan film, which has borrowed something from Christopher Nolan's film. But unlike, what others would like you to believe, the plot itself hasn't been borrowed. The only two things which I thought could have been done better were - 1. They should have created a more tense and satisfactory climax 2. They should have at least shown one heist actually happening.

Otherwise, no complaints :-)

P.S.
1. Most of the guys including me wanted the song 'Kamli' to be longer by few more lines :-)
2. There are 16 films - English and Hindi - Good and Bad - watched over past 4 months, about which I haven't written. WORK overpowering passion. It is time I bring some Dhoom back into LIFE.

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Krrish 3 - Its not a film, it is a manufactured blockbuster

Krrish 3 - This film is not made as an expression of art or to narrate a story. It is manufactured to be a Diwali blockbuster - manufactured with elements borrowed from Hollywood films and Rakesh Roshan's own films. As I watched this film in a packed hall, and was constantly getting distracted by the brand placements in the film (I could spot 15 brands at least), my mind was numerically calculating the crores it is going to collect. It doesn't matter that I didn't enjoy the film at all. It doesn't matter that so called 1st super-hero of Bollywood fails to inspire. So instead of a review, here is the way this film was manufactured - 

Krrish's opening scene copied from Superman (+)10 points, The scene copied badly (-)10 points, The scene looks better than the effects in Ra.One (+)10 points

The antidote scene for countering virus in Mumbai copied from The Amazing Spiderman (+)10 points, The scene copied badly (-)10 points, The scene looks better than the effects in Ra.One (+)10 points

Kaal's character copied from X-Men series (+)10 points, combined Magneto and Professor X into one (+)10 points, Vivek Oberoi is Kaal (-)50 points

Kaal's scrap suits gets assembled in Iron Man style (+)10 points, makes a mess of it (-)10 points, Vivek Oberoi is no Robert Downy Jr. (-)50 points

Some parts of the film inspired by Mission Impossible series (+) 10 points and ended with a possibility of The Incredibles copy in Krrish 4 (+)50 points

Climax of the film copied from at least 3 films - Man of Steel, Avengers etc. (+) 30 points, copied well (+) 30 points, better than effects in Ra.One (+) 10 points, Vivek Oberoi is killed (+) 100 points 

I had seen all the films from which Krrish 3 has borrowed (-) 50 points, my wife didn't sleep through the film (+) 50 points

Thankfully there was no Krrish 2 (+) 50 points, Pathetic songs by Rajesh Roshan and misplaced emotional scenes (-)30 points, All non special effects scenes have tacky production quality (-20) points, Super-hero Krrish dies once and is revived by his father (-) 20 points, Super-hero Krrish not only saves the world, he spends half the time to save his family members as well (+) 20 points, Priyanka Chopra (-)100 points, Kangna Ranaut as the hottest mutant ever (+) 100 points, Kangna Ranaut in those skimpy outfits (+) 850 points

Total Points (+) 1020 (Don't bother to check my maths, Kangna has skewed the scores). Result: 10 days Average 20 crores each day. Anything above is bonus 

P.S. I felt pity for the main leads that they had to do this film, where in the garb of a super-hero film, Rakesh Roshan serves the same stuff he has been serving for ages - revenge, lost brothers, father-son drama, his hero always playing more than 2 roles. By the way weren't Karan Arjun and Kishan Kanhaiya doing the same shit in his earlier films, without a cape.

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Shuddh Desi Romance is pretentious

Shuddh Desi Romance - It is one of the most pretentious films that I have seen lately. It pretends to be uber-cool and ultra-modern and it also pretends to understand the dynamics of live-in relationships, especially the ones set in small towns with nosy neighbours and landlords. The characters in these live-in relationships are shown constantly as people who are confused, irresponsible and without any ideological moorings.

While the texture of Jaipur is captured in a very realistic manner the social fabric of the town is far removed from reality and it seems the entire film is set-up in a place which doesn't exist. Under the garb of modernity, projected through so-called symbols of modernism like girls smoking,

multiple partners etc., the film actually peddles regressive stuff. It does a huge dis-service to live-in relationships.

Even if I ignore for the review's sake, the philosophy of the film-maker and the writer, the film is weak otherwise as well. The concept of the film would have sounded extremely exciting on paper, but fizzles out on screen after first 45 minutes. The scenes and situations just start repeating themselves thereafter, and the film ends just like that. I got bored to death in the second half.

Parineeti Chopra was hugely likeable in the film though. Sushant Singh Rajput acts well. But the debutante Vaani Kapoor looked stiff. Dialogues and songs of the film are few positives of the film.

Rishi Kapoor's versatility continues and seeing him playing a different character yet again provided solace that all was not lost in this film.

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