Dhoom-2 ..... Whatever

My 4 year kid watched Dhoom a couple of years back when he was just two plus years old. He adored the movie with its bikes and songs. He remembers that entire movie - frame by frame. I must confess that I too, liked the movie as an entertainer which flied into the world of fancy without losing that quintessential touch with the real world.

It was almost two months back - that my kid started pestering me with his wish to watch Dhoom-2 (second dhoom is what he named it). So when the movie was finally released I bloody well ensured that we have the tickets for the first week itself. While the kid is not complaining too much - I am thoroughly disappointed. May be my expectations from sequels was too high (specially after Lage Raho Munna Bhai - my review here) but I give a thumbs down to this part-2. No dhoom what so ever.

Some great stunts, excellent cinematography, sexed up ladies, exotic foreign locations, imaginative technology is what this movie is about - thats all. The fine details of a plot that captivated me in the first part were sorely missing. So what went wrong??

Too much of technical wizardry and super action - its good - but that becomes the focus of the movie. Not the plot - never mind the utter lack of continuity - or the sheer illogicality of it all thats happening infront of you. The movie starts with a super stunt. Our new conman parachuting his way to the top a running train carrying a priceless gem packed "Mukut" kept quite conspicuously on a pedstal in a train compartment guarded by two guards at the door - he takes it away - fighting the guards on (where else) the top of the running train and then uses a skate board (or was it surfing board) to slide over the sand of the great desert to god knows where. Very convincing indeed.......

Weak characters (unlike the prequel) dot the movie. Lets take them one by one - Just out of nowhere you have a Mr. A - the perfect thief - seen by no one as he is a master disguiser (and the disguise he takes are actually phenomenal) leaving his signature (an A) on the world for nobody knows why. Oh spare us because the same guy is going to later go weak kneed in front of a sexy "Bambiya Chorni". Rithik is sincere as always and very intense. He carries himself well in the character, except that the character looks very human in picturisation but he does everything thats superhuman.

Talking of the chorni - a smalltime thief - our own damsel aishwarya - helps the master seluth trap Mr. A in exchange of not reporting her petty crimes in the police record - by actually teaming with him in the game of international conmanship. And then ofcourse she falls in love with the Mr. A and forgets about the cop. The super cop - the smartest in the race lets her go with the guy without any tab on her, naively believeing that she would press the button of the transmitter at the right time for what..... so that he will nab the thief right during the act???

Another entry to the star cast, the sexy Bipasha is one more super seluth who does everything (ie. dance, wear biknis, look sexy, even practice shooting in a range, flirts) but catches thieves. Bipasha's was easily the weakest of the character - almost no soul only body - literally. Bipasha tried hard but really she was let down by the script and the director. Her connection to the prequel is ridiculous - whoever thought of the idea of her being introduced as a makeshift affair heroine for the hero - while his wife is pregnant is simply empty of ideas. To top it all she is suddenly removed off the scene to be reintroduced in the later half as her own dumb sister (double role) in brazil who loves Indians but can only speak English. Are you already confused and crazy don't be there is lot more. Watch it.

The two likable characters of the prequel Uday chopra with his twisted approach to English was a reprieve but just so. He is not in his elements - he is just good. Frankly he recieved more footage then his character deserved - with a full song put in for him with that english "Escuse me to please" jarring again and again. So in a yashraj movie a chopra gets more footage is any news? ... when at other places the editing is so crisp that you tend to miss the link. This means everytime there is a sequence with uday -- the movie drags - otherwise it wihzzes past. You feel like enjoying a jerky rail ride.

The cream of the starcast is the junior-B. The more I see him the more I am convinced of him being the next shahrukh if not theBig-B himself. Controlled, intense using every moment he has to the fullest - you sit through the entire movie for him and in some pieces for rithik (that is ofcourse if you are not a die hard fan of Aishwarya who after Bunty and Bubli has started showing flash as if there is no tomorrow).

The list of negatives go on - the music is a BIG disappointment specially after a hit parade in the prequel. Only "crazy kiya re..." will live a few weeks. Rest is, at best, very average. Editing is simply bad. The kiss between ash and rithik being talked about so much is at best perfunctory and has no intensity. Ash is so obviously uncomfortable that there is no love lost between the kissers (forgive the lingo here). Also that old sequence of single bullet six shots one you and one me is too cliched to be of any use really.....

On the positive side - watch it for its stunts and high tech imagery. Also watch it for super sexy clothing that is donned by the star cast. Its actually good - always sexy never cheap. Ofcourse watch it for Ash and Bip - both at their gorgeous best. Watch it without brains - just two hours of rivetting visual action - don't ask for content.

So what does banners like yashraj do when they know that the crores that they spent are not well spent - they spread canards like this on almost all dailies worth their salt. Ofcourse after a yashraj movie launch you do not see any negative reviews in the media for a week - so I wish a lot of people read mine.

From a viewer like me its a no-no. I sincerely wish that viewers do not line the movie just because it is a release from one of the best marketers in the industry. Because if it happens to be as big a success as it looks like it might - then we are in for more such stuff being offered to us in the name of great cinema. So viewers please say no to this one.