Dhoom 3 (2013)

What is it that makes a movie work? That extra invisible ingredient that can make or break? Dhoom 3 has everything going for it - the prestigious Yash Raj banner, the successful Dhoom franchise, most expensive Hindi movie ever, the first Bollywood film to be released in Imax, a stellar cast headlined by Mr. Perfectionist, Aamir Khan, and the incandescent Katrina Kaif - all the makings of the biggest blockbuster ever! And yet...

The story starts in Chicago, 1990. A struggling circus owner, Iqbal Haroon Khan (Jackie Shroff) makes a last-ditch attempt to convince the Western Bank of Chicago to give him an extension on his loan. Ignoring the desperate pleas of Mr. Khan's son, Sahir, the bank decides to foreclose. Unable to cope with the loss, Mr. Khan commits suicide, leaving Sahir heartbroken. Cut to present day - a grown-up Sahir (Aamir Khan) has but 1 mission in life - to completely destroy the heartless bank that destroyed his father's dream. He embarks on a series of robberies - targeting only branches of the Western Bank of Chicago, always leaving behind a clown's mask and a message in Hindi. Cue ACP Jai Dixit (Abhishek Bachhan) and his sidekick, Ali (Uday Chopra) who are called in from Mumbai to help with this baffling case. The stage is set for a thrilling game of cops and robbers...

The USP of the earlier Dhoom films was very clear - no holds barred, unapologetic action flicks, mindless paisa-vasool entertainers. Dhoom 3 tries to give its 'bad guy' Sahir a background, a motive - and while this should have added layers to the film, infusing the action with emotion, Sahir's back story is so poorly conceptualized that it ultimately proves to be the undoing of Dhoom 3. Seriously, a evil banker and foreclosure? That's the motive for a lifetime of revenge? What irked me most was the cavalier suicide of Mr. Khan - what kind of parent leaves their kids to fend for themselves? Films like 'Pursuit of Happyness' and 'Life is Beautiful' have shown us the extraordinary lengths fathers can go to for their kids, and here is a mainstream Bollywood film, trying to pass off a father's irresponsible suicide as being somehow noble! What were the scriptwriters thinking??

So much for the emotional angle! The action and the songs should have more than enough to salvage the movie, right? Surprisingly, all the bike chases have a jaded, where-have-I-seen-this-before feel to them. A movie about a thief, and there is not single heist shown - only Sahir fleeing away from the scene of crime. Really, what purpose does it serve to have Aamir Khan walk down the side of the building - wouldn't it have been better to explain how he got into the building, and then robbed the bank? And how unintentionally hilarious was the bike that morphs into a submarine and then back into a bike? I was half expecting it to sprout a pair of wings next and take to the air - now that would have been something! And Abhishek hanging from the helicopter - didn't we see this already in Dhoom 2?

The look!

Even with all this, there is still some hope - after all, this is a Aamir Khan vehicle! Yes, it is Aamir Khan's show all the way, and I only have one question - what's with the look??? Aamir's Sahir goes through the entire film with his jaws clenched, eyebrows drawn down into a scowl - seriously, this expression never leaves his face! I honestly thought this was Aamir's worst performance ever! Speaking of scowls - is Abhishek so surly because he's doomed to play second fiddle in what essentially is his franchise? Lighten up, dude! Uday Chopra is actually better than Abhishek - he has found the one note that he can play passably well, and he sticks to it!

The climax is strangely appropriate - if the entire film hasn't made sense, it is entirely befitting that the climax should be astoundingly jaw-droppingly unbelievable! If anyone can explain how the entire cast got from Chicago to the Hoover Dam in the space of a night, I would be very grateful! Where is your celebrated script sense, Aamir? What a disappointment! And yet, this debacle has smashed all box-office records - so what do I know? Go watch it, and judge for yourself - or take my word, and watch Dhoom 2 instead!