The Failure Of 'Formula'

Dhoom 2 is probably the safest movie that has ever been produced in Bollywood. The original was an iconic blockbuster; the genre and special effects have always had a devoted fan-base; and the movie boasts of big names like Aishwarya Rai, Hrithik Roshan, Abhishek Bachchan and Bipasha Basu. As if all this weren't enough, there is the small matter of the maker being Aditya Chopra, who knows the pulse of the audience probably as well as the number of movies he has directed (for the uninformed, this one is directed by Sanjay Gadhvi). The hype leading into the movie was unbelievably immense-there must hardly be a single person in the country who hadn't discussed the super-slick theatrical promo that was shown two months ago with visible excitement (and perhaps a bit of drooling as well). Seriously, how could anything possibly go wrong with such a sureshot blockbuster?

Sadly, however, things do go wrong. The movie just isn't the ultra-stylish, jaw-dropping thriller that it promised to be. If anything, the direction of the movie looks almost indifferent, as though the makers knew that no matter what kind of trash they hurled at the audience, it would be lapped up because, well, because it was 'Dhoom 2'. Not that the movie is absolute trash. But with the kind of anticipation and hype surrounding it, it is definitely one of the most disappointing movies of the year.

The movie starts off predictably, with a heist executed by the super-suave thief (Hrithik Roshan) that the director had probably intended to appear breathtaking but only comes off as a Mithun-style walkover. The makeup of the 'Queen' (is she the Queen of England? Why on earth is she traveling by a train?) is especially bad, and one could be forgiven for imagining that it was actually Hrithik in disguise all along (which it isn't). The story then moves to Abhishek Bachchan and his somewhat funny sidekick Uday Chopra, who are joined by the sultry Bipasha Basu in trying to nab the mysterious Mr. A (Hrithik, if you hadn't guessed already). The movie then stumbles from one slick heist to another (again, 'slick' only to the extent of the director's intentions-to an audience which has been fed on a constant diet of movies like 'Ocean's Eleven' and 'The Italian Job', most of Hrithik's daredevilry seems like amateur stuff). Of course, as in all Bollywood masala movies, there is a steady stream of songs strewn among the proceedings, and after an hour or so of trundling along, one begins to pray for Aishwarya Rai's entrance. Her opening sequence, however, is again shoddily done, and the movie reaches one of its many low points when Hrithik and Ash engage in a game that is supposedly basketball. Okay Mr. Gadhvi, we know neither Hrithik nor Aishwarya can play half-decent basketball, but did you have to make it so obvious?

The second half is mercifully a lot better than the first, though since the first half is positively tawdry, that isn't saying much. Ms Rai is now Hrithik's partner, and the action moves to Rio de Janeiro for no apparent reason other than the opportunity to do some deft camerawork in a beautiful location. Enter Bipasha's twin sister who has as much meat to her role as a a pure veg Gujarati thali. Uday Chopra's by-now predictable love-sickness occupies much footage in the second half, and irritatingly so. The Hrithik-Ash sequences, on the other hand, have been shot rather well, and their chemistry together is fantastic. Wish one could say the same about the ridiculous climax and the unbelievable stunts performed by the admirable trio of Abhishek, Hrithik and Uday.

Performance-wise, it is Hrithik Roshan who steals the show, towering over the movie with his enigmatic screen presence and efficient acting. Abhishek Bachchan gets completely over-shadowed in the sequences between him and Hrithik, but is fairly proficient otherwise. Bipasha Basu has nothng much to do other than look alluring and dance insignificantly in the background. Uday Chopra takes off from where he left in the original, which means that if you hated him in the original, you're sure going to hate him here as well. And that brings us to Aishwarya Rai. The former Miss World, in her completely new get-up, looks stunning with a capital S, and is bound to raise a few eyebrows with a few unusual sequences. She emotes well too, which is precisely why her scenes with Hrithik are the high points of the film.
Perhaps the biggest problem with Dhoom 2 is that there are too many big stars in it. In trying to give every one of the actors a fair share of the footage, the director loses the essence of the main plot. The charm of the original was in the novelty of its concept and the simplicity of its execution. Here, however, the director tries to create a larger-than-life impact in every single frame, and that only makes every piece of dramatic background music and every polished slo-mo sequence a bit of a painful experience.

The story at the box-office, however, might just turn out to be all gold and glitter, and that is because Dhoom 2 is tailor-made for the masses. The stunts and drama may be difficult to digest for the 'multiplex crowd', but are bound to be loved by the rest of the crowd. And I hate to admit this, but the movie never gets boring or dull at any point of time. Low quality cinema this may be, but the fast pace and big names ensure that you remain glued to your seats for the considerable length of the movie. However, if you really want to watch a quality thriller, I suggest you go and watch 'Don' again.