A motorcycle gang, led by the cool-headed Kabir (John Abraham), has been wreaking havoc all over Mumbai. They have been robbing banks and armored trucks. In charge of the investigation is ACP Jai Dixit (Abhishek Bachchan). Jai is a no-nonsense workaholic who gets called in at the wrong time, at times frustrating his wife (Rimii). When Mrs. Dixit accidentally knocks down motorcycle racer and mechanic Ali (Uday Chopra), Jai is surprised to find Ali at his house. However, when Jai learns about Ali’s job, he decides to take him under investigation.
When Jai learns Ali is not part of the gang, he decides to use Ali as a potential mole. However, the two are complete opposites. Ali is more carefree and hoping to find love because of his late mother. Jai, on the other hand, is by the book and expects only perfect results. During a stakeout of the next location, Ali meets Sheena (Esha Deol), a young spirited singer whose car breaks down.
When Kabir informs Jai that he will directly steal in front of him, he makes a deal that if Jai doesn’t stop him, he will drop the case. When the robbers steal from a charity event, Jai decides to drop the case after taking down one of the robbers. Kabir, impressed with Ali’s skills, invites him to join the gang for final theft: a New Year’s party at a hotel holding 180 million dollars. When Jai arrives at the party, will he have a chance at redemption when he learns Kabir and crew are disguised as hotel workers?
A welcome cross between LETHAL WEAPON and THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS with the trademark Bollywood dance numbers, the original film is truly a fun film to watch. Clocking in at 123 minutes, what drives the film is the mismatched pairing of tough cop Jai Dixit, played with no-nonsense by 2nd generation icon Abhishek Bachchan, and motorcycle racer/mechanic Ali, played by Uday Chopra (the son of the film’s producer Yash Chopra). The mismatched pairing is in terms of character and not on screen chemistry, which works perfectly well here for a buddy action film. Bachchan brings it action style while Chopra is truly the comic relief of the film.
John Abraham nearly steals the film as the cool villain Kabir. In his performance, Abraham exhumes charisma and coolness to the role. He is truly a leader type who will not let anything get in his way or have anyone ruin any chances of him getting caught. In a scene that may remind viewers of Martin Scorsese’s GOODFELLAS (1990), one of the gang members buys a new car with the money he stole. Kabir, unhappy with what the guy has done, drives the car off a cliff. Where Robert DeNiro’s Jimmy tells the goons to leave and return their goods, Kabir takes the easy route and crashes the car.
Of course with most Bollywood films, there has to be eye candy for the boys. In this case, Esha Deol and Rimii are that, playing the exuberant Sheena and Mrs. Dixit respectively. Sheena is someone who catches the eyes of Ali only to learn she has a dark secret while Mrs. Dixit isn’t too happy with her husband being more of a workaholic.
The action sequences are done quite well under the supervisor of Allan Amin. Amin is perhaps to India to Yuen Woo-Ping and Ching Siu-Tung in Hong Kong. He is a legend in the Bollywood stunt industry who likes influences from other areas. Here, he picks Hong Kong in one scene where Jai and Kabir fight atop of a moving truck. The motorcycle stunts are well done with not only the robbery but the racing scenes that introduce Ali are a delight to watch.
With the success of DHOOM, a sequel was commissioned and the result? More international flavor and a more star studded cast, DHOOM 2: BACK IN ACTION is the rarity that a sequel outdoes the original film. With Bachchan and Chopra back as Jai and Ali, the film’s star power is highlighted by the casting of Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (Abhishek’s wife and international superstar).
This time, Jai and Ali, the latter now a police officer as well, are hired to track down an international thief only known as “Mr. A” (Hrithik Roshan). The mysterious thief is a master of disguise who loves stealing rare artifacts from all over the world. With Mumbai his next stop, Jai and Ali are working with ACP Sonali Base (Bipashu Basu), who was a friend of Jai’s from their college days. Despite the objections of Mrs. Dixit (Rimii) and the jealousy of Ali, Jai and Sonali tend to act a little closer when they work on the case together.
However, when Mr. A goes into disguise and makes his presence known, he finds himself outdone by a shadow pretending to be him. That person is Sonehri (Aishwarya Rai), who wishes to learn from Mr. A the art of stealing. At first reluctant, Mr. A eventually takes her in as a shadow/partner. However, what he doesn’t realize is that Sonehri is actually a mole planted by Jai to track him down. What Jai doesn’t realize is that as they are working hard, Sonehri and Mr. A, whose real name is Aryan Singh, begin to fall in love.
When the duo head for Brazil for a big robbery, Jai and Ali are commissioned to head there to stop Mr. A. They are joined by Sonali’s twin sister Monali (Bipashu Basu). Unlike her police officer sister, Monali slowly begins to be attracted to Ali. Ali, in turn, falls for Monali and tells Jai that he will leave the force so he can be with Monali. Will the partnership end and will Jai be able to stop Mr. A? Or will things be more complicated as they seem?
Clocking in at a whopping 153 minutes, this sequel is one of the best Bollywood action comedies to hit. Once again, Abhishek Bachchan and Uday Chopra bring their respective complimentary styles of hard action and comic relief as mismatched partners Jai and Ali. Ali is now a police officer who has botched up his parts of missions resulting in Jai always having to save him. Ali’s comic flair is kicked up a notch when it comes to him having eyes for not one, but two women who happen to be twin sisters.
However, the true highlight of the film is the scene stealer of the film, top billed Hrithik Roshan. As the mysterious “Mr. A”, Roshan opens the film with a robbery and a stunt filled scene reminiscent of perhaps James Bond. Using a snowboard as a shield against a queen’s bodyguards, he even goes as far as rides on the sands of the Namibian desert on said snowboard. Not only does Roshan perform some excellent action, but his dancing skills are truly done well too with his fast paced style in the musical numbers. Roshan truly deserved the top billing for this film as he plays the villain with flair, charisma, and charm.
Add to the mix Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as the mysterious Sonehri, who is Jai’s mole into trapping Mr. A. She is a once problematic woman who offered to help Jai in exchange for no jail time. Her chemistry may not work well with her real life husband here, but her chemistry with Roshan exhumes sexuality that only Bollywood could bring. This is mostly notable in a rain-filled basketball game between the two aspiring villains, which consists of close up romance shots and very super slow motion that works for this brand of film, as if we are watching a music video or something one would see in later films like YOU GOT SERVED (2007) and STEP UP 2 THE STREETS (2008).
Not only is the music and characters amped up, but the action as well. While Allan Amin returns to the helm as action choreographer, he collaborates with a legend in the stunt industry. The legend comes in the form of British stuntmaster Vic Armstrong. Armstrong, a veteran who has worked in films like the INDIANA JONES films, the JAMES BOND films, and SUPERMAN (1978),brings his experience to the mix and helps Amin deliver some great stunts, including the aforementioned opener plus Jai’s intro scene, where he shoots at thugs while midair on a jet ski. Armstrong’s influence is clearly seen in the film and helps drive the film as a whole.
If you are looking for recommendations of Bollywood films, it is safe to put DHOOM and DHOOM 2: BACK IN ACTION at perhaps the top of your list. A combination of solid action, comic flair, musical numbers, and a powerful cast make these two films worthy of viewing.
AlbertV’s Ratings:
DHOOM: A
DHOOM 2: Back in Action: A+
DHOOM (2004, 123 minutes, Yash Raj Films): Directed by Sanjay Gadhvi. Produced by Aditya Chopra. Written by Vijay Krishna Acharya. Cinematography by Nirav Shah. Edited by Rameshwar S. Bhagat. Action directed by Allan Amin. Dance choreography by Vaibhavi Merchant, Remo, and Ashley Lobo. Starring Abhishek Bachchan, Uday Chopra, John Abraham, Esha Deol, Rimii.
DHOOM 2: BACK IN ACTION (2006, 153 minutes, Yash Raj Films): Produced by Aditya Chopra. Written by Vijay Krishna Acharya, with story by Aditya Chopra. Cinematography by Vikas Sivaraman and Nirav Shah. Edited by Rameshwar S. Bhagat. Action directed by Allan Amin and Vic Armstrong. Dance choreography by Vaibhavi Merchant and Shamak Darar. Starring Hrithik Roshan, Abhishek Bachchan, Uday Chopra, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Bipashu Basu, Rimii.
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