Dhoom 3 = Three Puntars trying to be smart

Dhoom 3 : My Review
The movie starts with a young boy Sahir (Aamir Khan) whose father (Jakie Shroff) is in huge debt from the bank as his Circus 'The Great Indian Circus' is a flop. The bank confiscates their property, Jakie Shroff is not able to handle the situation and shoots himself. This leaves a lasting impact on the twin kids (Aamir khan has double role) Sahir and Samar and they head off to destroy the Western Bank of Chicago. The police department unable to track this thief calls two super cops from India - Jay Dikshit (Abhishek) and Ali (Uday chopra). In the meanwhile, the twin Aamir brothers have managed to loot 2 branches of the bank and also revive their circus show. Katrina also joins them in their circus showing off her long legs and athletic moves. Of the twin brothers, one is an autistic superIQ guy (Samar) who is hidden from the world and another is the smart one (Sahir) who is exposed. Two guys living the identity of one guy is their secret which is unveiled by Jay (Abhishek Bacchan). He befriends Samar (autistic) and brings in the girl (Katrina) between the two brothers. In the end, finally after a lot of chasing, flying cars and firing done, the twin thieves get caught. They do manage to fulfill their mission - the Western Bank of Chicago has fallen now. The twin Aamirs climb off the steep dam and story ends there.

Here are my few pointers -

Why Aamir Why?? With the perfectionist mask around you, you are the one hero who is supposed to give good scripts. After watching Talaash and Dhoom 3, I seriously doubt that you have ever payed any heed to the scripts nowadays. And Aamir.. we know you want to look smart and serious but why this constant constipated look on your face all the time. Oh Common!!! Set pe halke hoke aana tha na.... audience ko kyo jhila rahe ho boss.

Katrina Kaif - Why were you in the movie - it could have been done by the league of any junior artist as well. I do understand that you underwent some circus training for this movie, but what for? Only 1 Kamli song? You started the song overdressed only to strip one garment after another in every 10 seconds and ended up in bare essentials. No one cares for the cartwheels or gymnastics that you showed. I guess other actresses like Sunny or Sofie would have been more appropriate. Ohh but yes, there was a love quotient too with Aamir for few scenes - how could I miss that. The only missing part was the "Love" in that quotient. Sorry to say, but there was no depth and it looked really really superficial.

Abhishek Bacchan - The super cop who pretends to look as Champu as he actually is. His entry sequence is in auto-rickshaw in a mumbai slum dressed in a really average shirt where he is supposed to catch a gunda. No uniform, no police jeep, no pistol, some hawaldar ka danda he carries and no attitude. But I thought you were a cop?? Please take some grace from your wife or father.


Uday Chopra - What can I say about you dude. Dude or pantar?? whatever. It has been a long time vacation from silver screen for you. You could have worked on your body or expressions in that long time.. but no. You too are inspired by Abhishek's sense of dressing, gayish lafandar clothing with colored goggles? And you haven't grown a bit in the last 10 years since Dhoom 2. Still looking at every woman and imagining your 'hum do hamare do'... that too.. not just once or twice.. at least 5-6 times during the 2.5 hours flick.. give me a break please.

The Story - Immature and full of flaws. The story is based in Chicago, not in India. Did not expect Chicago police to be so dumb that they needed Indian cops for catching the thief. And that too, no smart cops.. two dumb loafer looking guys who haven't been able to catch a single thief since Dhoom1, 2 and now 3.
Aamir twin brothers - only one is known to the world and another one is hidden... for so many years?? Don't they have any social security number or population tracking in the foreign countries? Didn't they register in school or college? Anyway chalo maaf kiya.
The autistic brother only comes out of home on Sundays between 12.30 to 3?? Rest of the time he is inside the house so that no-one sees him. Isn't it a bit of violation of basic human rights only to protect your stupid secret and rob a bank??
The other smart brother, the normal Aamir Khan tries really hard to look smart with his constant constipated look on his face. Oh Common!!! Set pe halke hoke aana tha na.... audience ko kyo jhila rahe ho boss.

Not all is bad.. There were some real positives too...

Music - Definitely good. Songs are a bit out of place but the music rocks.

Background score-  Definitely good too.. which lifts the overall mood of the movie

Camera shots - Very close and exciting shots.. shots are colourful and aesthetic too...loved it

Location - Amazing scenaries except the Mumbai slum scene

Surprise elements - The bikes racing at enormous speeds, moving on the wire.. flying down the stairs and convertibles too... Aamir's bike converts to a speed boat once and has some complex tracking softwares too... amazing..

Thrillers - The movie is high on unpredictability quotient.. keeps you guessing what happens next and hooks you till the end.

Overall - The rating will depend on what you expect when you go for this movie. If you go for the story, you will dislike it. But overall experience is good - decent star cast, decent music, some surprise elements and good shots make the movie a watchable one.
I was not disappointed, as you cannot expect meaningful stories in these high budget movies. If we head out to seek meaning then go for Art movies or non commercial ones... There was no meaning in Dabangg or Chennai express or Yeh jawani hai deewani... or whatever...
Enjoy!!!

Book Review : Baramulla Bomber

Book Title : Baramulla Bomber

Author : Clark Prasad
Published August 2013 by Niyogi Books, India
Reviewed for : The Tales Pensive

We all love challenges in life (at least we say so), but exactly how many have the strength to take a blow on its face, to take hard decisions, to seek the truth. Multiple stories, weaved beautifully on the canvas converging towards the one end which you wouldn't guess until you finish is something I loved about the book.

The Premise : "AN ANCIENT WEAPON FROM THE VEDAS & BIBLE ONCE HUNTED BY THE NAZIS POWERED BY THE SOUND OF UNIVERSE REBORN WITH HELP OF QUANTUM PHYSICS GOING TO BE UNLEASHED ON TO THE WORLD AND KASHMIR HOLDS ITS SECRET Multiple intelligence agencies are tracking Mansur Haider, a god-fearing aspiring cricketer from Kashmir. His girlfriend, Aahana Yajurvedi, is trying to locate her missing mountaineering team, who vanished after a mysterious earthquake strikes Shaksgam Valley. Investigating Mansur and the Shaksgam Valley incident is Swedish intelligence officer, Adolf Silfverskiold, whose only relationship to god consists of escorting his girlfriend to Church. A dual China-Pakistan battlefront scenario facing the Indian Home Minister, Agastya Rathore, whose ancestors carry a prehistoric secret linked to the stars. He is faced with the challenge of finding a lasting solution to the Kashmir crisis. Which Biblical Weapon was Tested in Shaksgam Valley? Why is Mansur Haider Important? Is There a Solution to the Kashmir Crisis? Can Destiny be Controlled? Does a Cosmic Religion Exist?"

My Review: Baramulla Bomber is the sci-fi thriller revolving around the Kashmir crisis while running around multiple dimensions of quantum physics, Vedas, Hindu religion, cricket, films, politics  and so much. One might relate a bit to Da vinci code, but I must say India has found its own Dan Brown in Clark Prasad. The illustrations are good and it does seem that the author has put in a lot of meticulous effort in designing the details through the diagrams and maps. The characters are serious and well crafted. The story moves at a fast pace, though it does take a few 50 pages to get a grip of it. The first chapters seem very complex and heavy as the writer tries to give too many details while still concealing the plot, but eventually you start enjoying the story as it races to its climax.

I must say there that I am more of a romance person and do not enjoy reading thrillers. However, I did like Baramulla Bomber. I would have loved to talk about a few characters including the lead Mansur, cricketer and the vulnerable politician Agastya, but the disclaimer of the author. He requested the reviewers to refrain from revealing any details of the plot or characters in the review. There are a few dabangg dialogues too which charge you every now and then.

This is the first part of the Swastik trilogy. I look forward to reading the Part 2 and part 3. I am glad that I was provided the reviewers copy, otherwise being a romance addict I would never have known that Indian writers are presenting such great work too.

A few negatives - I feel there was too much to absorb in the first few pages, which could be a turn off for new readers, though the story went very smoothly once we get a hang of the charecters.  Also, the cover page shows two fiery eyes of a terrorist, could have been a bit positive.
All in all, nice book. Keep writing and good luck.
 
My rating  - 4/5 stars

The book was received as part of Reviewers Programme on The Tales Pensieve.