D:2 - Back in Action

A perfectly fun Bollywood film that has everything you expect from it. It’s an excellent film both for beginner loners and for advanced groups who can appreciate playing with Hollywood commercial stylization and a wonderfully fresh soundtrack. The central trio of Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, and Hrithik Roshan is made up of celluloid demigods, who throw their starry glitter not by the handful but pour it right on you by the gallon of endless guilty pleasure. The first Dhoom wasn't quite as fancy, but thanks to the sexy Abraham, it was also lusting after a similar ride. The music videos for the individual hits are unforgettable and I can never get enough of them. "Deewana Dil kahin kho jaye naa / Humse khata koi ho jaye naa" or "Dhoom machale" are superb but of little use, while Aishwarya's solo "Crazy Kiya Re," is absolute bliss. After subsequent reruns, I must repeatedly acknowledge with appreciation that it's all so wonderfully balanced (the thief-partner/double agent comes on to the scene after the opening hour, which is devoted to the family affairs of a couple of cops, but again with an utterly characteristic catchphrase: "I am so hot!" :)); and I'm always looking for new sources of inspiration. Or an old-school comedy crime drama, instructed, among other things, by the adventures of the elegant robber Arsène Lupin, set in the Indian present. There are arguably lessons to be learned from the entire history of cinema in contemporary India, and the formerly leading film countries should take a cue from this. I wish they’d make Dhoom 3 already. (12.04.2010)