Dhoom 2 (2006)

Seeing the rating that I've accorded this movie, I'm quite sure that I'm going to be getting quite a few (maybe all) thumbs down (Not that it bothers me, though I just thought I'd mention it). However, after seeing all the hate that this movie has garnered over here, I just thought I'd write this review. For the select few that can spare a few minutes, read on.The plot is fairly straightforward (and is also apparent from the trailers itself). Aryan is an international thief who, after committing heists successfully all over the world has set his eyes on Mumbai. The case is assigned to ACP Jai Dixit and a female officer Shonali Bose. But Aryan (Mr. A as he is known) has been committing heists which follow a certain pattern w.r.t. the dates and also form a sign on the world map - the "A" sign - which helps Jai predict the location of the next robbery. The question is will Jai be able to stop Mr. A.Technically speaking, the film is simply flawless. The background music is simply pulsating and energetic at the right places while the different ways in which the title track plays out are great. The action is simply top-notch for an industry which is literally starved of good action films. The cinematography and editing are also just right.Hrithik Roshan's performance as Mr. A is undoubtedly the highpoint of the film. It comes across as so strong that he doesn't even need dialogs to convey his character of a perfectionist - the only word he speaks during the first 30-40 minutes of the film is "perfect". His body language is in perfect harmony with his characterization in the film. He actually took to roller-blading for 1-2 months just to shoot a particular five-minute sequence involving them. Abhishek Bachchan simply lacks the spark he had in the original while playing Jai Dixit. Uday Chopra is his usual clumsy self which works in the movie at times. Aishwarya Rai, although starts off well, seems to become quite an irritating factor while Bipasha puts a commendable performance in seemingly inconsequential roles.Most of the "critics" here seem to have a problem with the absence of logic in the film. Well, all I can say is that as a director, Sanjay Gandhvi should have shot some scenes involving Aryan's past which could have made him more believable and acceptable. He actually had a background for Aryan - according to him, Aryan "is a rich boy who has lost his parents at a young age. He has always got A grades in school and has done a course in computer engineering. He is a well-traveled linguist, a connoisseur of wines, a man hugely into adventure sports.He does this purely for the adrenaline rush." And know, I'm not making this stuff out (unfortunately I cannot post a link to the source in a review). This is how he had actually conceived Aryan's character.The reason he decided to skip all these "details" is because he wanted Dhoom: 2 to play out as a thrill-ride. Of course he could have explained how exactly Aryan slips in and out of those disguises. But then his purpose was to provide the audience with a sense of surprise and he succeeded at it. And this is something you could only witness in a movie theater in India (I did) after which you'd probably agreed that this was the best possible way to present the heists in the movie.I could actually go on and on about this movie explaining / justifying it but I have just have to stop at some point. I would've even start an FAQ for this movie or responded on the boards - both of which I unfortunately cannot do because I cannot authenticate my account. All I'd say is that people here really have a double attitude. First they want our industry to attempt movies in different genres and break free from the romantic-comedy stereotype. Then, when such a movie actually arrives, they label it as being crap and ask Bollywood to go back to making its usual stuff. Perhaps that's why most films here are the usual romantic films - the audience just doesn't want to break free. And, (to a certain extent), I can understand people in the US not liking this movie (since they have their Ocean's 11,12,13... type movies) but an Indian dismissing this movie as crap is something which just does not feel right.Anyways, I'll end my rant here since I'm running out of space. All I can say is, this movie is escapist Bollywood at it's best. Although the plot is simple, the execution of the same is simply top-notch. It certainly deserves a viewing. And no, I'm not a fan boy showering praise on this movie. I'm saying what I feel I should. The Dhoom movie series has the potential to become Bollywood's first ever solid action movie franchise. "Perfect" !!!

Dhoom 2 is a fast film with many stunts, many dance moves and unfortunately a few problems. I thought that the plot came across as strange and the ending was just not right. It seems more like a leeway to show off Hrithik Roshan and Aishwariya Rai's bodies than an action/detective movie. And with Abhishek B. and Uday Chopra running around in the background treated merely as non-original humor-arousers, Rai and Roshan attract the most attention. Although their ostentatious attraction for each other is sizzling, their feelings in the inside are not worth the watch. It is only confusing. It's like… "I am using you…NO wait I actually love you! Because your gorgeous and a spy…OR not because of that…." Honestly…I saw this movie five months ago and that's the only thing I remember from it. Aishwariya Rai's body is wow but her acting is average, especially when she decides to talk like a western bubblehead. Hrithik Roshan looks good but cannot save the film from it's lameness. The songs are in the same nature of those in Dhoom 1.

There was so much hype about this film before it released, even though i haven't seen the first one i decided to go and watch this as 2 of my favourite actors are in the film Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachan, i really like Uday Chopra too he was very funny in this film.Hrithik plays the villain in this film called A, he works all over the world and is very hard to catch.So the police officers in the film Ash, Abhishek, Uday and Bipasha try to come up with the plan to catch him.Hrithik plays his part very well and his dancing rocked, he sort of had this sexy,Italian look too also. Ash Was okay i guess but playing a sexy cop so does not suit her, it had me in stitches lol, and as for Bipasha??? what the hell was she doing in the film? her part was just useless and she did not look good in a bikini LMAO, as a woman in my opinion she not that good looking and can't act if her life depended on it. Uday was great and so was Abhishek, the ending was pretty crap but most of the film was okay i guess, i really liked the music, Ash danced really well in "crazy kiya ri". Um well it's up to you if you want to go and watch it.

I really enjoyed this film, it had a lot of action, quite a bit of humor, and the actors/actresses did a pretty good job too! Being interested in cross-culture films (helps you get a little insight into cultural beliefs, interests, etc.), I asked several of my Hindi friends to recommend a cool Bollywood action film. While they recommended the first Dhoom, this was the only one I could readily get a hold of. I was impressed! The action was cool, fast, and not cheesy. The acting was pretty good too, not like some of the cheesy films Hollywood has been kicking out recently (I've seen some pretty bad films lately!). If I had to correlate this film to a US film, I'd probably say it was similar to MI:2 in many of its action sequences.The music was pretty upbeat and fun. That's one thing I know about the Hindi culture is that they like musical performances, and they even managed to weave it into this film without too much distraction. Sure, all the women were hot and the guys were beefed up (much more so than the average Indian, trust me), but that's what people want to see. We don't want to see overweight and ugly actors all wearing saris, we want what's in cultural style now.Awesome film, if this one wasn't as good as the first, then I definitely want to check that one out ASAP! So, if you want to see a very well done (and fun to watch) Hindi action flick, check it out; you won't be disappointed.