Dhoom 2: One-man show

After Dhoom became a runaway hit, expectations were surely running high from the sequel. And it sure doesn’t disappoint! We see the return of Jai (AB jr.) and Ali (Uday Chopra), this time on the hunt for A (Hritik Roshan), a thief who is a master of disguise. The duo is joined by ACP Shonali Bose (Bipasha Basu) with a Lara Croft-esque entry. Sunehari (Aishwarya Rai) is added to the mix to complete a star-studded line up.

The movie is full of mind-blowing stunts that include sand-surfing in the deserts of Namibia, roller-blading through the heavy Mumbai traffic and base-jumping in Brazil. The locales are beautifully shot and the movie has an extremely sleek and stylish feel to it. The music, though not great, keeps the movie rolling forward. However, what the movie really lacks is a story. The screenplay is threadbare and is held together mainly by the nitrous-boosted action and Hritik Roshan.

Hritik Roshan gives a powerful performance in which he handles the awe-inspiring stunts, intense emotions and the sleek dances with equal ease. He is literally the heart and soul of the movie. He is what they call the X-factor of the movie.

Abhishek Bachchan is relegated to a supporting role and comes out looking more querulous than intense. Uday Chopra’s character is almost as good as undefined. Though he adds few laughs, it soon seems to get repetitive and irritating as the movie progresses. Aishwarya Rai tries hard to add the oomph by wearing the skimpiest of dresses, but fails to deliver a performance that could do justice to an important character in the scheme of things. On the other hand, Bipasha is simply amazing in the looks department. As for her character, it seems almost unjust the way it’s reduced from an ace cop to a Baywatch beauty.

But despite the weak story, the movie is a thorough entertainer that moves ahead at a lively pace and keeps you engrossed for the entire 3 hours. It’s definitely worth watching in the theaters and is going to be one of the biggest hits. I would rate it an A minus.