Director: Remo D'Souza
Cast: Anil Kapoor, Salman Khan, Jacqueline Fernandez, Bobby Deol, Daisy Shah, Saqib Saleem, Freddy Daruwala
Rating: 2 Moons
He’s either ripping his shirt off to flex his muscles, in slow-mo, no less, or clothing himself in a wing suit so he can put jets and choppers to shame. Hell, he even went to Oxford for this one! But, every trick that Salman Khan plays out in Race 3 unfortunately lacks in charm and spirit. So, we watch in utter disbelief as Bollywood’s infamous macho man gleefully plays fast and furious with his bunch of cronies. Only, his director Remo D’Souza refuses to play along and turns an action thriller into a strange Broadway-style musical.
Every actor, when not speeding in a supercar or firing away guns, gets a song and lavish set-pieces to perform in. Ayananka Bose’s frames filter out every little blemish, every wrinkle, and makes them insta-glorious. The men have their muscles ripped, while the women wear their perfect curls and flutter their eyelashes. Basically, what the acting crew lacks in talent, they makeup by glamming up and flashing their gym bods. At over 160-minutes, it ends up unintentionally comical.
Evidently, writer Shiraz Ahmed was hoping the Khan superpower would do the magic for him. Why else would lines like “Our business is our business. None of your business” make the cut? At one time, a heist is carried out in far away Cambodia without resistance or pain, while the hero and his ladylove dance away in a nightclub next door. In Remo D’Souza’s world, it’s definitely about the dance floor moves, and never about the fight.
Salman Khan takes on Sikku, the favoured step-son to a mighty rich dad, who’s all about the love. So much so, he even shaves off his “weird” goatee while serenading his ladylove amidst snow-clad mountains. That’s right, because love can make you do strange things! Whether he’s switching accents or being snazzy and clever, Salman sticks to his one-emotion look.
The other men – Bobby, who also gets his body some shine and love, and Saqib, who’s suited and styled in formals – play second fiddle to the Khan love. It’s during the climax as bronzed bodies showered in sand fill up the screen, you know it’s a “bromance” that’s never easy on the eye. The women – Jacqueline and Daisy – stick to being pretty. One’s romancing the pole, and the other is slitting her designer dress to play desi-Lara Croft. But neither of them possesses any real power to win applause. If anyone deserves credit, it’s Anil Kapoor, who manages to stand tall and dignified in this mess. He’s a class apart, never failing to give it his all.
The women – Jacqueline and Daisy – stick to being pretty. One’s romancing the pole, and the other is slitting her designer dress to play desi-Lara Croft. But neither of them possesses any real power to win applause.
If anyone deserves credit, it’s Anil Kapoor, who manages to stand tall and dignified in this utter mess of a film. He’s a class apart, never failing to give it his all.
As the curtain roll down, and a song repeats on loop, you can't help but wonder if the mighty Khan’s race to Bollywood glory is slowly nearing its end.
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