WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
Never mess with another country’s cricketer, especially when it’s India’s! Of course, one could argue the benefits to a particular rival team if this were to occur, your opponent being down their best player and biggest threat. Oh, and what timing for this to occur on the cusp of the championship finals. This appears to be the scenario playing out for India’s top batsman, Viraj (Saqib Saleem), who’s run afoul of an initially unknown kidnapper. Causing more than a minor stir with the upcoming finals against arch-rival Pakistan, the powers that be choose to enlist the aid of Special Task Force veteran, Kabir Shergill (John Abraham), who is more than unorthodox in attitude and actions when it comes to police work.
Once it’s determined where Viraj might be located, Kabir travels to the Middle East and ultimately gets very reluctantly paired with a rookie cop, Junaid Ansari (Varun Dhawan), the misfit of the local office. The two soon find themselves hot on the trail of Viraj’s abductor, questioning any and all who might have seen him prior to his disappearance. Of course, to make matters more volatile, the two get mixed up with a local thief, Ishika (Jacqueline Fernandez), who causes them more headaches than anything before finally becoming useful to their efforts. After hiding in the shadows, Viraj’s captor Wagah (Akshaye Khanna) reveals himself and the battle to find Viraj before it is too late ensues with mayhem breaking out in the process.
Next, my Mind:
What this reviewer continues to adore about Bollywood cinema is that no matter what overall genre a given film may be classified as, there will almost always be a healthy combination of other elements outside that genre effectively built into the narrative, which only makes these films even more fun to view. The same holds true here for director/co-writer Rohit Dhawan, who infuses not only excellent action sequences into the story, but a wonderfully tongue-in-cheek approach heralding back to classic buddy cop comedies, solid dance numbers, some drama, plus a hint of romance amidst the chaos and laughs. It’s superbly executed and all fits well into the picture. Smooth cinematography captures these elements with steady, clear resolve, and the fantastic music score/songs bring that last bit of gravitas to the proceedings.
Finally having the chance to witness John Abraham, this reviewer clearly sees why he’s a go-to star for this style of film, bringing not only his very impressive physical presence to the screen, but also a keen sense of comic timing and delivery suited to Kabir’s character. Honestly, it reminds me of the deft blending of laughs and bravado Arnold Schwarzenegger brought to films, and Abraham more than fits the bill here on all fronts. Likewise, Dhawan is adept at both action and comedic antics, and his character of Junaid gets the opportunity to start off as a screw-up and end up one of the heroes here. All smooth talking and clownish behavior, the transformation Junaid journeys through here is fun and endearing, given the character’s overall demeanor. Fernandez lights things up with a serious amount of amusing sass and toughness in her role as Ishika. She plays well off the boys, whom at times she has right in her pocket!
Khanna plays the exact type of villain and story like this requires, and he brings to Wagah both true menace and the overconfident air so many negative characters carry until the jig is up. Saleem, in the time he gets to spend onscreen, is perfect for the character of Viraj as well, able to embody the confident star athlete while still providing him with a grounded, down-to-earth side as well, despite choices made here that are questionable. Add in cameos by Nargis Fakhri, Parineeti Chopra, and an absolutely hilarious appearance by the awesome Akshay Kumar, “Dishoom” is like the Bollywood equivalent of a Hollywood summer event film, but with Hindi cinema’s unique flare, and is just flat out entertaining.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
Sounds like a fun fun movie. Can’t wait to see:)