Yes, the sizzling pair of Hritik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai is definitely HOT in the movie Dhoom 2 but the movie itself is not so much praiseworthy From the blog body: “Ash is definitely hot in the movie,” I wrote, “and she herself feels that in a scene when she asks ‘don’t you feel hot?’ to her ‘partner in crime’ while taking off clothes after stealing a sword from a museum.” I know Sunahari of Dhoom 2 isn’t the Paroo of Devdas.
I am talking about Dhoom 2. I had no plan to write this blog on the movie but the comment I got from Sudeep Shrestha, my colleague in the business bureau of Kantipur daily where I work as a reporter, this morning propelled me type these words. I wanted to write what I felt and I did just that in Kantipur. That was more of my personal impression of the film then a standard review. My opinion is that the film isn’t as good as everybody is portraying it to be.
Everybody is praising about Dhoom 2, including Sudeep, a great fan of Hindi movies and a keen follower Nepali film industry. He put the Dhoom 2 in the list of top three movies in the year: Rang De Basanti, Lage Raho Munna Bhai and Dhoom 2. So far I have trusted his criticism of the movies and found him accurate in judging films. Be it in the technical aspect or the directorial perspective. This time I couldn’t. I enjoyed Dhoom 2 but didn’t find it to be one of the best movies of the year, definitely not one of the top three movies of the year. I think I am going against the tide by criticizing Dhoom 2. Let it be.
Hritik Roshan in the movie Dhoom 2. His dance is one of the major attractions in the film.
By taking the cop to Brazil following the thief the film poorly tries to expose the Indian ambition of wanting to become a global player. We know Indian economy is growing phenomenally and with that the Indian aspirating of becoming a global player is growing in the same rate. But the time hasn’t arrived yet that they can send their investigators around the world and run an operation. We have seen in Hollywood movies the American FBI running international missions in countries thousands of miles away from home. They are perfect and seem convincing given the widespread American influence around the world. But I found some flaws in the execution of that part in Dhoom 2. It doesn’t seem suitable.
Sudeep wrote in a Short Text Message: “Disagree. Who cares suhaunchha ki suhaunna [suits or not as long as] it entertains. [I am] not talking about bike chasing [which was better] in first part [but] Mr. A is high-tech thief who does miracles. Bollywood is doing great whether in RDB or D2. Do not expect realism in film.”
Abhishek Bachchan in Dhoom 2
My other complain about the movie was lack of originality. The star cast lineup is great. The pair of blue eyed Hritik and Ash is superb. The dancing skill of Hritik Roshan is awesome. But the ‘originality’ ends here. For those who have seen Mission Impossible series, XXX or any Bond movies, Dhoom 2 constantly reminds them various scenes from the previously mentioned movies. That’s what I felt. Even Aishworya Rai’s much talked about blue bikini, I read in this website this morning, is copied from “the one worn by a popular UK model Keeley Hazell and featured in her official calendar”. How can you put this movie in the same list where Rang De Basanti and Lage Raho Munna Bhai are featured? RDB and LRMB are original stories or presentation from the Indian perspective. Nevertheless, the film is a total fun and a great time pass. I must admit I enjoyed watching it.
Okay, I have praised the Ash outlook through a quote in my Kantipur write up. “Ash is definitely hot in the movie,” I wrote, “and she herself feels that in a scene when she asks ‘don’t you feel hot?’ to her ‘partner in crime’ while taking off clothes after stealing a sword from a museum.” I know Sunahari of Dhoom 2 isn’t the Paroo of Devdas. Aishworya Rai’s glamour, which used to be hidden in long saris and make ups in the movies like Devdas or Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam is now exposed in Dhoom 2 where she wears short clothes and appears hip. The talk of her new outlook is the only thing that I feel is attracting audiences to theaters.
This blog was written on Tuesday, 28 November and was first published in the blog: Topics from 192 countries. Here is another impression of Dhoom 2 on Zade Xpress.
Here is what I wrote in Kantipur:
सुनहरीको जादु
‘फ्रन्ट स्टलको मात्रै छ,’ सोमबार दिउँसो राजधानीको जय नेपाल हलमा फोन गर्दा जवाफ आयो- ‘त्यो पनि केहीबेरमा सकिन बेर छैन ।’ सहरमा ऐश्वर्याको धूम छ र दर्शकहरू चलचित्र ‘धूम-२’ हेर्न हलमा झुम्मिएका छन् । हल हाउसफुल भएका छन्, गफमा ऐश्वर्या छाएकी छन् । ‘केटाहरूले झन्डै ढुंगा हानेका !’ बाराही मुभिजमा दुई दिनअघि उक्त फिल्म हेरेका एक तन्नेरीले भने- ‘टिकट नपाएर ।’ त्यति भनेपछि उनले सिनेमाका डायलग सुनाउन थाले, ‘ऐडा’ भनेको के हो अन लागे । ऐश्वर्याको प्रशंसा गर्न त के चुक्थे !
आफ्ना अघिल्ला सिनेमाका तुलनामा कम कपडा पहिरिएकी र वजन घटाएकी ऐश्वर्यालाई धूम-२ मा धेरैले ‘हट’ पाएका छन् । ‘डन्ट यु फिल हट ?’ साहसिक चोरीमा एउटा संग्रहालयबाट तरबार उडाएपछि कालो रङका कपडा उतार्दै उनी आफ्ना पार्टनर ‘इन क्राइम’ अर्थात् अपराधका मित्रलाई प्रश्न गर्छिन् ।
भारतीय प्रहरी एउटा शैलीवान् चोरलाई पछ्याउँदै ब्राजिलसम्म पुग्दा अकासिँदो आर्थिक वृद्धिदरसँगै पलाएको विश्वव्यापी बन्ने भारतीय चाहना फिल्ममा अप्ठेरो लाग्ने किसिमले झल्किन्छ । हलिउड सिनेमामा अमेरिकी अनुसन्धान संस्था एफबीआईले विदेशी भूमिमा गएर खोजी गरेको सन्दर्भले अमेरिकाको विश्वव्यापी प्रभावको प्रतिनिधित्व गर्छन् । धूम-२ मा पनि त्यस्तै गर्न खोजिएको छ, जुन कताकता नसुहाउँदो लाग्न सक्छ । हलिउडका टम क्रुज अभिनीत ‘मिसन इम्पोसिबल’ शृंखला हेर्नेहरूलाई कताकता त्यसको झल्को मिलेपछि धेरै दर्शकले ऐश्वर्या र हृतिकको जमेको जोडीका कारण फिल्मको शैलीलाई ‘कुल’ पाउने छन् । जोडी त जमेको छ नि, नीला आँखा भएका र सिनेमामा पहिलोपटक सँगै प्रस्तुत भएका दुई मुख्य पात्रको ! अब त्यो लजाउँदै गरिएको चुम्बनलाई पनि कसरी बिर्सनु ! नृत्यमा हृतिकलाई कसले भेट्टाओस् ! ‘कृश’ मा उडन्ते पात्रको भूमिकामा देखिएका नायकले यसमा पनि एक्सनप्रधान दृश्यमा क्षमता देखाएका छन् ।
मोटरसाइकल लखेटाइ सासै थमाउने खालको छैन तर त्यसबाट निस्कने आवाजले ‘थि्रल’ अनुभव दिलाउँछ । मुख्य कथा चोर-पुलिसकै हो तर बीचमा प्रेमकथा पनि छ, जसले दर्शकको संवेदनालाई समाउँछ । हलिउड सिनेमाका दर्शकलाई ‘धूम-२’ प्रयुक्त स्पेसल इफेक्ट खासै ‘कुल’ नलाग्न सक्छन् । त्यसैले ‘रंग दे वसन्ती’ जस्तो आफ्नै खाले कथावस्तु खोज्नेहरू यसबाट निराश हुन सक्छन् । फिल्म पक्का टाइम पास छ, कमै मात्र चिनिएका उदय चोपडाको पात्रले बेलाबेला हाँसो सिर्जना गर्छ ।
सञ्चारमाध्यमहरूमा स्त्री पात्रहरूको जतिसुकै चर्चा भए पनि तथा पत्रिकाहरूमा जतिसुकै ठूला र ग्ल्यामरस फोटा छापिए पनि भारतीय अभिनेत्रीहरू आपmनै नामबाट सिनेमा चलाउने हैसियतमा पुगिसकेका छैनन् ।
‘धूम-२’ को हकमा भने त्यो सोचमा हल्का परिवर्तन आएको देखिन्छ । यसपालि धेरै दर्शकले ‘ऐश्वर्याको फिल्म हेर्न जाने’ भनेको केही भारतीय लेखमा उल्लेख छ भने काठमाडौंमा ‘धूम-२’ बारे चर्चाहरूमा ऐश्वर्याको नयाँ स्वरूपले बढी स्थान लिने गरेको पाइएको छ । लामो सारी या प्रशस्त मेकअपमा ऐश्वर्याको ग्ल्यामर लुकेको छैन यो सिनेमामा । पारो र सुनहरूमा धेरै फरक छ । सुनहरी अर्थात् सुनौली केटीका रूपमा उनले आफ्नो छवि यसरी प्रस्तुत गरेकी छन् कि परम्परागत रूपमा ‘सेक्स बम’ मानिने पो पूरै छायामा परेकी छन् ! ऐश्वर्याको प्रशंसा या चर्चा उनको अभिनय क्षमताका कारण निश्चयै भएको होइन, केवल उनको बदलिएको छविको समाचारले दर्शकलाई फिल्म हेर्न प्रेरित गरेजस्तो देखिन्छ ।
फिल्ममै पनि एक ठाउँमा महिलालाई अनुभव गर्नै सकिने गरी पुरुषको तुलनामा कमजोर र असहाय देखाइएको छ । जस्तो- आर्यन (हृतिक) का तुलनामा सुनहरी राम्ररी बास्केटबल डि्रबल गर्न पनि सक्दिन, स्कोर गर्नु त परै जावस् । पुरुष पात्रलाई महिलाका तुलनामा त्यसरी अब्बल देखाइनुमा निर्देशकको उद्देश्य ‘हिरो’ लाई बढी क्षमतावान् प्रमाणित गर्नु हुन सक्छ तर ठ्याक्कै त्यही कुरा महिलालाई कमजोर प्राणीका रूपमा नदेखाई पनि गर्न सकिन्थ्यो ।
फिल्मका यस्ता अपुग पक्षले भने बक्स अफिसमा प्रभाव पार्ने देखिँदैन किनकि ऐश्वर्या कत्तिकी हट देखिएकी छन् भन्ने जान्ने चाहना सम्भावित दर्शकहरूमा अचम्मै पार्ने खालको छ । त्यसैले आउँदा केही दिनमा काठमाडौंका हलमा ढिलो फोन गर्नेले टिकट फ्रन्ट स्टलकै पाउने छन् ।
Dinesh Wagle on Nepali Society 