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Race 3 Review: Minus Any Sharp Thrills, Salman Khan & Co. Fail To Finish This Race 'Saif'ly!
Race 3 lacks the edginess of its predessors. The twists here ain't razor sharp to get you a thrilling kick. All glitz and brawns and no food for the grey cells break hearts.
Mid-way through a song amidst the snow-capped mountains, Salman Khan shaves his 'weird' goatee and moustache with a Swiss knife in just one swap while you have Jacqueline Fernandez fluttering her eyelashes and smiling coy! Wondering what just happened? Me too while this scene played out in Race 3. But wait, there's some more to come!
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Many eyebrows were raised when the makers decided to rope in Salman in place of Saif Ali Khan in this latest film in the 'Race' franchise. Does Bhai's star power helps this vehicle to reach its finishing line? Let's find out here.
What's In The Plot
The film opens with the oldest member from the 'Race' franchise making his entry. This time, Anil Kapoor isn't your Inspector Robert D'Cousta who solved cases with fruit as his steady companion. Instead, you see him here as Shamsher Singh, a mafia big-shot who deals in illegal arms and ammunition. Mind you, he's sharp as his suit. Minutes later, a voice-over introduces us to the Singh family tree.
Shamsher has twin kids, Suraj (Saqib Saleem) and Sanjana (Daisy Shah). When not hangin' around a bar, they spend most of the time referring each other as 'Bro' and sulking over their ill fate. What's Race without a step-sibling? So, there you have half-brother Sikander (Salman Khan) whose favourite past-time is donning a wingsuit and jumping from skyscapers putting even Superman to shame and breaking into random Bhojpuri.
Sikander has a Man Friday Yash (Bobby Deol) who is ready to take even a bullet for him. Enter Jessica (Jacqueline Fernandez). She promises to rings in a twist. Meanwhile, Suraj and Sanjana are tired of 'Siku' Sikander and are busy plotting to pack him off. But hey folks, things ain't suppose to be that easy in this land!
Remo D'Souza- The Man Calling The Shots
Oh Abbas-Mastan! Where are you? That's the first thought which popped in my mind post the film. I craved for their signature twists and turns throughout. The men in white were missed terribly here. Remo is saddled here with a wafer-thin plot. No amount of direction can save a badly-written piece. Period.
Shiraz Ahmed's dialogues are awful and make you laugh for all the wrong reasons.
Salman Khan As Sikander
Dropping his shirt to show off his chiselled bod. Check. Making a passing reference to marriage. Check. A caped superhero act. Check. Donning a ganji and his signature turquoise bracelet and serading his love interest amidst the snow-capped mountains and icy blue lakes. Check. Going all blazing guns. Check.
Salman tries every trick from his book to make the film work. Unfortunately, he 'khan't do it alone here. Most of time, the actor struts around cluesless trying to make out sense of what's given to him to enact.
Jacqueline Fernandez As Jessica
A twist revolving around Jacqueline's character at the start is so lame that even a small kid can decipher it. The actress tries to make up for her limited acting skills with a hot bod and some pole-dancing.
Anil Kapoor As Shamsher
The man who turns out to be the only 'lambi race ka ghoda'. Anil stands tall even when the script fails him. How we wished, we could see more of him on screen!
Bobby Deol As Yash
Here's some not-so-good news for all Bobby Deol fans! It is only towards the climax that it looks that it dawned on the makers that Race 3 was supposed to be a kind of 'comeback' for him. So in, they make him and Bhai show off their bronzed bodies in the desert. Too late, we are already all 'yawns'.
Daisy Shah As Sanjana
Surprisingly, Daisy pulls off her desi Lara Croft quite convincingly. Unfortunately, the damage occurs when she's given to mouth some ridiculous dialogues that hardly make sense. Remember 'our business is our business, none of your business?' Trust me, Race 3 has a truck load of such gems that will make you want to sink your seats forever.
Saqib Saleem As Suraj
While the actor looks all dapper in his formal suits, he fails to score when it comes to the acting department.
The Rest Of The Cast
Freddy Daruwala gets very limited scope to perform. One of the finest talents, late actor Narendra Jha makes a fleeting appearance. Sharad Saxena pulls off whatever is offered to him.
Technical Aspects
Ayananka Bose's cinematography is the only saving grace. His frames brighten up things when there ain't sunshine. At a run-time of around 2 hours and 45 minutes, Race 3 is a tedious watch for a thriller. Steven Bernand should have done a bit more 'chop-chop' with his scissors.
Tom Struther doesn't get enough material to load in some memorable action. Nevertheless, there are few scenes that mark a mark. A word of caution- do not expect a 'Tiger Zinda Hai' here!
Music
One of the biggest sore-point of Race 3 are its songs. 'Selfish' and 'I Found Love' are forgetable and simply add minutes to the run-time. Heeriye is foot-thumping. A wave of nostagia hits in when 'Allah Duhai Hai' plays. 'Party Chale On' is passable.
Watch Out
What's Yay: Action scenes, Anil Kapoor, Salman Khan when he finally gets to drop his shirt
What's Nay: Dialogues, Plot
Popcorn Refill: Interval
Iconic Moment: Jacqueline Fernandez and Daisy Shah's fight sequence did grab our attention but sadly, the scene lasted only for few minutes. A twist in the end succeeded in taking us by surprise.
Verdict
In a nutshell, Race 3 lacks the edginess of its predecessors. The twists here ain't razor sharp to get you a thrilling kick. At one point, Jaqueline's Jessica says, "Itne saare jhatke, when is this going to end man!" There you said it, girl!" All glitz and brawns and no food for the grey cells break hearts. Salman Khan fails to take this star-driven vehicle safely to the finishing mark. A not-so-perfect Eidi! I am going with one and half stars.
