In 2008, the Race series rolled out its first venture produced by the brother duo of Abbas and Mastaan– this was when the franchise itself wasn’t conceived, of course.
Race had quality action matched with thrill and drama to make it a well-rounded commercial success story, which also got the critics’ thumbs-up. It eventually turned out to be a blockbuster that would influence Bollywood action movies over the next decade.
Race 2 relied on pretty much most of what the first had – including the cast. And while it wasn’t quite as memorable as the original, it did establish the franchise, making a third installment’s announcement all but a formality.
That announcement did come, with choreographer Remo D’ Souza being roped in for the third time. Of course, expectations skyrocketed when it was announced that Salman Khan would be starring in Race 3 in place of Saif Ali Khan.
That makes Anil Kapoor the sole permanent fixture of the franchise, with Jacqueline Fernandez continuing from Race 2. Along with Salman Khan, first time entrants in the series are Daisy Shah, Saqib Saleem and Bobby Deol, with the latter’s comeback being a significant talking point before the film’s release.
However, what happened after the film’s release has rendered everything buzzing in the buildup rather pointless.
Race 3 is a catastrophe of epic proportions. It is a film that has managed to muster a satirical five-star review by India Today. And although IMDB is no benchmark for quality, a 2.6 rating at the most popular film forum is more than just a giveaway.
Make no mistake: Race 3 doesn’t fall in the oh-typical-brainless-Salman-Khan movie category. It’s no average hideous attempt at an entertainer – it would make Jai Ho look like The Pursuit of Happyness.
A rich old man Shamsher Singh (Anil Kapoor) is an illegal arms dealer, who trades in collaboration with his friend Yash (Bobby Deol). Interestingly, the entire family is involved in the business.
Sanjana (Daisy Shah) and Suraj (Saqib Saleem) are Shamsher’s twins, with Sikander (Salman Khan) the step-son. Sikander falls in love with Jessica (Jacqueline Fernandez), with the ante being upped on both romance and what the filmmakers thought was thrill.
The Singh family aims to execute a high-stakes heist, aiming to rob a critical hard drive from a bank. And yes, the actual story is pretty much as disjointed and senseless as it reads here.
Race 3 was always going to be an excuse to stuff volumes of action and a continuum of screen-time for Salman Khan. That is precisely what it is, except for the fact that the excuse turns out to be abysmal. Neither the action nor Salman Khan in this particular venture are nearly effective enough to salvage the project.
The music part does provide a bit of intermittent relief, but it’s hard to tell if it’s because of the songs, or because anything that would pause the film’s storyline was always going to be a welcome break.
The dialogues would be cringe-worthy had they been a bit better. As they stand, calling it unintentional humour would be extremely kind to the writing.
It’s hard to say if even the diehard Salman Khan fans would be able to sit though the film at ease, let alone enjoy it. And considering the sheer number of minutes featuring the superstar, it says everything you need to know about the film.
In short, Race 3 depicts expensive cars and sublime structures – all regularly bombarded to dust. That is also what the film is and happens to do to itself.
Were it a standalone film, we could all have just watched the debacle and moved on. But Race 3 has dented one of the most successful franchises in Bollywood, and the fourth part would have to be in line with the first two for the series to redeem itself – if anyone dares to go for Race 4 after this atrocity.
Race had quality action matched with thrill and drama to make it a well-rounded commercial success story, which also got the critics’ thumbs-up. It eventually turned out to be a blockbuster that would influence Bollywood action movies over the next decade.
Race 2 relied on pretty much most of what the first had – including the cast. And while it wasn’t quite as memorable as the original, it did establish the franchise, making a third installment’s announcement all but a formality.
That announcement did come, with choreographer Remo D’ Souza being roped in for the third time. Of course, expectations skyrocketed when it was announced that Salman Khan would be starring in Race 3 in place of Saif Ali Khan.
That makes Anil Kapoor the sole permanent fixture of the franchise, with Jacqueline Fernandez continuing from Race 2. Along with Salman Khan, first time entrants in the series are Daisy Shah, Saqib Saleem and Bobby Deol, with the latter’s comeback being a significant talking point before the film’s release.
However, what happened after the film’s release has rendered everything buzzing in the buildup rather pointless.
Race 3 is a catastrophe of epic proportions. It is a film that has managed to muster a satirical five-star review by India Today. And although IMDB is no benchmark for quality, a 2.6 rating at the most popular film forum is more than just a giveaway.
Make no mistake: Race 3 doesn’t fall in the oh-typical-brainless-Salman-Khan movie category. It’s no average hideous attempt at an entertainer – it would make Jai Ho look like The Pursuit of Happyness.
A rich old man Shamsher Singh (Anil Kapoor) is an illegal arms dealer, who trades in collaboration with his friend Yash (Bobby Deol). Interestingly, the entire family is involved in the business.
Sanjana (Daisy Shah) and Suraj (Saqib Saleem) are Shamsher’s twins, with Sikander (Salman Khan) the step-son. Sikander falls in love with Jessica (Jacqueline Fernandez), with the ante being upped on both romance and what the filmmakers thought was thrill.
The Singh family aims to execute a high-stakes heist, aiming to rob a critical hard drive from a bank. And yes, the actual story is pretty much as disjointed and senseless as it reads here.
Race 3 was always going to be an excuse to stuff volumes of action and a continuum of screen-time for Salman Khan. That is precisely what it is, except for the fact that the excuse turns out to be abysmal. Neither the action nor Salman Khan in this particular venture are nearly effective enough to salvage the project.
The music part does provide a bit of intermittent relief, but it’s hard to tell if it’s because of the songs, or because anything that would pause the film’s storyline was always going to be a welcome break.
The dialogues would be cringe-worthy had they been a bit better. As they stand, calling it unintentional humour would be extremely kind to the writing.
It’s hard to say if even the diehard Salman Khan fans would be able to sit though the film at ease, let alone enjoy it. And considering the sheer number of minutes featuring the superstar, it says everything you need to know about the film.
In short, Race 3 depicts expensive cars and sublime structures – all regularly bombarded to dust. That is also what the film is and happens to do to itself.
Were it a standalone film, we could all have just watched the debacle and moved on. But Race 3 has dented one of the most successful franchises in Bollywood, and the fourth part would have to be in line with the first two for the series to redeem itself – if anyone dares to go for Race 4 after this atrocity.