Movie Review HINDI RACE 3 The movie’s hypocrisy, lack of cohesion and confounding
storytelling make it a comedy, at best. You actually enjoy laughing at its vapid, pea-brained and moronic presentation!
By Sindhu Ravuri Junior, Bio Medical Engineering, UC Berkeley
Shamsher must rely on his family to carry out an intri- cate(?) blackmail to be successful. How the heist brings the Singhs’ intrafamilial tensions to the surface forms the crux of the story. Race 3, like its predecessors, hinges on serpentine
Starring: Anil Kapoor, Salman Khan, Jacqueline Fernandez, Bobby Deol, Daisy Shah, Saqib Saleem, Freddy Daruwala.
Direction: Remo D'Souza Music: Salim Sulaiman
twists in its plot’s road, but it’s incon- sistent messaging completely disen- gages you. From the dramatic musical score, unexplained pauses in dialogue, and intense dosage of slow motion, it feels as if director Remo D’Souza wants to clearly demonstrate or impress something upon you in each scene. But those messages often con- tradict one another. Is he saying that women can fight alongside men with equal impact, as long as their hair stays luscious and bodies desirable? Or that women can be astute and loyal government agents, but are inter- changeable romantic pieces? Or that
siblings are invaluable, as long as they aren’t your step- siblings? Or that familial morals and compassion is essential, but killing anyone who interferes with busi- ness is, normal? Or, is the film trying to ask how many impressive acrobatics can you fit into an hour? How can we re-imagine Heer-Ranjha’s love story through party music? Just like my line of questioning, this film jarring- ly derails into completely unrelated territory from where it stood a few seconds prior. It’s hypocrisy, lack of cohe- sion and confounding storytelling make it a comedy, at best. Even when Salman Khan makes his big, dramatic entry, you can’t help but laugh — as if Bollywood has run out of ways to introduce their big stars and must now resort to completely unforeseen and unnatural methodologies. What Race 3 lacks that the first, or even second Race embraced, is not-so-engaging, taut, thrilling narrative. Race 3 does too much talking for itself. In the first two films of this franchise, the effortless glamor, the seduc- tive romance, and the arrogant dialogue fit into the frame. These things are part of the story without being the story. But in Race 3, the first twenty minutes exists primarily to establish the glitz and violent power of the
Watching Race 3 was an inscrutable, hazy, and con- founding experience. One second, I am happily sur- prised by the female characters’ lengthy, complex action sequences. The next, I am horrified as that action sequence devolves into an inexplicable dance battle with punches in between splits. One second, I am surprised by an intriguing, and admittedly unforeseen, turn of events at film’s climax. The next, I am yet again horrified as Bobby Deol and Salman Khan rip their shirts off in slow motion. Race 3 is the story of Shamsher Singh (Anil Kapoor), a prominent arms dealer shunned from his Allahabad hometown due to his enmity with local politicians. He has re-built his business and home in Al-Shifa, an island in the Middle East, where, with the help of his loyal henchman Yash (Bobby Deol), he raises his stepson, Sikander (Salman Khan), and his twins, Sanjana (Daisy Shah) and Suraj (Saqib Saleem). Shamsher perpetually entrusts the professional and familial responsibilities, wealth and authority in Sikander, inciting intense vitriol and bitterness from Sanjana and Suraj. Eventually, when an opportunity to return to his hometown arises,
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