A super starcast, a Yash Chopra production, a successful prequel, what does one expect when walking into the cinema? Of course fireworks.
Kya khaas baat thi iss movie mein that i dragged myself to the cinema 20 minutes early?
There could be many answers for this. Just to name a few: the high profile starcast, the first ever Hrithik-Aishwarya jodi to be seen on screen, the glossy outlook and let's not forget the spectacular trailer.
I did wonder why, unlike other movies, Dhoom 2 only played a couple of trailers on air. Now i realise, this is because all the major action sequences were captured in the one theatrical trailer, leaving the viewer with little left to see at the cinema.
The movie had its fair shair of funny moments, with Uday Chopra taking away the award for clown of the year. It seems as though the 'funny guy' role is tailored for none other than Uday Chopra - he should just stick to these type of roles, rather than the lead hero loverboy roles, e.g. as in Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai.
I hate to say this, but i thought Aishwarya was not looking as beautiful as she was in her previous movies, e.g. Umrao Jaan. She apparently shed quite abit of weight and toned up for Dhoom 2, but for some reason Bipasha stole the limelight when it came to flashing your body. As for the ladies eyes, i'm told Hrithik is a visual treat throughout the movie.
In performances, there only seems to be one winner, and that is Hrithik Roshan. He stole the show without doubt with his negative role, and if comparisons are made with John Abraham in the first Dhoom, then John has got to take a backseat for sure. It seems as though Hrithik has made himself a reputation now as Bollywood's action man, especially after the success of Krrish.
The movie had its plus points for sure, for example the exotic location - Brazil - one never explored before by a bollywood director. The action sequences were relatively poor, i don't want to write an essay on this factor of the movie (but believe me, if i had the time and energy, i can!) but it's so not worth it. I'll just give you a small example from the movie - how could seven guards not spot a robotic instrument, the size of a shoe box, travelling between their feet, and not only this, it then opens up and removes a diamond from its position, and the guards are left staring into space waiting for santa to come down with a solution... and the thief gets away.
The final word... had Dhoom 2 released two years ago it may have registered positively with me. However, we must note, it is 2006, the film industry is changing, the viewers demands are higher; with blockbusters like Krrish and Don already released this year, the average viewer would be expecting something on that level or near atleast, when it comes to action sequences - and in particular if action is the main area of the film - but sadly, Dhoom 2 dissapoints and is not on par with its predecessors.
In Abhishek's words...
'Aashiqon ka janaaza bhare dhoom say niklay ga', lekin uss say pehle dhoom ka janaaza box office par dhoom dhaam say niklay ga!
Dhoom Again? Please don't.
My Rating: 5/10
Now that we're through with the diwali phase of blockbusters, promotion is heavily under way for Baabul. The expections will be quite high this time around, considering the huge success of Baghban. Here is the first trailer ('Baawari Piya Ki'), which can be viewed by clicking on the following link: http://d.indiafm.com/videos/ram/06/baabulpromo220.ram 
It's time we reflect back three years to Baghban. The wave of emotions that movie created across south asian families was incredible. It is probably the most admired family movie we have come across over the years. Everything about the movie was admirable, from the music to the story, but most importantly, the reason why Baghban won the hearts of millions, was because the movie had a moral and was an out and out family movie.
Now, Ravi Chopra (director) comes back with another family movie, sure to be packed with emotions, which will in my opinion definitely register positively with the asian audience, for we all know how highly family values are respected in our society.
The title Baabul, when translated into english means Father; i'm predicting the movie will be dominated by Amitabh, you can expect another powerful performance from the king of bollywood. But one to watch out for in Baabul is John Abraham, he's a star on the rise at the moment in Bollywood, having bagged a few biggies, including Salaam-e-Ishq, which releases a month after Baabul. How will he fair against the presence of macho man Salman Khan? Only time will tell who steals the limelight in Baabul.
Will Baabul recreate the Baghban magic? Yes, i think it will!
Here is the theatrical trailer, which was first aired alongside the screenings of Jaan-e-mann and Don.