Review of Dhoom 3 (2013) by Benjamin W — 16 Nov 2018

Dhoom 3 Review - Ben Wolfe.

Dhoom 3 is an action-filled movie centered around a circus boy's plot of revenge against the bank that caused the suicide of his father. This movie is a action packed adventure that is filled with twists that are sure to capture your attention. Aamir Khan plays both Sahir and Samar Khan, and his fighting process and burly biceps are showcased throughout the movie. Abhisheck Bachchan plays the officer trying to catch Aamir. The star-studded nature of the film makes a difficult decision for the viewers: who should we root for? Dhoom 3 sets the stage with a flashback, introducing a boy, Sahir, who was a performer in his father's circus performance, known as the Great Indian Circus in Chicago. When the father could not pay off the loan, the bank took the circus from him, resulting in the father committing suicide. Fast forward to when Sahir is an adult, and we see that Sahir is stealing from the same bank to avenge his father.

Dhoom 3 displays the common Bollywood theme of strong family values and loyalty. Sahir and Samar avenge their father's death by punishing the Bank of Chicago, no matter what means are taken. It also presents the "criminal" as the protagonist, creating a bit of cognitive dissonance and allowing the viewer to give Sahir sympathy (and possibly even justification) for his actions. These Bollywood tropes are also seen in the movie Deewar, starring Abhisheck's father, Amitabh Bachchan, who plays a similar character to Sahir named Vijay. Vijay's father was ridiculed into exile while Vijay was still a little boy, leaving his family to fend for themselves. As an adult, Vijay turned to crime to gain prestige and money to provide for his mother. In both the case of Vijay and Sahir, their strong family loyalty leads them to perform objectively bad actions for the sake of their families.

However, these characters are not the villains in the movies; they were just good people in bad situations. Instead, society is the true villain because it "forced" Vijay, Sahir, and Samar into their criminal ways. Rosie Thomas presents this argument in her article, Melodrama and the Negociation of Morality, saying, "His [Vijay] crimes are mitigated by being presented as fired by desire for revenge on a corrupt society, especially as it had been particularly harsh on his beloved mother... his crimes are committed...to benefit others" (Thomas 175). Vijay was presented as a victim of society in Deewar, and Sahir and Samar are presented in a very similar way. Bollywood rewards characters who protect their family with hero-like status, and this can be seen in Dhoom 3 and Deewar alike.