Dhoom
| Dhoom | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Sanjay Gadhvi |
| Written by | Vijay Krishna Acharya |
| Story by | Aditya Chopra |
| Produced by | Aditya Chopra |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Nirav Shah |
| Edited by | Rameshwar S. Bhagat |
| Music by | Original Songs: Pritam Background Score: Salim–Sulaiman |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Yash Raj Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 129 minutes[1] |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
| Budget | est.₹110 million[2] |
| Box office | est.₹ 724.7 million[3] |
Dhoom (transl. Blast) is a 2004 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Sanjay Gadhvi and produced by Aditya Chopra, who wrote the story with the script by Vijay Krishna Acharya, under Yash Raj Films. The film stars Abhishek Bachchan, John Abraham, Uday Chopra, Esha Deol and Rimi Sen. It is the first installment of the Dhoom franchise. The cinematography and editing were handled by Nirav Shah and Rameshwar S. Bhagat, while the soundtrack and score were composed by Pritam and Salim–Sulaiman respectively.
Dhoom was the first action film produced by Yash Raj Films since Yash Chopra's Vijay. The film revolves around a gang of robbers on motorbikes, led by Kabir (Abraham), who carry out robberies in Mumbai, while a cop Jai Dixit (Bachchan) and a motorbike dealer Ali Akbar Fateh Khan (Chopra) are assigned to stop Kabir and his gang.
Dhoom was released on 27 August 2004 to mixed reviews from critics, with praise for its performances, action sequences, and soundtrack, but criticism for its script, and it was negatively compared to other Hollywood franchises like Fast and Furious, Death Race, and Ocean's. The film became a commercial success by grossing over ₹290 million (US$3.3 million) in India, thus becoming the third highest-grossing Indian film of 2004. It has also achieved cult status over the years since its release.[4][5]
At the 50th Filmfare Awards, Dhoom received 6 nominations, including Best Film, Best Villain (Abraham) and Best Music Director (Pritam), and won 2 awards – Best Editing and Best Sound Design.
The film spawned a film series with its sequels titled Dhoom 2 (2006) and Dhoom 3(2013), where Bachchan and Chopra reprise their roles as Jai Dixit and Ali Akbar Khan.
Plot
[edit]In Mumbai, a series of daring heists are carried out by a gang of motorcyclists who target banks and armored vehicles before escaping via the Western Express Highway. The case is initially handled by Inspector Shekhar Sharma, who fails to make progress. Assistant commissioner of police Jai Dixit, a determined and strategic officer, is brought in to lead the investigation.
Jai enlists the help of Ali, a small-time street racer and garage owner, after witnessing his riding skills during an altercation in a grey market area. Though initially suspected to be part of the gang, Ali is cleared after a heist occurs while he is in custody. Realizing the gang's escape routes are always within close proximity to the highway, Jai deduces their next target.
The gang is led by the intelligent and composed Kabir, whose associates—Rahul, Rohit, Tony, and Sheena—maintain low profiles by posing as pizza delivery workers. During a heist at Bandra Kurla Complex, the gang escapes, but one member is injured, and their loot is recovered by Jai. Following a confrontation with Kabir, Jai is challenged to stop the gang at their next heist. Despite careful planning, the gang outsmarts the police again, but one member, Rohit, is killed.
Jai suspects Ali of betrayal when the gang successfully escapes during a concert robbery. Feeling let down, Jai ends their alliance and resigns from the force. Kabir later recruits Ali to replace Rohit in the gang. However, it is revealed that Ali is still working with Jai undercover.
The gang relocates to Goa to execute one final heist at a major casino on New Year’s Eve. The robbery is successful, but they soon realize it was a trap set by Jai. Kabir escapes with the remaining members and Sheena, who is later revealed to be held hostage by Ali. Kabir violently attacks Ali, but Jai intervenes just in time. In the final chase, the gang is eliminated except for Kabir, who, cornered with no way out, chooses to end his life by riding off a cliff into the sea.
The film concludes with Jai and Ali resuming their friendly banter, hinting at the bond formed between them during the course of the case.
Cast
[edit]- Abhishek Bachchan as A.C.P Jai Dixit
- John Abraham as Kabir Sharma
- Uday Chopra as Sub Inspector Ali Akbar Fateh Khan
- Esha Deol as Sheena Rai, only female member in Kabir's gang
- Rimi Sen as Sweety Dixit, Jai's wife
- Manoj Joshi as Shekhar Sharma
- Aarav Chowdhary as Rahul, Kabir's second-in-command
- Farid Amiri as Tony
- Mehul Bhojak as Manu
- Rohit Chopra as Rohit
- Palash Dutta as Chottu
- Sanjay Keni as Munna
- Ajay Pande as Vinod
- Ayesha Raza as Sunaina
- Yusuf Hussain as Commissioner of Police
- Tata Young as herself in the song "Dhoom Dhoom" (cameo appearance)
Production
[edit]Aditya Chopra initially had car chases in mind instead of bikes, but Sanjay Gadhvi convinced him otherwise as the rider's faces can be seen, and he had a craze for bikes in his youth.[6]
Soundtrack
[edit]Pritam composed the songs for Dhoom while Salim–Sulaiman composed the original score. The title track "Dhoom Dhoom" was released in a remixed version song by the Thai-American singer Tata Young. The song and its music video featuring Tata Young proved to be a major hit in India during 2004 and 2005. The original song was sung by Sunidhi Chauhan. Other tracks on the soundtrack included "Dilbara," "Dilbar Shikdum," and "Salaame Salaame," sung by singers like KK, Abhijeet Bhattacharya, Shaan and Kunal Ganjawala. The lyrics were penned by Sameer. According to the Indian trade website Box Office India, with around 22,00,000 units sold, this film's soundtrack album was the year's third highest-selling.[7]
Reception
[edit]Box office
[edit]Dhoom emerged as a commercial success at the box office and ended up netting about Rs. 4.5 crores from the Mumbai circuit in 2004.[4] Its gross net amount in India was ₹29 crore (US$3.3 million), and its lifetime worldwide adjusted gross is ₹72.5 crore (US$8.3 million).[3][8][9][10] Overseas gross of Dhoom stands at US$2 million with its U.S. gross at $330,400.
Critical response
[edit]Rajesh Karkera of Rediff.com said that "Dhoom does have a few loopholes, but the film's fast-paced energy is more than enough to ensure your eyes don't stir from the screen for two-and-a-half hours." On the performance side, Chopra "steals the show," and Bachchan is "impressive as the cool and confident cop. Abraham stalks through his role with ease. Deol and Sen only need to look beautiful in their limited presence in this sweat 'n' leather flick." [11] Chitra Mahesh from The Hindu said that the film takes the genre of The Fast and the Furious, Ocean's Eleven and similar others, and wrote that "the actions scenes are extremely well done with zooms and pacy editing, while the music is more raucous than melodious." Appreciating the acting, she said, "Chopra is delightful. Bachchan as Jai does his role with style and grit and is proving to be a wonderful actor. Abraham looks terrific and suits the role of the mean-but-savvy thief." [12]
Time Out critic stated: "Shamelessly ripping off plot ideas and entire sequences from Tango & Cash, Lethal Weapon, The Fast and Furious, Ocean's Eleven and Thelma and Louise, this energetic and surprisingly enjoyable nonsense zooms along at full-throttle, braking only for the peppy songs." [13] Rating 3 out of 5, David Parkinson from Radio Times called it a "slick and stylish Indian drama" and wrote: "Style unashamedly triumphs over substance throughout, but the story rattles along and the set pieces are very slickly staged ... this rousing adventure owes as much to Hollywood and Hong Kong as it does to the crime classics of the 1970s." [14] Omar Ahmed from Empire rated 2 in 5 and said that "Clearly regarding itself as Bollywood's answer to The Fast and The Furious, director Gadhvi's latest marks a departure for studio Yash Raj Films. Sadly, it's not the good kind of departure, with the studio abandoning its usually innovative approach and replacing it with an anxious attempt to blind its audience with style... Another film that falls into the classic trap of trying to beat Hollywood at its own game instead of focusing on its primary strength—cultural uniqueness," but opined that the actors' performances are remarkable.[15]
Taran Adarsh of IndiaFM rated 1.5 out of 5, and said: "Dhoom has gloss, but no substance. Dhoom has style, but no script. Dhoom has thrills in abundance, but the outcome is least exciting. In short, Dhoom ranks amongst YRF's weakest films" and that the film relies "too heavily on thrills," the bike chase in the story are "far more interesting than the story itself. In fact, all you remember at the end of the show are some expertly-executed chases [Allan Amin], not the drama"; the film also seems to take inspirations from The Fast and The Furious and Biker Boyz.[16] Calling Dhoom a "testosterone-overdose", Anupama Chopra of India Today wrote that "Dhoom is adolescent heaven-fast bikes, hot babes, tons of kick-ass action with no-strings-attached ... But there are lots of trendy split screenshots of shiny bikes burning rubber and fast-paced stunts involving boats and trucks. Not to mention sexy songs with water hoses. Acting isn't the point here either. The performances are pure posture."[17]
Accolades
[edit]Real-life influence
[edit]Several bank robberies happened shortly after the film released in the similar style as shown in the film.[22]
References
[edit]- ^ "DHOOM (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. 23 August 2004. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
- ^ "Dhoom 2 set to make big splash".
- ^ a b "Top Lifetime Grossers 2000-2009 (Figures in Ind Rs)". Box Office India. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
- ^ a b "Box Office 2004". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2009.
- ^ "As Dhoom Clocks 15 Years, Esha Deol Shares a Heartfelt Long Note Celebrating the Film". News18. 29 August 2019. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
- ^ Ashraf, Syed Firdaus (26 August 2004). "People will love Dhoom!". Rediff.com. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
- ^ "Music Hits 2000–2009 (Figures in Units)". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 15 February 2008.
- ^ "Dhoom Box Office Collection | India | Day Wise | Box Office – Bollywood Hungama". Bollywood Hungama. 16 June 2023. Archived from the original on 4 December 2013.
- ^ "Yash Raj Films". Archived from the original on 11 November 2006.
- ^ "Home".
- ^ "Dhoom mach gaya!".
- ^ Mahesh, Chitra (3 September 2004). ""Dhoom"". The Hindu. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
- ^ "Dhoom". Time Out. 2004. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
- ^ Parkinson, David (August 2004). "Dhoom – review". Radio Times. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
- ^ Ahmed, Omar (1 January 2000). "Dhoom Review". Empire. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
- ^ Adarsh, Taran (27 August 2004). "Dhoom : Movie Review". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
- ^ Chopra, Anupama (13 September 2004). "Film review: 'Dhoom' starring Abhishek Bachchan, John Abraham, Uday Chopra". India Today. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
- ^ "Filmfare Awards 2005 Winners". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
- ^ "Archive Details". IIFA. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
- ^ bollywoodproduct (10 May 2022). "11th Screen Awards 2005". Bollywood Product. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
- ^ "Sunfeast Zee Cine Awards 2005 - 8th Zee Cine Awards & Winners". www.awardsandshows.com. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
- ^ "Cops apply brakes on 'Dhoom' style robbers". The Times of India. 30 November 2004. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
External links
[edit]- Dhoom at IMDb
- Dhoom at Bollywood Hungama
- Dhoom at Box Office Mojo
- Dhoom at Rotten Tomatoes
- 2004 films
- Dhoom (franchise)
- 2004 action thriller films
- Indian action thriller films
- 2000s Hindi-language films
- Films directed by Sanjay Gadhvi
- Films set in Mumbai
- Films shot in Mumbai
- Indian heist films
- Yash Raj Films films
- Films featuring songs by Pritam
- Fictional portrayals of the Maharashtra Police
- 2000s heist films
- Outlaw biker films