Quite a movie, this! I can assert with confidence that this is ‘The Best’ movie from the Abbas – Mustan stable. I have watched practically all their movies and ‘The Race’ stands out from the rest for the sheer audacity of the plot. It reminded me of the Hollywood movie ‘Wild Things’ which featured Matt Dillon, Kevin Bacon and Denise Richards. The highlight of that movie was the amazing yet logical twists and turns which kept me hooked onto my seat. Same with Race.

 

So, right from the beginning, you have a thriller with two brothers at each other’s throats and stooping to unimaginable lows in an attempt to get the upper hand. What I really liked about the movie was the fact that the plot takes you into uncharted territories as far as Bollywood cinema goes. It explores the theme of sibling rivalry and its various implications in quite a believable manner.

 

Again, the film does not depend solely on the climax to satisfy the thrill factor but provides generous doses at regular intervals. In other words, it dispenses with the conventional climax of most thrillers and changes our perception of what a mystery movie should be all about. Quite commendable, actually.

 

Among the cast, Akshaye Khanna dazzled with his portrayal of the unscrupulous younger brother. All the Abbas-Mustan movies he has acted in are variations of the same character but inspite of this, he manages to make the role interesting and engrossing. I think he is one heck of an actor and should exploit his talent by experimenting with diverse roles, the way he did in Gandhi, My Father.

 

Saif Ali Khan was dependable, as usual, though he did not have as meaty a role as Akshaye. To his credit, however, he gave a very subtle performance and did not go overboard as any lesser actor might so easily have done. Bipasha Basu and Katrina Kaif were both disappointing in the movie. The more you see their emotive inability, the more you miss heroines like Sridevi and Madhuri Dixit.

 

And finally, what were Anil Kapoor and Sameera Reddy doing in this movie anyway? It seemed as if their roles had been etched with minimal care. It came across as a clumsy attempt to replicate the whole Karamchand- Kitty act with the aim of infusing some humor into the script, but it failed miserably. Their characters came across as vulgar and inane and they totally got onto my nerves. I think the film makers should have done away with both these characters as well as the song and dance sequences which hampered the flow of the movie.

 

All in all, however, it is a good movie.  Abbas-Mastan have finally lived up to the reputation of mystery movie makers and so I would highly recommend this movie if you want to get your money’s worth.