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By Taran
Adarsh, March 21, 2008 - 00:21 IST
 Post
KHILADI and BAAZIGAR, Abbas-Mustan rightfully earned
the tag of being the undisputed Badshaahs of
Thrillers. They made a series of films thereafter --
of varied genres -- but every time they attempted a
thriller, the comparisons with KHILADI and BAAZIGAR
were inevitable. That’s because Abbas-Mustan couldn’t
outdo these two films ever.
The director duo’s latest offering RACE, which packs
glitz, glam and style with A-listers [on and off
screen], carries the baggage of tremendous
expectations. The stars, the stunning locales, the
breath-taking visuals, the mesmeric songs, the
electrifying chase, the chic styling -- everything you
see on screen resembles an international flick.
But the million dollar question is, does it live up to
the humungous expectations? Does it have its heart in
the right place? Thankfully, it does!
RACE is Abbas-Mustan’s most accomplished work, after
BAAZIGAR. Any thriller works if and only if the story
has the edge-of-the-seat moments and which catches you
unawares as the reels unfold. RACE has that quality.
The story moves in a serpentine manner, there’s a
twist every fifteen minutes and it’s impossible to
guess what the culmination would be.
In a nutshell, RACE is a first-rate product all the
way. It’s not just style, but there’s substance as
well. It has the merits to get catapulted to the Bests
of 2008, when you reflect on the year. Bravo!
 Ranvir
[Saif Ali Khan] and Rajiv [Akshaye Khanna] are
step-brothers who own a huge stud farm in Durban,
South Africa. They breed horses on their huge ranch
house and are also the biggest bookies in the horse
racing circuit. Ranvir, the elder of the two, is known
to be a very shrewd man. He is very aggressive and is
always on the move. Rajiv, on the other hand, is very
laidback and is also a chronic alcoholic.
Sophia [Katrina Kaif] is Ranvir’s personal secretary.
She adores her boss and loves him. Ranvir is totally
unaware of her feeling and regards her adoration as
her efficiency. Sonia [Bipasha Basu] is an upcoming
Indian ramp model in Durban.
Sonia loves Ranvir, but through a twist of fate gets
married to Rajiv. When she discovers that Rajiv is a
chronic alcoholic, her world is shattered. Ranvir too
is disturbed as he has sacrificed his love for his
younger brother because Rajiv had promised him that if
he gets married to Sonia, he will leave alcohol
forever.
After marriage, Rajiv breaks his promise and the story
starts getting complicated. In a weak moment, Ranvir
and Sonia come very close to each other and an affair
starts between the younger brother’s wife and the
elder brother. When the younger brother starts
suspecting his wife, all hell breaks loose.
A murder is committed, a contract killing is issued,
double crossings become the order of the day… A
sharp-tongued investigative officer R.D. [Anil Kapoor]
starts an investigation with his brainless assistant
Mini [Sameera Reddy].
 Director
duo Abbas-Mustan are in complete command this time
around. Everything is so well synchronized that the
end result leaves you awe-struck. The 2 + hours of
your precious life that you’ve spent on this film are
absolutely worth your while. In 36 CHINA TOWN and
NAQAAB specifically, one disagreed with the climax.
But the penultimate reels of RACE are foolproof.
Abbas-Mustan get it right this time. Right from the
choice of subject, to the choice of actors, to the
thrilling moments, music and locales, this
thrill-a-minute saga works big time. The game of
one-upmanship indulged by the two brothers is
electrifying and easily the hallmark of the
enterprise.
Writer Shiraz Ahmed’s screenplay has several moments
that merit a mention. The best part is, the writing is
full of energy and surprises, not once does it take
the been-there-seen-that route. It would be foolhardy
to single out a few sequences since the film gathers
speed from its inception itself. One of its USPs is
that every character is out to double cross the other,
each character has grey shades and the dangerous games
they indulge in make it an exhilarating cinematic
experience.
Ravi Yadav’s cinematography is topnotch. The stunning
locales of Durban, Dubai and India are captured
lucidly by the DoP. But, most importantly, the
movement of the camera at several places deserves the
highest praise. Note the very start of the film [the
aerial view, right till the gruesome accident] or the
car chase in the climax [never seen before on the
Hindi screen], the camerawork is stunning.
 Pritam’s
music rocks. Generally, in most thrillers, the music
takes a backseat, but not here. ‘Allah Duhai Hai’
[foot-tapping], ‘Pehli Nazar Mein’ [with soulful
rendition by Atif Aslam], ‘Touch Me’ [very saucy] and
‘Sexy Lady’ [the new track; trendy] are terrific
compositions all and their filming and choreography
are masterly. The fact that the yuppie crowd has taken
to the songs in a big way, says it all. The race at
the start and the chase in the climax [Allan Amin] are
fantastic. You haven’t witnessed something like this
ever before on the Hindi screen, that’s for sure!
Hussain Burmawala’s editing is razor-sharp. It’s one
of the best edited works!
Dialogues [Anuraag Prapanna, Jitendra Parmar] are
excellent. Styling [Anaita Shroff Adajania] is superb.
Background score [Salim-Sulaiman] has the
international feel. Choreography [Bosco-Caesar and
Ganesh Acharya] is top class.
Every actor in RACE puts his/her best foot forward.
Saif has been coming up with sparkling portrayals and
films like KAL HO NAA HO, EK HASINA THI, HUM TUM,
SALAAM | NAMASTE, OMKARA and EKLAVYA – THE ROYAL GUARD
portrayed the actor’s acting skills to the fullest.
Now add RACE to his illustrious repertoire. He’s
marvelous all through and the bearded look suits him
very much.
Akshaye is so perfect. To carry off a difficult
character like this is a Herculean task and the
supremely talented actor handles it with aplomb. He’s
like a chameleon; he slips into various roles with
remarkable ease. But the fact cannot be denied that
Abbas-Mustan bring out the best in Akshaye. Watch his
body of work and you’d agree that Akshaye’s
performances in the director duo’s films have always
stood out.
Anil Kapoor comes at the interval point, but takes
charge in the post-interval portions. With such
serious characters in the film, Anil’s role comes as a
big relief. Sure, the viewers may find some of his
dialogues crass, but the masses will take to his
performance in a big way.
 Bipasha
looks stunning and delivers her best work so far.
She’s superb. Katrina is a complete surprise. The
actress looks gorgeous, but most importantly, her
character gives her ample opportunity to shine in the
latter half. Sameera excels as the dumb girl.
Actually, it’s a tough job and she does it well. Johny
Lever is there for one sequence and his role is aimed
at the hoi polloi.
On the whole, RACE is a superb entertainer all the
way. It’s not just style, it has substance as well. At
the box-office, the tremendous hype coupled with the
holidays in the opening week as well as the extensive
release will ensure huge numbers in the initial week.
But, most importantly, the film has legs to enjoy a
spirited run at the box-office. Smash Hit!
Rating:- * * * *
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