Race 3 begins with Salman Khan — aka Sikander — having to rescue his uncle (Anil Kapoor) and cousins (Daisy Shah and Saquib Saleem) from danger Race 3 begins with Salman Khan — aka Sikander — standing atop a building. The entry shot is replete with cars being blown up, motorcycles being run down and drone shots of the skyline. Sikander is the saviour/bodyguard of the Singh family: patriarch Shamsher (Anil Kapoor), who is also Sikander's uncle; and Shamsher's children Suraj (Saqib Saleem) and Sanjana (Daisy Shah). Shamsher's life is in danger, and as Suraj and Sanjana fight off miscreants who want to kill their father, Sikander makes his entrance — jumping off a building, dapper in a suit with guns in tow. The level of action escalates with every passing minute while the characters say no more than a word or two: the tone of Race 3 is set right in the beginning — a loop of bhai-action-bhai-action Bobby Deol (who plays Yash — a friend of the Singhs) gets a spectacular entry of his own, thrusting into the frame mid-air on a bike. He has the required swag to pull off this mysterious person. Bobby, Salman, Daisy and Saqib save Anil from being killed. And so, the Race begins. After this high-speed opening, we are given the backstory of the Singh family: Shamsher and his older brother (whose son Sikander is) used to supply weapons to the army in the 1970s. They have a falling-out, leading to the brother's death. As a result, Shamsher is ousted from the village. Shamsher tries to convince his children to be nice to Sikander, because of the bonds of blood, but Suraj and Sanjana (who only address each other as "bro" to show their millennial cred) aren't buying this family drama. With so many characters demanding screen time, Race 3 spends a large part of its initial 30 minutes establishing these individuals. After an introduction to the Singh family dynamics, we are shown how Sikander and Jessica (Jacqueline Fernandez) meet (yay! another flashback) a couple of years ago in Beijing. Salman has a so-fake-it's-funny French beard, to denote that we've gone back in time. Jessica and Sikander's love story unfolds over a heavily produced song and just so we're not confused, it is called 'I Found Love'. It has Salman dancing in the snow in a ganji and his turquoise bracelet, while Jacqueline uses the opportunity to rock a plain red sari. This is Race 3's version of 'Pehli Nazar Mein'. So far, so predictably good. Meanwhile, in the present, Shamsher meets an old friend from India who tells him about the existence of a hard disk which contains information that could bring several corrupt politicians to book — and also absolve Shamsher of the old allegations against him. This disk is currently in Cambodia, so the Singh family sets out to retrieve it, with the "mission" being led (obviously) by Sikander. The film is heavily infused with the stock Race series tropes: action, cringe-inducing dialogues, clothes that look like they belong in a very expensive mall, and wide landscape shots. What's missing, however, is the songs that would have served as a distraction amid the succession of things Race 3 wants to show off — Salman and Bobby's swag, Jacqueline's dancing skills, high-octane action sequences. As a result, the film ends up losing the plot, and we are left with a medley of poorly written filler scenes, a story we're still trying to figure out, and twists that pale in comparison to the earlier two films. The only saving grace is Bobby Deol as Yash, who brings the earnestness required to this film, reminding us of why we loved watching him on screen in the so-bad-they're-good thrillers of the '90s. Where's the campiness of the Abbas-Mustan thrillers? Where's the tackiness of their family politics? (Remember Deepika Padukone and John Abraham's one-upmanship in Race 2? Or Akshaye Khanna and Saif Ali Khan's verbal duels in the original Race?) What we get instead, is too much drama to catch up with. Give us a shirtless fight between Bobby and Salman instead! By the mid-point of Race 3, the battle lines are drawn. Will the family be successful in retrieving the hard disk without killing each other? The action picks up in the second half of the film, tying the loose ends together. Daisy and Saqib try hard to fit into the mould of Race (which is bad acting and delivering tacky dialogues with utmost confidence) but all our attention goes to the seasoned players — Bobby and Salman: the kings of distracting audiences with their biceps when faced with a less-than-cohesive plot. The big moment of the film is when Salman and Jacqueline fly over the blue waters of Cambodia with the help of a cape, after jumping off a cliff. A good 30 seconds are dedicated to this science-defying phenomenon. And like most Bollywood thrillers, the good stuff is saved for the last song before the climax. In Race 3, that song is 'Allah Duhai Hai'. It's the only point in the film that makes you nostalgic about the previous installments. It's when you realise the big, gaping hole in the film now that Saif is no longer part of this series — and no amount of Salman and Bobby can fix that. Good acting cannot be replaced. Race 3 is a funny, kitschy and audacious film. In between the action shots (clearly where most of the money has been spent, after bhai), the film tends to make you go "what the hell just happened" more times than you can count.<doc-sep>It is well known fact that Salman Khan is an avid fitness buff and the actor got Bobby Deol to join the bandwagon too! Bobby Deol’s chiseled abs coupled with his sleek and charming look in Race 3 is totally making girls go weak in their knees. Fans wait with bated breath to watch Salman remove his shirt and flash his 6 packs of armour, this time he got Bobby Deol to do it as well. The scene in the Race 3 trailer when Salman and Bobby are seen walking down the road in Salman Khan’s iconic bare chested style, was actually a spontaneous move on the part of the director. “We never had any such scene in the script initially. As Salman bhai always obliges his fans with his trademark style, I thought why not have Bobby do the same. Bobby has worked extremely hard on his physique, he never missed a single gym session even when on set. It was time we showcased this hard work to the die-hard fans and the proof lies in this dhamakedaar shot which has come out exactly how we envisioned it”, says Remo D'Souza. Watching the duo walk alongside each other in their macho style definitely had girls swooning! Race 3 releases on June 15.<doc-sep>Race 3 box office prediction: Salman Khan film is expected to cross Rs 100 crore mark in its opening weekend. Race 3 box office prediction: Salman Khan film is expected to cross Rs 100 crore mark in its opening weekend. Salman Khan has been the undisputed king of the box office for a long time now. The collection of his last five films at the ticket counters is proof of him being a phenomenon in the world of Hindi cinema. And, now with Race 3, the trade gurus are expecting no less from the Sultan of Bollywood. Also, with stars like Anil Kapoor and Jacqueline Fernandez among others leading the third film of the Race franchise, it is expected to open to smashing box office numbers. Trade analyst Girish Johar believes that Salman’s charm is already working on his fans and the action-thriller might break some box office records in its initial days. Talking to indianexpress.com, Johar said, “Eid hasn’t been announced as of now still Salman’s charm is working on his fans. Also, Anil Kapoor has left the audience excited for the film and Race 3 is expected to earn Rs 30 crore on its opening day.” He also predicted that the film which has got more than 3500 screens will touch 100 crore mark in its opening weekend itself. Also read | Five reasons to watch Salman Khan’s Race 3 The previous two films in the franchise raked in moolah and went on to become blockbuster hits. Race, released in the year 2008, made a total collection of Rs 60.83 crore and 2013 release Race 2 entered the coveted 100 crore club. It earned Rs 100.45 crore. Read the news in Bengali On being asked if Race 3 will surpass the opening records of Salman’s last release Tiger Zinda Hai, Johar said, “It cannot be said as the advance booking for the Ali Abbas Zafar film began much before the release of the film but bookings for Race 3 have just begun.” Tiger Zinda Hai earned Rs 34.10 crore on day one. However, this seems to be a golden time for all Salman Khan fans. While Race 3 has hit the screens today, the audience witnessed him spilling his charm in the recently released teasers of Shah Rukh Khan starrer Zero and his home production Loveratri.<doc-sep>Race 3 Director - Remo D’Souza Cast - Salman Khan, Bobby Deol, Jacqueline Fernandez, Anil Kapoor, Saqib Saleem, Daisy Shah Rating - 1/5 During one of the many forced fist fights in Race 3, Salman Khan is getting the better of his opponents when he is hit by a rod. He smirks, turns towards the camera and punches the enemy in face as if he is punishing the man for not recognising the Bhai of Bollywood. The camera doesn’t cut to the rod, which, I am sure, is broken in half by now. Such is Salman’s unparalleled rage and such is the vision of director Remo D’Souza. Watch: Movie review of Salman Khan’s Race 3 Race 3 is everything film students are taught not to do, but then what do they know? From the first scene in which Anil Kapoor blows up a gang member with the help of a pen bomb to Salman coming to the rescue of his family in a base-jump suit, Race 3 unabashedly targets the fans. There isn’t any pretension of logical filmmaking or sound screenplay. It seems Race 3 categorically wants the non-Salman fans to mind their own business. Shamsher Singh (Anil Kapoor), a runaway criminal from a village near Allahabad, has built an empire in Al-Shifa Island in the Middle East, which was bought by his elder brother for difficult days. Sikander alias Sikku (Salman Khan) is Shamsher’s stepson who runs his illegal arms’ business. Sanjana (Daisy Shah) and Suraj (Saqib Saleem) are Shamsher’s other kids. There is an intra-family rivalry going on among all of them for the control of business and assets. But they don’t know ‘iss khel ka asli Sikander kaun hai (who is the real boss of this game)’. You have seen the trailer, right? Let’s get back to the race, I mean the story, which starts, speeds up and finishes with black SUVs, airborne fighters and a barrage of bullets. Consider this example: Sanjana, the cool-headed MMA champ, and Suraj, a mostly screaming psychotic gangster who likes to break beer bottles on his own head, are trapped in the den of an adversary. Shamsher isn’t worried about his children because “Sikander tak message pahuch chukka hai (The message has reached Sikander).” You know what that means? This means the killing of more than 10 dozen weapon-wielding trained bodyguards and a song thrown in between. The icing on the cake is Saqib’s reaction to his rescue, “What the hell bro!” Exactly, what the hell! No wonder, Salman introduces himself as, “My name is Sikander, Sikander Singh.” He is James Bond with tonnes of extra confidence. Before I forget, he is Oxford-educated as well. Dialogues in the film play on a different level altogether. Just when you thought nothing could surpass ‘My business is my business, none of your business,’ Daisy Shah comes up with another gem: ‘Isko dil nahi Dell khol ke dikhao (Don’t open your heart, switch on your Dell laptop)’. Lamborghini, Ferrari, Bentley -- you name it and D’Souza will blow it up for you. He is so obsessed with blasts in the film that he doesn’t mind blasting a tree if he doesn’t find anything else. Not that Race and Race 2 were classics, but Race 3 has taken things too far. Remo D’Souza’s idea of a dysfunctional family is far more juvenile than Abbas-Mustan’s. Then there are shirtless people, undercover agents with outrageously simple plans and a twist that does more harm than help. By the end of it, Race 3 turns so bad that you can’t help but laugh nervously. Let me simplify it for you: A bad guy, who was initially presented as the most powerful person on the planet, challenges Sikander in dual. After being punched for a couple of times, he is lying in the pool of blood. Sikander, meanwhile, is taking care of other business. The fallen guy says something from behind a big black car. Of course, Sikander doesn’t like it, so what does he do? He simply pushes the car and it crushes the previously powerful guy. So simple. Gloss and glam are expected to mask an appalling film, but it’s really difficult to sit through 160-minutes of terribly bad filmmaking. Even Tom Struthers’ (Tiger Zinda Hai, Dunkirk) action choreography is dull. As for the rest of the cast is concerned, I feel for Bobby Deol and Jacqueline Fernandez Race 3 is a mere show-reel for Salman Khan fans. Celebrating Eid at home is likely to entertain you more. Interact with Rohit Vats at twitter/@nawabjha ott:10<doc-sep>
There is no doubting Salman Khan’s box office status. As he adds his name to yet another franchise, fans and trade are watching Race 3’s release keenly. That’s quite a deadly box office combination -- Salman is adding his brand value to Race, a franchise that has historically earned a lot of money. No wonder there are no other Hindi releases a week before and after Race 3 hits theatres. But what does the combination mean for the viewers? Starring Bobby Deol, Anil Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez, Daisy Shah and Saqib Saleem in important roles, Race 3 is the third film in Race franchise. While the previous two films were directed by Abbas-Mustan, Remo D’Souza has helmed the latest flick. The previous films belonged to adventure thriller genre. The last thriller in which we saw Salman was 2014’s Kick paired Jacqueline with the actor and offered a mainstream, meaty role to Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Despite the narrative being that of a thriller, Sajid Nadiadwala’s directorial was peppered with humour. Be it Salman’s smart exchanges with the rival cop (Randeep Hooda), or his encounters with Jacqueline’s dad (Saurabh Shukla) or Nawaz’s weirdly funny interactions with almost anyone, Kick was as much about making the audience laugh as it was about Salman’s swag and the sense of (Robinhood?) justice he comes with. However, Race 3 makers have actually given us little indication what the film’s genre is. Unlike the strategy these days, Race 3 has not come out with dialogue promos. The makers have only shared songs, their making and one trailer. The only glimpse of Salman-style humour we see in the trailer is when he asks for Jacqueline’s hand and soon clarifies, “Ghabrao mat, shaadi ke liye nahi maang raha.” Comparing Race 3 with the earlier films of the franchise, Anil said, “Though the world of the film is the same because it is the same franchise, involvement of Salman has brought mass appeal to Race 3. The story is also more accessible to the larger audience, especially Salman’s fan following. While the first two stories of the film were directed by Abbas-Mustan, Remo D’souza who is directing this time has also brought his own touch to the treatment of the story.” Co-produced by Salman Khan Films and Ramesh Taurani, the film will also mark Salman’s debut in film distribution. Follow @htshowbiz for more ott:10