‘Race’ review: It is an out-and-out thriller

Mar 21, 2008

Saif Ali Khan and Akshaye Khanna at the race course in Durban in a still from Race. Photo Credit: CelebMagic News

March 21, 2008 (Celebmagic.blogspot.com) - The second big ticket release of the year after Jodhaa Akbar, Abbas-Mustan directed Race could also become the second box office winner of the year…

Race is the story of two affluent brothers in Durban, South Africa - Ranvir Singh (Saif Ali Khan) and Rajiv Singh (Akshaye Khanna) - both of whom live life on the edge.

The two have raced against each other since childhood but the winner has always been the Ranvir, the elder of the two, leaving Rajiv bitter and vengeful in life.

Ranvir, will not lose because he is obsessed with winning and Rajiv will not win because he is obsessed with making Ranvir lose.

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Bipasha Basu, Saif Ali Khan and Akshaye Khanna in a still from Race. Photo Credit: CelebMagic News

Ranvir controls the family assets that their father bequeathed solely to him, and which include real estate in Cape Town and a stud farm in Durban.

Ranvir loves horses but he does not just breed and race them, he also bets on them, and has squandered millions in the process even using bank loans on the stud farm property

Faced with a foreclosure on the stud farm Ranvir is determined to win back all that he has lost and a lot more in one master stroke.

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Anil Kapoor and Sameera Reddy in a still from Race. Photo Credit: CelebMagic News

The trouble is Rajiv has his own plans which include getting even with Ranvir.

The plans that the two brothers draw up include Sonia (Bipasha Basu), a model who has clawed her way to the top, and Sophia (Katrina Kaif), Ranvir’s secretary who has ambitions of her own.

Both the ladies are as diabolic as they are alluring.

Finally, there is Robert D’costa (Anil Kapoor) a police detective in the Karamchand vein, and Mini (Sameera Reddy), his assistant in the Kitty vein.

What we liked most about the film was that it kept our attention engaged for the full two and a half hours. Its plot, despite the simple and well explained settings, is predictable only in its unpredictability, right till the end.

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Katrina Kaif in a still from Race. Photo Credit: CelebMagic News

Directors Abbas and Mustan knew what they wanted to do with this film - give the viewers their money’s worth of thrills with an engaging plot, not a credible one.

They were not there to make a profound statement, only reiterate that Bollywood today can give audiences all the thrills that they have come to expect from Hollywood thrillers.

A stuntman from Australia who specializes in car chase and swivel was hired for the film. Not surprisingly Race is replete with car chases and crashes but we are not complaining.

As far as the acting goes, it was a Saif Ali Khan film. He is a good actor who has given creditable performances across genres in the past but in Race he proves that he is particularly suited for the action genre. While Hrithik Roshan and Akshay Kumar may be better suited for romantic thrillers, Saif seems to be the best when it comes to outright thrillers.

Akshaye’s performance in the film wasn’t bad considering the difficult characterization but it was easily overshadowed by Saif’s.

Anil Kapoor we thought was largely wasted. He was also handicapped by some poor dialogs some of which were not in good taste.

If Race is a box office success, which we think it will be, Katrina should not count it as her success.

Both Bipasha and Katrina showed a lot of skin and played seductresses but only Bipasha was effective doing so.

Katrina would be making a mistake competing against a Bipasha. We think she needs to stick with roles that emphasize her endearing good looks and screen presence rather than her sex appeal.

Sameera Reddy played her Kitty role well but we found her show of skin unnecessary, not to mention unfortunate since she is not in good shape.