Said to be loosely based on Taxi and Point Break, I thought Dhoom (Blast) seemed to be a whole lot more like the original Fast and the Furious, with a gang of robbers pulling of heists and escaping in their high octane machines charged with nitrous oxide gases, only this time, the sports cars are replaced with sports bikes. But unlike FnF which had its cop infiltrate the gang, we have a supercop hot on the heels of the gang with the help of the fastest rider in Mumbai, with shades from Taxi in a way.

Abhishek Bachchan plays ACP Jai Dixit the supercop, a proud man dead sure of his abilities to apprehend the crooks, though himself has no qualms about meting out violence to deal with violence. John Abraham's Kabir looks like Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt in M:I2 with his wavy hair flowing while riding a bike at top speed, and with his merry men from the Pizza Place, throws down the gauntlet at Jai. Rounding up the testosterone picture is Uday Chopra as the top biker and mechanic Ali Akbar Fateh Khan, who reluctantly joins forces with Jai Dixit, and gets embroiled against his wishes in this cops-and-robbers chase. He prefers to chase skirts, given his lack of appeal in the ladies department, and provides the complimentary comedic moments.

The female characters here, with Rimi Sen as Mrs Dixit and Esha Deol the singer, somehow become bit players, with not much room for their characters, given that it's understandably an action movie after all. And the action doesn't disappoint even if it's not exactly A-list jaw- dropping material. There's always that tinge of familiarity, but the stars pull them off with aplomb. If you were to think they're copying their counterparts in Hollywood with vehicle stunts, and that fight atop a moving trailer which looks suspiciously like Matrix Reloaded's, well, if imitation is a form of flattery, at least Dhoom managed to come off rather convincingly.

For a Bollywood movie, it clocks in at a surprisingly reasonable 129 minutes, and given its fast pace, there's rarely a moment where you'll get bored. I totally enjoyed Dhoom's soundtrack, and the song and dance numbers are fast ones which is an additional plus. I never cease to be amazed by the dance choreography, and my favourite one was where Dhoom Machale song being performed on stage, complete with pyrotechnics.

Dhoom lives up to its name, and it's easy to have a blast of a time on a lazy Sunday afternoon with his, even though the story's pretty straightforward and rehashed from elements seen frequently from Hollywood. For someone who enjoys song and dance routines, I think I'll be looking towards covering more Bollywood movies real soon.

After finding Dhoom 2 to be rather disappointing,I originally planned to not view the first one in the series,but got caught by surprise,when my dad revealed that he had recently picked up the first Dhoom on DVD for a whole £1!,which led to me getting ready to Dhoom again.

The plot:

With a biker gang having recently done a number of successful robberies,undercover cop officer Jai Dixit is given the task of unmasking the mysterious bikers.Checking for ant info on people who have recently taken part in illegal races,Dixit is able to track downer biker Ali Akbar Fateh Khan.Getting Khan to reveal all his secrets,Dixit gives Khan a get out of jail free card,which he will get if he is able to help arrest the biker gang.Finding himself with no other options left,Khan decides to get on the tracks with Dixit.

View on the film:

Whilst the movie does use The Fast And The Furious as a starting lap,director Sanjay Gadhvi shows remarkable foresight,in giving the title a tone that the Furious franchise would later take,thanks to Gadhvi giving the flick an excellent cartoon atmosphere,which goes from Dixit doing fighting moves in mid-air,to the biker gang being filled with snarling baddies.Along with the cartoon feel,Gadhvi also gives the film a slick,glossy appearance,which allows for the exciting biker stunt work, (most of which done without CGI) to be given a stylish flourish.

Keeping the films 2 hour motor running,music director Pritam Chakraborty makes every song count,as the soundtrack goes from a grinding title track,to a hilarious ballad over Khan's eye for the ladies.Avoiding any filler sub-plots,the screenplay by Vijay Krishna Acharya keeps everything lean & mean,with Acharya keeping the bikers limited to a catchy one-liner,and building a warm buddy Comedy charm between Dixit & Khan,which helps to make this Dhoom one that is worth getting on the tracks for.

Spectacular! Thoroughly entertaining and a visual feast! From the costumes to the action, dance and songs, this is one spectacular thrill-ride of an adventure! Vibrant and colorful, this was a pleasure to watch!