When you think of the ‘Race’ franchise, action, intrigue, deception and unpredictable personalities comes to mind. You also get a feast for the eyes with a glamorous star studded cast, luxury cars and mansions. Though logic may not be its strongest point 2008’s ‘Race’ and 2013’s ‘Race 2’ have been quite watchable.
Based on the idea of being the winner in a race against each other, the ‘Race’ franchise has always centered on individuals who have a hand in illegal matters like drug dealing and robbery.
In ‘Race 3’ we meet a family of criminals. Lead by Shamsher the Singh family comprises of Sikandar and twins Suraj and Sanjana. They are accompanied in their expeditions by their family friend, Yash. Though the twins are Shamsher’s offspring, he relies mainly on his brother’s son, Sikandar to perform his duties and bring success. Though they do not show it on the surface, the twins resent their father’s treatment of their stepbrother. Things get out of hand when they are told that half of their mother’s wealth goes to Sikandar while they each get a quarter. Impulsive Suraj is infuriated to take action but sly Sanjana assures that the time will come for them to outsmart their stepbrother.
Enter Jessica, a beauty who proves to be an airhead on the surface but is a quick witted con woman underneath her innocent profile. She forms a romantic alliance with Sikandar but later we are told that she is hired to play along in a plan of deceit by the twins. As the action flows it is puzzling where Jessica’s true alliance lies with. This is part of the web of mystery that Remo Dsouza weaves in ‘Race 3’.
Though shouldered by a mega star like Salman Khan ‘Race 3’ does not fit the line of success paved by its predecessors. One point to consider is that there is hardly any substance in the tale. With an action packed opening of Anil Kapoor’s Shamsher blowing up an enemy to the sequences in which the twins barge into a den of thugs, Salman Khan’s Sikandar sweeps down from the sky to the rescue and Bobby Deol’s Yash pulls the curtains down with a fire armed finale, it is clear that ‘Race 3’ aims at the fans of action loving movie buffs. In contract to the larger than life fight scenes you get a kaleidoscope of scenes stringed into a meaningless plot and characters that lack depth.
Though the actors have a lot of potential, there is only a little that demands their acting talent. Daisy Shah and Jacqueline Fernandez manage to look glamorous even when they wipe the floor with their opponents. Salman Khan, Bobby Deol, Saqib Saleem and Anil Kapoor look majestic but their roles do not leave much of an impact. Though the film tries hard to match up to the thrills generated by its predecessors, ‘Race 3’ just does not make it to the finishing line in the grand style typical of the ‘Race’ series.
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