The film begins with Mr. A [Hrithik Roshan] sky-diving and landing on a train that is carrying the British Queen. He steals her crown by disguising himself as the Queen and escapes. Newly-promoted officer Ali Akbar Fateh Khan [Uday Chopra] and Jai Dixit [Abhishek Bachchan] are introduced to Sonali Bose [Bipasha Basu], a special officer assigned to investigate Mr. As case. After the initial investigation, Dixits analyzes the underlying trend in Mr. As heists. As per his analysis, a theft in a Mumbai city museum will follow. Dixits analysis proves wrong, however, when a disguised Mr. A steals a rare diamond from a different museum and escapes. In a televised challenge to the police, Mr. A announces that he will steal an ancient warrior sword. In response, Dixit, Bose and Khan enforce a strict vigil at the location housing the sword. At night, Mr. A meets his impersonator in the room that holds the sword. The police are alerted, but they manage to steal the sword and escape. The impersonator turns out to be Sunehri [Aishwarya Rai], a woman who idolizes Mr. A, and after this they form an alliance of sorts. In Rio de Janeiro, Mr. A and Sunehri plan their next heist. As Dixits analysis has named Rio the location of Mr. As next heist, Jai and Ali travel to the city. Meanwhile, the relationship between Mr. A and Sunehri evolves into romance. He unveils his real identity, Aryan, to her. However, Mr. A discovers that Sunehri is a spy working for Jai after seeing them together at a theatre and then a parade. Aryan forces Sunehri to play a game of Russian roulette. Sunehri cries and refuses to shoot Aryan because she loves him, but Aryan forces her. However, after six shots from the gun, neither is injured because Aryan has not inserted a bullet into the gun. Sunehri admits she betrayed him and that she loves Aryan. Elsewhere in Rio de Janeiro, Ali develops strong affections towards Monali [Bipasha Basu], Sonalis twin sister. Aryan and Sunehri successfully steal some early Lydian coins in their next heist. Sunehri implies that she does not wish to remain allied with Jai, forcing Jai and Ali to go after them. After the chase, all of them end up on the top of a waterfall, where Sunehri is caught by Ali. Sunehri, despite conveying her feelings for Aryan, shoots him. Aryan falls from the waterfall while Jai allows Sunehri to escape. After six months, it is revealed that Aryan is still alive and has opened a restaurant somewhere in the Fiji islands with Sunehri. Jai meets Aryan and Sunehri at the restaurant and states that despite their crimes, he does not wish to imprison the couple. He is aware of their feelings towards each other, but warns them against returning to their life of crime. Ali calls Jai as he departs the restaurant and Jai tells him that they have a new case in India.

See also

*Cinema of India

Production

The Dhoom series began with the release of Dhoom in 2004. The film became a commercial box office hit and received generally positive reviews from audiences. As a result, producer Yash Chopra announced plans for sequel to the film, entitled Dhoom 2: Back In Action. John Abraham, portrayer of Kabir Sharma, the villain of the predecessor, was in talks to appear in the film, but Chopra did not want Dhoom 2 to repeat the stories featured in its predecessor. Instead, Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai were introduced into the franchise as the sequels main villains. Aishwarya Rais character was summarized as Catwoman, a female fictional comic book fictional character. Rai stated, "All I can tell you is it would be nothing like anything youve seen me do before." Producer Aditya Chopra told Rai to lose weight after she gained it for her role in 2004s Bride & Prejudice. Yash Chopra stated, Roshan also lost twelve pounds of weight at Aditya Chopras request. thumb Dhoom 2 was filmed in Mumbai, India, Namibia, Durban, South Africa, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, making it the first Bollywood film to be filmed in Brazil. Air travel from India to South Africa was sponsored by Kingfisher Airlines. In total, production lasted eighteen months and cost of Rs 350 million. To ensure the sequel would be different from the original, which became famous for its brash motorcycle stunts, director Sanjay Gadhvi did not include motorcycles in Dhoom 2. Nonetheless, Roshans role required him to perform several dangerous stunts involving activities such as roller-blading, sand boarding and snow boarding. The film made extensive use of visual effects, which were filmed at Yash Raj Studios. While filming at Yash Raj Studios, the film suffered from a flood that destroyed the studio sets and delayed production. Fight and action sequences were storyboarded before being shown to Gadhvi and Allan Amin, who would make changes. The scenes were then sketched, given "proper shot list[s]", and shared with Tata Elxsi, who oversaw the previsualization of the sequences. Several scenes were filmed with the use of green screen and computer-generated imagery. For example, the stunts Roshans performed on a train in the Namib Desert used green screen; after Roshan recorded the stunts on a set, Gadhvi traveled to the desert to film the background. Other stunts in the film were performed by stuntmen whose faces were later digitally exchanged with the actors. The bullet effects and Hrithiks gadgets and mechanical arm were also computer generated. Abhishek Bachchan scene coming out of a lake using a jet ski also used green screen. Abhisheks stunt came out of 90 degrees, but Sanjay Gandhvi wanted a 60 degrees jump. So, Sanjay Gandhvi shot the scenes on Super 35, and was able to change the angle. Gandhvi discussed the use of technology in an interview;

Release

Dhooms teaser trailer was premiered along with Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, which released on 11 August 2006. The film was promoted with several tie-ins. Coca-Cola promoted the film as "Coke Uthale, Dhoom Machale". Pepe Jeans sold Dhoom 2-related garments, including shirts, jeans, bandanas, caps, and metal accessories. Chetan Shah, the country head of Pepe Jeans London, stated: Overall, it was the seventeenth ranked film at the American box office. In Dubai, it achieved the highest first day opening for a Bollywood film. In Mumbai, the films distributors received a profit of Rs 9.42 crores [Rs 94.2 million]. Dhoom 2 ranked sixth among opening weekends for international films at the United Kingdom box-office with a gross [average per screen] of £8,151. At the Australian box office, the film had the twelfth highest opening and collected approximately $176,462. It grossed approximately $51,453 on five screens in New Zealand. In India, Dhoom 2 broke several box-office records, mainly those for opening day and opening weekend grosses. In Kerala, the film was released to 22 centres and grossed a sum of Rs 65,000,000 within a week. In Kochi, it was released to two theaters and earned a first week gross of Rs 1,200,000. In Crown and Kozhikode, the total gross was more than Rs 600,000. In Andra Pradesh and other Telugu areas, the film ran over 100 days due to good audience reception. In Chennai, the film set a record for grossing Rs 3,45,462 over its first weekend. However, the film opened at second place the following week due to the release of the celebrated Veyil. The film performed similarly in the rest of Tamil Nadu. Box Office India awarded it a "blockbuster" rating after the film grossed over Rs 1.34 billion [USD$34 million] with a budget of Rs 350 million. Box Office Mojo reports the film earned a total of USD $2,643,586 inside the United States and a total of USD $29,752,841 in other countries, including India.

Reception

= The film received decent reviews. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported 80% of five critics were positive and gave it a "fresh" certificate. People of Variety commented, "Loaded with enough attitude, Bollywood starpower and buff bodies to stop a speeding train, pic has been doing humongous biz since its Nov. 24 worldwide opening, and provides adequate proof that Yash Raj Films is good for more than just family-oriented comedy-dramas." Rachel Saltz of The New York Times reviewed, "The pleasure principle is palpable in the giddy, slick Dhoom 2, a satisfying example of the new, thoroughly modern Bollywood. The film is shot in sharp, primary colors, with sophisticated stunts, exotic location hopping and songs sung partly in English [and available on iTunes no less]. Beginning in the Namibian desert with a bit of post-colonial mischief - the theft [literally] of the British crown - and making stops in Mumbai and Rio de Janeiro, this cops and robbers tale embraces and devours every cliché, style and half-naked body it encounters. Dhoom 2 may represent the newfangled Bollywood, but old-fashioned star power is what animates and elevates it above its occasional narrative flaws and longueurs." Film Journal Internationals Ethan Alter said, "Dhoom 2 has all of the benefits of a big-budget Bollywood production: big-name stars, exotic locales, well-produced musical numbers and elaborate [by Bollywood standards, anyway] action sequences, including a daring train robbery and an extended motorcycle chase outside of Rio. In other words, its exactly like all of the mainstream programmers that Hollywood churns out every summer, although those movies often suffer from a conspicuous shortage of singing and dancing on DayGlo sets. [Just think of how some peppy dance numbers would have enlivened generic blockbusters like Poseidon and X-Men: The Last Stand.] Dhoom 2 makes no lasting contributions to world cinema, but if two-and-a-half hours of disposable entertainment are all youre after, you could do far worse." L.A. Weeklys David Chute stated the film, "A movie meal as satisfying as this one can make you feel that nothing else matters." Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama reported, "On the whole, Dhoom 2 is a winner all the way. At the box-office, the film has already embarked on an earth-shattering initial and with multiple shows being conducted at multiplexes [16/18] with inflated ticket rates, the film will set new records in days to come. For Yash Raj, whove not only produced but also distributed the film, Dhoom 2 should emerge as one of the biggest hits of their career. Blockbuster!" The review mostly praised the casting, performances, visual effects usage, direction, musical score and story, giving it three and a half stars over five []. Jaspreet Pandohar of the BBC gave it a negative review, writing, "By roping in acclaimed action director Alan Amin to take care of the thrills and spills, youd expect Gadhvi to have spent time crafting out a sophisticated storyline instead of simply sending his cast on a cat-and-mouse chase around the globe. That the twist in Dhoom 2s tail is not explained is yet another shortcoming. Its only Roshans charismatic performance as the criminal mastermind, and the sizzling chemistry he shares with Rais sassy cohort, that rescues this adventure from becoming an elongated tourism commercial." He gave the film two out of five stars []. Indian youth attempted to imitate the films rash motorcycle stunts, resulting in an increase in the number of road accidents in Mumbai, India. The film also sparked controversy and a court case for a scene containing a kiss between Rai and Roshan. Rai and Bachchan eventually fell in love after production ended, and were married on 20 April 2007. Unlike the original, the robberies depicted in Dhoom 2 were not inspired by any real-life crimes. The film, however, inspired the robbery of a man by his nephew, who wore clothing similar to Hrithiks in the film while committing the crime.

Dvd release

Dhoom 2 was released in DVD format on 2 May 2007. It was distributed by Yash Raj Films in all regions. The DVD release contains two discs with English subtitles. The film is also noteworthy because its soundtrack is the first in Indian cinema to be released in DVD-Audio in addition to other audio formats. The tracks have been mixed in London, England in 5.1 Surround Sound and audiophiles can choose the format from the audio menu.