Film: Dhoom: 2

Hands up anyone who has already decided how dire this film was going to be? The flying jetskis and literally strung up fight scenes in the trailer didn't really inspire confidence, but then I never really said I wanted to watch Dhoom 2 for its class.

And so perhaps it was because of this low low expectation that I actually managed to enjoy the film after all. It's strange, 'cos I'd still say that the film was mediocre when broken down into its individual pieces; the story was passable, the direction pretty poor and I won't even talk about the stunts and special effects (let's just say flying jetskis were pretty tame compared to what else went on). The songs were a bit naff as well, but I wasn't really listening to the music anyway.

But this is where it gets a bit weird because, although the the acting wasn't spectacular either, the performances made by Hrithik, Abhishek, Aishwarya and Bipasha were all pretty awesome. Funny, serious, with action or heat they each handled in a striking, if a bit unbelievable, way. And that's saying something, 'cos although I've always liked Abhishek, I could never stand Hrithik before now. Even Uday deserves a bit of a mention.

And yes, the girls. Oh my. Bipasha made the screen first, and at the time I was happy. But then Aishwarya came and blew her away. Regardless of who I would pick first, I do believe that I've never seen either of them looking better. I'll say it again: oh my.

So yes, perhaps I liked this film for some shallow (and then some really shallow) reasons. But then I sometimes liked pantomime over theatre for the same so I don't think that there's anything wrong with that.

I don't regret watching Dhoom 2, which is a good thing for a Bollywood flick. It's probably not for those who want to watch something a bit more engaging, but for the rest of us it suits the job just fine.