This adventure has some good action for fans of that genre, but it seems logic wasn't invited.
When a popular Indian cricketer is kidnapped by an unknown assailant, the government sends Kabir (Abraham), a no-nonsense, disobedient, and beasty special ops officer, to Abu Dhabi to salvage the situation. He teams up with Junaid (Dhawan), a fledgling cop with a comic nerve. Together, they trace the cricketer's last known whereabouts, which becomes the foundation of the story.
The first ten minutes will intrigue anyone who is interested in thrillers, but Kabir's entry with the arrogant, to-the-work attitude plays with our patience. To add to the annoyance comes Junaid in his perpetually oversmart air, trying to find humor in every effing thing around him. The narrative throws in characters and special appearances like that malfunctioning automatic tennis ball thrower which does not stop at all. We have Akshay Kumar playing a homosexual man who wants to see the protagonists in their unmentionables, Jacqueline Fernandez who plays a small-time, identity-stealing thief, Rahul Dev as a left hand guy, and finally Akshaye Khanna in a role that he portrays quite smoothly. Be that as it may, the character thrower does not stop even towards the end. And over everything, everyone in Abu Dhabi seem to understand and be able to converse in Hindi.
Dishoom is just another of the mindless action comedies that rely on the lead actors' muscles and lead actresses' clefts; why else would they cast Nargis Fakhri in a 20-second role? There are a couple of twists and turns towards the second half which has the ability to keep the audience partially hooked. However, at the end of the whole charade, one WILL ask if it was worth it. And the answer will most probably be on the negative.
Abraham does what he does best: showcasing of his fit bod. Dhawan complements him, but in addition, tries very hard to be funny. It was great to see both Dev and Khanna after a very long time. They both do a fine job. Had no expectations from the actresses because all they do nowadays in male-centric films is flash their assets and laugh at their male co-stars' jokes.
The writing is stale, but the execution is what I have given four stars here for. Some good locations were chosen and some good angles in the photography. Overall, it's just an afternoon watch on Netflix six months from now.
BOTTOM LINE: Rohit Dhawan's Dishoom is a rundown action film where the unintended humor wreaks havoc with the story flow, which is not that great in the first place. Wait for TV premiere!
Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES
