For people who haven’t heard of the Dhoom franchise, you’re seriously missing out. It’s not just a set of action films (Bollywood has done that a thousand times before), they’re filled to the brim with zany villains, international locations, and bike races through traffic that somehow leaves all the parties involved unharmed. In fact, the Dhoom franchise was so popular in the 2000s that it had its own comic book and a video game as well.
The Dhoom films aren’t really interconnected (except for two recurring characters) and can be watched as standalones, so technically, the movies can be watched in any order (in fact, fans like to pretend Dhoom 3 doesn’t exist and liken it to The Godfather Part III of the series.) But if you want to really experience how the franchise has grown over the years, I’d recommend the best way to watch the Dhoom movies would be to watch them in order of release. Here’s how to get started on the ride (literally and figuratively!):
Dhoom (2004)
If you’re new, hi! The original Dhoom is the cleanest and most accessible entry point into the franchise. Dhoom introduces us to ACP Jai Dixit (Abhishek Bachchan) and his sidekick Ali (Uday Chopra) as they chase after Kabir (John Abraham). If you’re a fan of heists and cops-and-robbers-chase thrillers, similar to Fast and Furious 1 or Point Break, then Dhoom is right up your alley. It’s the most realistic film out of the three Dhoom films (or whatever ‘realistic’ means in Bollywood speak), as the stakes are high with tension and there’s less fluff and noise.
It’s definitely well written and doesn’t hide behind exotic locations or melodrama. You get what you pay for, and that is tight storytelling, romantic moments, and raw and focused action. If you want to stop right here and pretend the next two movies don’t exist, that’s fine too, because though the consecutive films up the ante with more high octane chases and stunts, it might border on ridiculousness.
Dhoom 2 (2006)
Two years after Dhoom comes my personal favourite movie of the franchise, Dhoom 2. It serves as a direct sequel, though only a couple of characters reprise their roles. If you love really well thought out heists, people doing backflips into the air in a hoodie, stylish songs, and villains who you shouldn’t root for (but you secretly do), then Dhoom 2 has all the ingredients. Think Oceans Eleven meets Mission Impossible 2, only Hrithik Roshan is doing parkour in the desert dressed as Queen Elizabeth II.
Jai and Ali return as the cop-sidekick duo once again, this time, chasing after Hrithik’s character, Mr. A. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s addition brings both glamour and grit to the team (which I thought wasn’t possible) as Sunheri, a morally grey character who seems to be in cahoots with both the cops and the thief. Compared to Dhoom 3, Dhoom 2 is more playful and embraces it rather than shying away from it. Once again, Dhoom 2 can be watched as a standalone, but there are some subplots (like Jai’s love life) that make more sense if you’re already familiar with the first film. If you have the urge to watch an international heist film where the bad guy gets a happy ending like the Italian Job or Inside Man (very niche, I know), then Dhoom 2 is the perfect pick.
Dhoom 3 (2013)
Dhoom 3 brings Jai and Ali to a brand new location with a brand new mission. Taking the action another notch higher, Dhoom 3 is the most emotionally charged movie of the lot. Out of the three Dhoom movies thus far, Dhoom 3 is the only one to give a detailed backstory to the villain, played by Aamir Khan. But lo and behold, if you thought one Aamir is too much to handle, get ready for two this time, because Aamir plays a dual role as twin brothers, and honestly really commits to it.
Though each movie of the franchise is meant to be bigger and better than the last, Dhoom 3 falls flat for me, especially compared to Dhoom 2. The humour doesn’t land, the ‘wow’ moments from Hrithik’s disguises from the previous movie just aren’t up to par with this one, and Aamir and Katrina’s chemistry doesn't hold a flame to Hrithik and Aishwarya’s, which was electric. Nonetheless, there are some redeemable moments, especially in the scenes between the brothers. If you liked movies like The Prestige or Heat, you’d probably like Dhoom 3. However, if you wanted to skip this movie entirely, I wouldn’t blame you.
The Dhoom franchise is definitely something every action fan should experience at least once, but by the time you’re done watching it, it’s likely to leave you either impressed or exhausted, and personally for me, I was bordering on the latter.
