Dhoom 3

About the film

Dhoom 3 (transl. Blast 3), stylised as Dhoom: 3, is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film written and directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya and produced by Aditya Chopra, who co-wrote the story. The film, which is the third installment of Dhoom series, stars Aamir Khan as the anti-hero with Abhishek Bachchan and Uday Chopra reprising their roles as protagonists while Jackie Shroff and Katrina Kaif play supporting roles. Dhoom 3 marks Uday's final film appearance to date.

Dhoom 3 was released on 20 December 2013. It was the first Hindi film to be released in IMAX; the film also used Dolby Atmos surround sound.

Plot

In 1990, Iqbal Haroon Khan, who owns The Great Indian Circus in Illinois, is ordered by the Western Bank of Chicago to close down the circus as he cannot repay his loan. Dejected, Iqbal commits suicide in front of his young son Sahir Iqbal Khan and the officials, including Chairman Warren Anderson.

In 2013, Sahir robs various branches of the Western Bank of Chicago as revenge. Despite all efforts of law enforcement, the Chicago Police are unable to capture him. Detective Victoria calls A.C.P Jai Dixit and Sub Inspector Ali Akbar Fateh Khan for help. Sahir restarts The Great Indian Circus and hires Aaliya Hussain as an acrobat. Sahir poses as an informant for Jai and manages to gather information on the bank while providing Jai with a false lead to follow. Eventually, Sahir robs the bank, but Jai shoots him in the left shoulder before he disappears.

At The Great Indian Circus's grand premiere, Sahir performs a teleportation trick in which he disappears and reappears in a different place. The show becomes a success. After the show, Jai, Ali, and the police surround him. When Sahir is examined, there is no gunshot wound on his body. It is then revealed that Sahir has an autistic twin brother, Samar Iqbal Khan, who helps him pull off the tricks and robberies and is the one who sustained the gunshot wound. Jai is fired from the case but is encouraged by Ali to prove Sahir guilty by going rogue.

Production

Prior to principal photography, the film enjoyed widespread media coverage due to the tremendous box office successes of previous instalments Dhoom 2 and Dhoom as well as the confirmation of Aamir Khan as the film's lead antagonist, thereby creating anticipation amongst the audience and media. On 2 January 2011, the producer of the previous Dhoom films Aditya Chopra, confirmed that the third instalment of the Dhoom series would begin principal photography by the end of 2011. Initially, the producers and Khan wanted to release the film on Christmas of 2012, but the plan was scrapped in favour of an early release date in 2013, mainly due to a forecast that a Christmas release would force a rushed post-production schedule, which was considered unfavorable given the high degree of technicality required for the film. Around ₹1.25 billion (US$21.33 million) was spent just on the production side of Dhoom 3.

Reportedly, Chopra wanted to make the film in 3D after observing the successes of previous Bollywood films released in this format. However, actor Aamir Khan opined that the 3D technology needed expertise and was unsure of the outcome of its utilisation by the director. As of September 2012, YRF Studios had not announced the production of the film in 3D.

Aamir Khan joined the cast as the lead antagonist after he enjoyed hearing the script, while Abhishek Bachchan and Uday Chopra were confirmed to reprise their roles as Jai Dixit and Ali Akbar respectively. Khan learned ballet, aerobatics and the French technique of parkour, a method of movement focused on negotiating obstacles with speed and efficiency, while Kaif took paragliding training and singing lessons. Bachchan reportedly lost nine kilos of weight to prepare for his role in the film. Rimi Sen, who played ACP Jai Dixit's (character played by Abhishek Bachchan) wife in the previous two instalments of the series, was not approached to play her character Sweety. However, she stated that she would not have reprised the role even if she were offered.

Music

It was announced that the composer of Dhoom and Dhoom 2; Pritam, would return once again to compose the music of the third instalment. Earlier reports suggested that Shefali Alvares had been roped to sing the Dhoom title track, but this turned out to be a rumour. Aamir said in a statement that the title track "Dhoom Machale Dhoom" is dedicated to Sachin Tendulkar who was then playing his 200th and final test match at the Wankhede Stadium.

Release

In November 2013, Aditya Chopra sent out a message to movie exhibitors all over the country to "Go digital or miss Dhoom 3." In detailed statements, he claimed, "Release of movies through digital and UFO digital cinema prevents piracy as the prints are water-marked and finger-printed and can be traced back. It is believed that films are usually copied for piracy when the reels are being transported to theatres in the country and abroad. Digital cinema curbs piracy as the 'en route' content leakage is eliminated. It also makes sense economically as a producer saves a lot of printing costs. Apart from that, encrypting the content protects the copyrights of the producers and distributors. Digital prints prevent duplication of prints and help by diverting funds back to the cinemas."

Key details