Race

'Race' belongs to the list of crappiest films of 2008. I've been told to avoid it for a long time and I really would have but I did not have much of a choice. With all those ridiculous stunts (some shown in pathetic slow motion), MTV music video style Hinglish song sequences, actors wearing little clothes, 'surprising' twists that make no sense etc, 'Race' tries to be cool but it has NO substance whatsoever. Abbas-Mustan can add this hack to their heap of trashy films. 'Race' also does a very miserable job of ripping off Roland Joffé's 'Goodbye Lover' (which already was a silly film). However, any 'new' input the director duo put in their version only make 'Race' more stupid. Saif Ali Khan and Akshaye Khanna are at their worst. While Khan hardly does anything other than wear a forced expression of looking serious, Khanna overacts. Bipasha Basu continues to prove that directors need to really really work hard (in this case they didn't) to make her act while Katrina Kaif is a lost case. I never understood the hype surrounding Kaif (though she does touch herself in 'Race'). For me her acting talents are non-existent and her looks are too plain. Sameera Reddy's bimbo act falls flat (but this may mostly be due to the poor dialogue she's given) and Anil Kapoor should have retired ages ago. There is no chemistry between any of the actors. They obviously did it just for the money. The songs contribute to the list of abysmal soundtracks of 2008. 'Race' is just another disgrace to Indian cinema.

I wouldn't say that race is a great movie. It is good and different. It is not the usual triangle love story and betrayal and it is unpredictable. The plot should not be known completely before as it has many twists and turns. Knowing the plot reduces the effect of watching like many other thrillers The twists are the main attraction of this film.

Coming to the plot Ranvir(Saif Ali Khan) and Rajiv(Akshay Khanna) are brothers who has so many different likes and dislikes. Ranvir is very mature and serious while Rajiv is semi alcoholic. Both of them share a common interest one is racing and the other is supermodel Sonia (Bipasha Basu). Ranvir's secretary Sophia(Katrina Kaif) has a crush on him. She remembers his birthday and presents him with a birthday greeting card.

Songs composed by Pritam are great. Songs like pehli nazar mein and allah duhai are wonderful to listen.

Acting is good. My opinion about Saif Ali Khan in a serious role has changed after seeing this. Akshay Khanna has done his best performance so far. Bipasha was good in her respective role. Even though Katrina Kaif is not considered a great actress, she was above average in this movie.

It is worth a look if you admire bollywood film. And this film is worth watching if you are a fan of either Saif or Bipasha.

8/10

A nice movie by the promising duo. Another thriller that binds you till the end and where you don't know what is going to happen next. Acting performances of Anil Kapoor, Saif and Akshaye are all good, especially Anil Kapoor. He comes up with another good comic type role after Welcome. To see Johny Lever after such a long time was heartening. His 2 minute performance reminded of vintage Johny. And this film had something in it for the female leads as well. But I think that what the Indian directors need to learn is that the films can work even if you don't put songs in them. See Sarkar and Black. Alright this movie was not as intense as those two, but putting three songs while an investigation is going on in a thriller is a waste. That is why I rated this movie as 7 instead of 8. Overall a nice time pass movie which could be watched once.

Race was a mixed bag of surprises. Primararily I went to watch the movie because I really liked their promos. Race Saanson ki (the title track) also happened to be my current favorite. What is best about this movie is that the director ensures that you are glued to your seat from start to finish. There are enough twists and turns to keep you guessing for more. Of course the credit for keeping the audience engaged also goes to Saif who is fantastic as the ambitious go getter brother. Akshaye Khanna also deserves a special mention for being on par with Saif in the acting department! His comic timing is really good. The ladies Katrina and Bipasha have been given a beautiful wardrobe and carry it off extremely well. They do add value to the star cast. The only dampener that I felt was the comedy department could have been better.The dialogues between Anil Kapoor and Sameera were way too silly! Like trying really hard to make you laugh but absolutely run of the mill jokes..Sameera was looking silly trying to act like a dumb blonde..! The ACTION sequences deserve a special mention (clap clap)..as they are very stylized. The director seems to have really invested some time and money in this department. All in all a movie worth a watch as it is especially heart warming to see old time directors like Abbas Mustan try to keep up with the current times when it comes to packaging a movie in a stylized way.

My rating 8 out of 10...

Right from the start, this movie will hold you down. Frankly speaking, this movie's story is not that great, and you might have seen it earlier, with two brother fighting over money. But what is different is the way and manner of presentation. We have so many love stories, but every time it's the manner of presentation that makes movies great! Same is true for Race. Arguably the best movie of 2008. So many twists and turns, this makes for the best popcorn flick of 2008! I suggest you to watch it before the end of the year and make is count in the top movies! Katrina Kaif's acting skills have definitely improved, Bipasha is fine, Akshay Khanna is good but Saif's acting is the top notch point of this movie. He should go for more action movies...

A Must Watch! Go for it!