With glamorous stars, fast-paced action and music ruling the charts, Abbas-Mustan's racy thriller will hit the screens in the UAE tomorrow.
Bollywood has had a pretty dull beginning this year except for Jodhaa Akbar, but the lull cannot last long with the much-awaited release of Race that stars Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Anil Kapoor, Bipasha Basu, Katrina Kaif and Sameera Reddy.
The film is a racy thriller directed by specialists Abbas-Mustan who have created a string of hits from Khiladi, Baazigar and Soldier to Ajnabee and Humraaz.
This time the director duo are set to enthral the audience with their most ambitious project yet featuring a galaxy of eye-candy stars, high-octane action and pulsating music.
Horse-racing
Coming from the stable of Abbas-Mustan, Race is widely expected to be an edge-of-the-seat thriller. The film is set against the horse-racing business and has Khan and Khanna playing half-brothers with opposite personalities.
Basu is in love with Khan but she marries Khanna due to unavoidable circumstances. All hell breaks loose when Khanna starts suspecting Basu is having an affair with Khan.
From here on, the film follows a mind-boggling narration of deceit, murder and suspicion until it reaches a nail-biting finish.
Kaif will be seen as Khan's secretary. The film's light moments are expected to be provided by Kapoor as a witty detective accompanied by Reddy as his bumbling assistant. Added to its tight plot are the amazing action sequences shot in the exotic locations of South Africa and in Al Ain's Jebel Hafeet.
Slick
Khan and Abbas-Mustan have teamed up for the first time, although they have considered working together for almost 12 years.
"Abbas-Mustan have their own fan base who enjoy watching their thrillers as their audience clearly knows what to expect from their films. I wanted to act in their films as they tend to have larger-than-life characters represented in a slick manner that appeals to the masses. It was my desire to do a film in a pure commercial format and that is how I opted to do Race along with Abbas-Mustan," says Khan.
It is not only Khan but also Kapoor, Kaif and Reddy who will also be seen for the first time in an Abbas-Mustan flick. Khanna is Abbas-Mustan's blue-eyed child as he acted in their last three thrillers, Humraaz, 36 China Town and Naqaab. Basu has a special rapport with the director duo as she made her debut in Bollywood with their film Ajnabee.
Sexy
Race has a high glamour quotient thanks to the sexy characters portrayed by the film's actresses. For starters Basu will be seen as an upcoming model and has some steamy scenes with Khan.
If that isn't enough, Kaif is sizzling hot in the sensuous number Zara Zara Touch Me. Kaif's popularity has soared in recent times with a spate of hits such as Namastey London, Apne, Partner and Welcome.
To cash in on Kaif's current surge in popularity, the filmmakers of Race have added a new dance-track, Sexy Lady featuring Kaif and Khan.
Not to be left behind is Reddy, who may not have the meatiest role but has grabbed the opportunity to look her glamorous best in the title track of the film.
"My role is different in Race and I do not have any scope for song and dance numbers except for the title promotional track. I am playing a funny character who ends up asking stupid questions but isn't as dumb as she looks. In a fast-paced thriller, there are a lot of tense moments and you need comic relief, and in Race I provide those light moments," says Reddy.
Popular Music
The music of Race has topped the charts with each track being appreciated by music lovers. The film's vibrant songs were composed by the current hit machine, Pritam Chakraborty.
The title number and the groovy Zara Zara track have been winners, right from the word go. Pehli Nazar, a track sung by Pakistani singing sensation Atif Aslam, is immensely popular in the UAE. And the sleek promos and film marketing will guarantee a big bang opening.
Race will be released in the UAE tomorrow.
Men in white
Abbas Burmawalla and Mustan Burmawalla are brothers who arrived on the scene with 1992's surprise hit, Khiladi that launched their directorial career and in the process gave Akshay Kumar his first hit.
The director duo followed up with another resounding hit, Baazigar where Shah Rukh Khan played a negative role for the first time.
Their next films continued to establish stars with Daraar launching Arbaaz Khan while Soldier gave Bobby Deol and Preity Zinta their first bona-fide hit. The directors enjoy experimenting with bold subjects, whether it be the concept of wife-swapping in Ajnabee or sexual abuse in Aitraaz, but critics often slam their films for lack of originality as they are mostly inspired by Hollywood flicks.
However, Abbas-Mustan have built their own loyal fan base who eagerly look forward to their slick thrillers. Despite their success, the pair are considered to be humble and are always seen wearing their trademark simple white shirts and white trousers. No wonder they are called the "Men In White".
Their last film Naqaab turned out to be damp squib at the box-office but that hasn't stopped them being confident about their latest thriller, Race. Currently, they are moving into film production and are in the process of launching multiple movies.
No more playing Saif
Saif Ali Khan has come a long way since his early days of doing inane films before he was literally re-launched as a carefree urban youth in Farhan Akhtar's trendsetting Dil Chahta Hai. His flair for comedy was evident even in his earlier films such as Yeh Dillagi and Main Khiladi Tu Anari. Just when he was being labelled as a modern romantic hero with the success of Kal Ho Na Ho, Hum Tum and Salaam Namaste, he went against the norm and experimented with challenging roles.
His performances in diverse films such as Darna Mana Hai, Parineeta, Being Cyrus, Omkara and Eklavya established him as a versatile actor who isn't afraid to experiment with varied roles.
Race showcases Khan in a fully-fledged action role where he performed his own death-defying stunts. "I did my own stunts in Race where I actually jumped from a 20-floor building, but I definitely took the necessary precautions by hanging on cables. Doing your action sequences only adds to the character and the overall substance of the film. I try my best to bring something different to the character I play in each film," said Khan.
In Race Khan once again experiments with a dark character, it follows similarly challenging roles in Ek Haseena Thi, Being Cyrus and Omkara. In fact, his crude and crafty character from Omkara won him the Best Villain Award for 2006 at all the awards functions. Khan wants to continue experimenting with roles and is expected to team up with Farhan Akhtar once again for an unusual film called Voice From The Sky that is based on a communication system.
Glamour quotient
Race has a high glamour quotient thanks to the sexy images portrayed by actresses Bipasha Basu, seen as an upcoming model, and Katrina Kaif in the sensuous number Zara Zara Touch Me. That's not to mention Sameera Reddy, who looks her glamorous best in the title track of the film.
Saif's top roles
Some of Saif Ali Khan's ground-breaking roles:
- Dil Chahta Hai
- Ek Haseena Thi
- Hum Tum
- Being Cyrus
- Parineeta
- Omkara
6 of Abbas-Mustan's hits:
- 1. Khiladi
- 2. Baazigar
- 3. Soldier
- 4. Chori Chori Chupke Chupke
- 5. Humraaz
- 6. Aitraaz
Stars they launched
Here's a list of some stars launched by Abbas-Mustan in their films:
- Shilpa Shetty — Baazigar
- Arbaaz Khan —Daraar
- Bipasha Basu —Ajnabee
- Ayesha Takia— Tarzan — The Wonder Car
- Upen Patel — 36 China Town
- Urvashi Sharma — Naqaab
1,000 films are released each year under recognised banners in India.
