Film

Dhoom 3

Name: Dhoom 3
Genre: Action, Crime
Released: 2013
Cast: Aamir Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Katrina Kaif, Uday Chopra, Jackie Shroff

A circus performer turned bank robber with a grudge against a corrupt banker duels wits with two Mumbai detectives across continents. Dhoom 3 is maximalist Bollywood action cinema: impossible heists, elaborate disguises, gravity-defying stunts, and a hero-villain dynamic that crackles with genuine chemistry. It's for people who want spectacle, style, and the sheer fun of watching talented actors commit fully to outrageous scenarios.

TMDb rating

3.0

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you want big, showy heist set-pieces built on magic tricks and sleight of hand, with a crowd-pleasing caper rhythm and a bit of rivalry between the chasers and the chased.

Skip it if you find a 171-minute runtime a stretch or prefer lean thrillers; the plot can feel loose, and some stunts lean more on spectacle than on believable tension.

What it asks of you: A long, sprawling sit of nearly three hours, moving in brisk bursts between set-pieces, with a mostly light, playful tone rather than grim intensity.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol2011

Tom Cruise's franchise perfected the globe-trotting heist thriller with jaw-dropping practical stunts. Like Dhoom 3, it's about planning, deception, and a charismatic lead making the impossible look effortless across stunning locations.

But It takes itself deadly seriously where Dhoom embraces style and camp. The humour is minimal and the tone is relentlessly tense.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol poster

Ocean's Eleven2001

The template for smart heist cinema: ensemble charm, layered plotting, and the thrill of watching a perfect plan execute. Soderbergh's coolness matches Dhoom's swagger, just expressed through a different cultural lens.

But It's slower and more cerebral than Dhoom 3's kinetic energy. Some find the studied cool exhausting rather than thrilling.

Jawan2023

Shah Rukh Khan in a revenge-driven action spectacle with dual roles, stylish set pieces, and that same Bollywood commitment to turning grief into grand cinema. Similar DNA, similar emotional engine.

But The plotting can feel scattered, and it occasionally mistakes noise for narrative momentum. It doesn't quite achieve what it's aiming for.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Dhoom 3

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Howl's Moving Castle2004

Both use performance and visual transformation as a way to explore identity and agency. The magician's art is central to how both stories work.

A magician's elaborate deceptions, impossible physics, and elaborate disguises become the visual language of the film. Like Dhoom 3's Aamir Khan in his circus avatar, the lead character is a performer whose real nature is hidden beneath layers of artifice and misdirection.

But It's a Studio Ghibli fantasy with no action sequences and a contemplative pace. If you came for heists and chase scenes, this will feel like a detour into someone else's genre.

The Dark Knight2008

A hero-villain relationship that transcends simple good versus evil. Like Dhoom 3, it understands that the best adversaries bring out something in each other that elevates the whole affair.

But It's three hours of moral philosophy wrapped in noir. If you want pure action adrenaline, this introspection will feel like friction.

Jai Bhim2021

Suriya delivers a powerhouse performance in a crime thriller with real stakes and social weight. Tamil cinema doing what Dhoom 3 does—commitment to craft and to the audience's time.

But It's deadly serious about corruption and injustice. Zero glamour, zero fun. The tone is entirely different.

Rosemary's Baby1968

Akshay Kumar as a secret operative in a globe-trotting thriller with practical action and genuine suspense. Indian cinema pursuing international-scale spy cinema with style and conviction.

But It sprawls across multiple storylines and sometimes loses focus. Some sequences feel overdone while others are undercooked.

Singham2011

Ajay Devgn as a small-town cop taking on corruption. It's the other side of the Dhoom coin—the righteous cop rather than the stylish thief—but with equal commitment to spectacle and swagger.

But The writing is blunt and the villains are cardboard. Charm and star power carry it more than nuance does.

Race 22013

Saif Ali Khan and John Abraham in a heist thriller that never stops moving. Released the same year as Dhoom 3, it understands that style and momentum matter more than plausibility.

But The plot is essentially decoration. If you need a story that makes sense, you'll be frustrated by the contrivances.

Kabali2016

Rajinikanth as an aging don exacting revenge in a stylish Tamil noir. It shares Dhoom 3's commitment to visual grandeur and the moral ambiguity of a charismatic antagonist.

But Notoriously divisive and sometimes self-indulgent. The tone wavers, and the plotting is occasionally incoherent. Many found it a disappointment.

The Spanish Prisoner1997

Both films understand that the best heist is one where the audience is being played as much as the characters are. Misdirection is the plot.

Mamet's con-artist thriller is all about layers of deception, misdirection, and the seduction of a perfect plan. It has Dhoom 3's obsession with outsmarting the audience through careful construction of what you think you're seeing.

But It's a chamber piece dialogue film from 1997 with no stunts, chases, or spectacle. The thrills are intellectual rather than visceral. Patience required.

Andhadhun2018

Like Dhoom 3, it's about a protagonist whose greatest skill is deception and performance. Both films explore what happens when that skill becomes their greatest liability.

A blind pianist, a murder, and a performance of deception that spirals gorgeously out of control. Taapsee Pannu and Ayushmann Khurrana in a thriller that uses artifice and pretence as its central engine—a con movie where everyone is lying.

But It's a dark, morally murky film that refuses to make you comfortable. The tone shifts from thriller to dark comedy to something unsettling. Not a fun ride.