Film

Dishoom

Dishoom is a glossy Bollywood action-comedy that trades realism for spectacle: two mismatched cops hunting a kidnapper across exotic locales, with John Abraham and Varun Dhawan riffing off each other's energy. It's pure popcorn—bright, fast-moving, occasionally funny, occasionally ridiculous. For viewers who want their thrillers seasoned with humor and don't mind the plot taking backseat to set pieces and banter.

TMDb rating2.8

If you liked this

Race 22013

Abbas Tyrewala's slick, globe-trotting thriller with a similar DNA: charismatic leads, impossible heists, exotic backdrops, and a tone that treats absurdity as feature not bug. Anil Kapoor and Deepika Padukone crackle together.

But The plot is paper-thin and contrivance piles on contrivance. If you need narrative coherence, you will be frustrated constantly.

Race 2 poster

Ek Tha Tiger2012

Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif in a globe-spanning spy caper with romance, gunplay, and earnest stakes that never quite believe itself—exactly the register Dishoom is chasing. Slick without pretense.

But By modern standards it feels dated. The action is functional rather than inventive, and stretches can drag.

Ek Tha Tiger poster

Welcome2007

Akshay Kumar and Nana Patekar proving that Bollywood comedy-action works best when the leads commit fully to the ridiculousness. Chaotic, warm-hearted, endlessly quotable among its fans.

But The humor is broad slapstick and the plot is incidental. If you want wit or subtlety, this will feel juvenile.

Welcome poster

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Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows2011

Both films treat the buddy dynamic as the engine, with action and comedy serving chemistry rather than character or narrative.

Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law riffing off each other with the same anarchic, bantering energy as Abraham and Dhawan. Guy Ritchie's visual style—overlapped action, freeze-frames, constant motion—influenced Bollywood directly. Chemistry, not plot, is the real subject.

But Two and a half hours of stylistic showing-off. Some find it exhausting; the story is genuinely secondary to the filmmaking itself.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows poster
More like this (8)

Singham2011

Ajay Devgn as a cop with unshakeable moral clarity, mixing action and comedy with real swagger. Rohit Shetty's direction gives it energy and style that elevates standard cop-thriller beats.

But The invincible hero fantasy wears thin fast. Devgn's character faces virtually no real jeopardy, so stakes feel hollow.

Singham poster

Special 262013

Akshay Kumar and Rajpal Yadav in a heist-thriller that actually cares about the con and the execution. Smarter plotting than Dishoom, genuinely clever twists, and real tension.

But Slower build than Dishoom. If you're here for constant action and quips, the middle stretch will feel like a slog.

Special 26 poster

Commando - A One Man Army2013

Vidyut Jammwal's action vehicle has real physical flair and stunt work. Straightforward and unpretentious, it doesn't insult your intelligence, just asks you to roll with it.

But Thin plot, thin dialogue. Jammwal carries it on pure athleticism. Without interest in action choreography itself, there's not much here.

Commando - A One Man Army poster

Bang Bang!2014

Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif in an über-stylish action-romance across multiple continents. Visually sumptuous, unapologetically fun, and confident in its own glossiness.

But Narrative is genuinely nonsensical—even accepting the genre's rules, plot holes pile up. The style carries it, which won't work for everyone.

Bang Bang! poster

Jawaani Jaaneman2020

Saif Ali Khan and Tabu in a lighter, breezier ensemble comedy. Good chemistry, likable cast, and a tone that's warm without trying too hard.

But Far less ambitious than Dishoom. The stakes are domestic and small, which can feel slight after ninety minutes.

Jawaani Jaaneman poster

Badrinath Ki Dulhania2017

Varun Dhawan again, opposite Alia Bhatt, in a romance-action hybrid with surprising heart. The film earned goodwill by letting its leads feel real even while the action stayed cartoonish.

But The central romance, while charming, is fairly traditional. The action set pieces don't match Dishoom's scale or energy.

Badrinath Ki Dulhania poster

The Gentlemen2020

Both films prioritize pace, chemistry and spectacle over logic. They're operating on style as substance, and the audience is trusted to enjoy the ride.

Guy Ritchie's crime-caper comedy-thriller where everything is moving, nothing is explained until it's funny, and the ensemble cast is having visible fun. Fast-paced, clever in the moment, irreverent about its own implausibility.

But Plot is deliberately opaque and witholds clarity for gags. By design, you're never entirely sure what happened, and that frustrates viewers needing to follow everything.

The Gentlemen poster

The Nice Guys2016

Buddy cop formula with charm and humor, but inverted: where Dishoom is all surface gloss, this film uses that partnership as a Trojan horse to explore loneliness and desperation underneath.

Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe as mismatched investigators in 1970s LA. Shane Black's script pairs meaty banter with real emotional stakes and genuine stakes—the action serves character, not vice versa.

But Grittier and more violent than Dishoom's tone suggests. If you want pure escapism without moral weight, the film keeps dragging you back to consequences.

The Nice Guys poster

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Tiger Zinda Hai, Humshakals, Shera