Dishoom is made electric by Junaid and Kabir’s chemistry. Varun plays a funny, sunny guy with typically breezy perfection but John is surprisingly good, delivering dour, sour one-liners with deadpan panache.
The one-liners are stars in themselves - whether it’s Junaid scolding Kabir, "Gana pasand nahin tha, toh bol dete - music system todne ki kya zaroorat thi?" or a brilliant little to-and-fro about iPads and Lagaan, the dialogues keep you giggling, even in tense moments.Not that there are too many nail-biters - with its careening plot, Dishoom doesn’t fulfil the promise of a taut thriller but its mad, zany moments make up with entertainment.
The film evokes 1990s hits, from Main Khiladi Tu Anari to Govinda’s many friendly leers - presenting a new-age masala movie, full of choppers, chummas, cheetas, cheese-bhara lines and spicy dishooms. The heroes oblige, standing bare-chested in knee-deep water with the clock ticking and someone’s life on the line. You’d think this is bizarre but in Dishoom, the six-pack swag has just begun.