Salman Khan And Remo D’Souza Are Two People Who Are Total Misfits For The Race Franchise, Even If They Guarantee Success

Whether you are a Saif Ali Khan fan or not, his exclusion from the Race franchise in the upcoming Race 3 was rather unsettling, for sure. However, Salman Khan joining Race 3 was surely a very exciting news. Race 3 which is hitting the theatres this Friday has got every Salman fan out there super excited which is pretty evident from the uproarious response that the trailer and the songs of the film have received. Additionally, given the fact that it is a Salman Khan Eid release, Race 3 becoming one of the biggest success stories of the year is perhaps only a matter of time.

While we as excited as any Bollywood fan would during the release of such a big movie, there is one constant nagging feeling that we cannot shake off. It does not take a big Bollywood buff to understand that Salman Khan, no matter how big his star status, is hardly the right fit for a franchise like Race 3.

The erstwhile films of the franchise Race 1 and 2 were super successful for a couple of reasons. The prime one among them being the overlapping narrative of right and wrong. In both the previous installments the plot twists, for which Race is known for, was possible because of the grey shades that all the lead characters of the film usually possess. The element of the thrill of Race is kept alive due to this. But knowing Salman  Khan and his decision of not playing a negative character in films, that element of thrill in Race 3 is almost non-existent. Even before watching the film we can be sure Salman would be the nice guy in the film and he will not only win in the end but will also have a noble side to his character, which is completely detrimental to the identity of the franchise which is of a stylish thriller.

Another humongous reason as to why Race 3 won’t be anything like the first two installments, is the absence of director duo Abbas Mustan who directed both Race 1 and 2. Race as a franchise had all the makings of a typical Abbas Mustan film. It was not only twisty and stylish but was also kinda a racy and crooked. Both the Race franchises have had quite a few racy scenes which actually helps in the unapologetic appeal of the film. Here, again, Salman’s resolution of never having an intimate scene on screen is totally in contrast with the feel of the franchise.

Talking about directors, not just Salman Khan, but the inclusion of Remo D’Souza as a director instead of Abbas-Mustan, who are known for their twisty, stylish and sleek thrillers, is going to be very different. Remo who has directed films mostly with a huge emotional connect is probably not the best fit for a franchise that is supposed to be totally opposite of what Remo has given us so far.

While there is no doubt in our minds about the entertainment factor of the film given a Remo D’Souza and Salman Khan combination is sure to have its own spark, but we are probably going to miss the racy, twisted, grey, gritty and unapologetic  Race that we have come to expect from the franchise.