I was in Mumbai on the 14th January when the world premier of the movie "XXX: the Return of Xander Cage" took place. I was lucky to get a pass for me and my girl and we attended the premier. Vin Diesel and his co-star the Bollywood starlet Deepika Padukone along with the producer and other of the cast were also there. It was a great occasion and though Vin was some distance away one could not mistake his muscular and macho look. There was also a tremendous chemistry between the two lead actors and I was not surprised when it was announced that Vin and Deepika would be together again in the next sequel to Xander Cage as well.

The original Xander cage movie was made in 2002. it did not fetch rave views and most critics gave it an average rating, but the film stormed the box office and garnered $270 million. That's a lot of money and one wonders why it took Vin 15 years to act in a sequel. Well after 15 years Vin is back doing the same things he did 15 years ago, but he is 15 years older and he has a new girl in the dusky Deepika Padukone. But one will have to doff one's hat to Vin Diesel as he looks every inch what he was 15 years back; macho and muscular. This bald actor has a niche of his own.

The film runs for 110 minutes and is shot in 3D and 4D. This heightens the effects. The story line is weak, but the death-defying stunts are what the public wants to see and they are superb. Vin thrashes the bad guys and gets his girl the lovely Deepika. In between, there are some steamy scenes and the chemistry between the duo exudes from the screen to the viewers. Vin Diesel and Deepika decided on the world premier in Mumbai and now a week later the film is released all over the world.

Vin Diesel had said that Deepika will be the new Hollywood star on the horizon in 2017. One will have to wait and see whether this prophecy comes true. Deepika flaunts a tanned body and is a good foil to the muscular Vin Diesel. But her English accent is a giveaway and one can see that she is Indian. The other girl also in Hollywood Priyanka has better diction. Maybe because she schooled in the United States.

The film has a furious pace and at the end, one does get the feeling that 110 minutes is less. Vin carries the film and it has an international cast. But minus the action sequences the film does not have much of a storyline. However, it's a feather in the cap of Deepika who after decades of Mumbai films has at last broken into the citadel of Hollywood and one hopes she is a hit and she becomes the new Hollywood star of 2017.