Race (2008 film)

Race is a 2008 Indian Hindi-language neo-noir action crime film directed by Abbas–Mustan and written by Kiran Kotrial and Shiraz Ahmed. Produced by Kumar S. Taurani and Ramesh S. Taurani under Tips Industries, the film stars Anil Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Bipasha Basu, Katrina Kaif, and Sameera Reddy. Set primarily in Durban, South Africa, the story revolves around two stepbrothers entangled in a complex plot of betrayal, manipulation, and ambition within the horse racing industry. It spawned the Race franchise and was loosely inspired by the 1998 American thriller Goodbye Lover.

Principal photography took place across locations in Durban, Dubai, and Goa, with cinematography handled by Ravi Yadav. The soundtrack, composed by Pritam with lyrics by Sameer, achieved significant commercial success and contributed to the film’s popularity.

Race was released theatrically in India on 21 March 2008 by UTV Motion Pictures. It received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics, who praised its screenplay, direction, performances, and music. The film emerged as a major commercial success, grossing approximately ₹103 crore (US$12 million) worldwide, and was the fifth-highest-grossing Hindi film of 2008.

At the 54th Filmfare Awards, Race received 2 nominations – Best Music Director (Pritam) and Best Screenplay (Shiraz Ahmed). The film also received 9 nominations at the 10th IIFA Awards, including Best Film, Best Actress (Basu), and Best Performance in a Comic Role (Pritam), and won 2 awards including Best Performance in a Negative Role (Khanna). It later spawned two follow-ups: Race 2 (2013) and Race 3 (2018), the latter serving as a reboot.