Posted:
Review: Dum Maaro Dum
(Thriller)
Read more at: http://movies.ndtv.com/movie_Review.aspx?id=613&pfrom=home-Movies&cp
(Thriller)
Anupama Chopra, Consulting Editors, Films, NDTV
Friday, April 22, 2011
Read more at: http://movies.ndtv.com/movie_Review.aspx?id=613&pfrom=home-Movies&cp
Dum Maaro Dum has all the ingredients of crackling entertainment: a sun-kissed but suitably seamy location: Goa. A subject that works as an anti-drug cautionary tale but also provides ample opportunity to revel in the gritty glamour of rave parties, cocaine and formidably toned women wearing as little as possible. A director - Rohan Sippy - who has an edgy sensibility and loves stylistic flourishes. An actor - Abhishek Bachchan - who is channeling his father's Angry Young Man along with the unhinged, suicidal Mel Gibson from the Lethal Weapon series. And of course the irresistible title, which comes from an iconic song that four decades later, still has the power to seduce instantly.
This is one film that should soar but sadly it never quite takes flight. The problem is the writing.
Writer Sridhar Raghavan gives us four characters whose lives intersect. Abhishek is ACP Vishnu Kamath, a cop with nothing left to lose who is called in to do 'Goa ki safai.' Prateik is Lorry, a topper whose life falls apart when he makes a deal with the devil and becomes a carrier for the drug mafia. Bipasha Basu is Zoe, an air-hostess who makes the same mistake as Lorry and finds herself a life-long prisoner. And Rana Daggubati is her boyfriend Joki, a musician who could not save her but attempts to make amends by saving Lorry.
The film begins with Lorry's story and moves to Vishnu's but just as we are getting immersed in these narratives, we cut to Zoe and Joki singing. These transitions are clunky and don't allow us to emotionally invest in any character.
Vishnu has texture and authenticity but the other characters are much thinner. The villain, Lorsa Biscuta played by Aditya Pancholi, has little menace about him. And the truly intriguing characters, the Russian and Nigerian Mafiosi, are just fringe players.
Dum Maaro Dum has some punchy dialogue-baazi and snazzy action, especially a nicely done shoot-out at a night market.
It also features Abhishek's best performance in recent times. But the narrative slumps in places, the plot has loopholes and the characters just aren't convincing enough to grab you.
I was absolutely distracted by Rana's strangely expression-less face and Bipasha's hair, which stays salon-styled even when she is in jail.
Dum Maro Dum could have been so much more. I'm going with two and a half stars
Read more at: http://movies.ndtv.com/movie_Review.aspx?id=613&pfrom=home-Movies&cp
This is one film that should soar but sadly it never quite takes flight. The problem is the writing.
Writer Sridhar Raghavan gives us four characters whose lives intersect. Abhishek is ACP Vishnu Kamath, a cop with nothing left to lose who is called in to do 'Goa ki safai.' Prateik is Lorry, a topper whose life falls apart when he makes a deal with the devil and becomes a carrier for the drug mafia. Bipasha Basu is Zoe, an air-hostess who makes the same mistake as Lorry and finds herself a life-long prisoner. And Rana Daggubati is her boyfriend Joki, a musician who could not save her but attempts to make amends by saving Lorry.
The film begins with Lorry's story and moves to Vishnu's but just as we are getting immersed in these narratives, we cut to Zoe and Joki singing. These transitions are clunky and don't allow us to emotionally invest in any character.
Vishnu has texture and authenticity but the other characters are much thinner. The villain, Lorsa Biscuta played by Aditya Pancholi, has little menace about him. And the truly intriguing characters, the Russian and Nigerian Mafiosi, are just fringe players.
Dum Maaro Dum has some punchy dialogue-baazi and snazzy action, especially a nicely done shoot-out at a night market.
It also features Abhishek's best performance in recent times. But the narrative slumps in places, the plot has loopholes and the characters just aren't convincing enough to grab you.
I was absolutely distracted by Rana's strangely expression-less face and Bipasha's hair, which stays salon-styled even when she is in jail.
Dum Maro Dum could have been so much more. I'm going with two and a half stars
Read more at: http://movies.ndtv.com/movie_Review.aspx?id=613&pfrom=home-Movies&cp
Dum Maaro Dum
Nikhat Kazmi, TNN, Apr 21, 2011, 08.36pm IST Times of IndiaCritic's Rating: 3.5 stars
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Bipasha Basu, Rana Daggubati, Prateik Babbar, Aditya Pancholi, Govind Namdeo
Direction: Rohan Sippy
Genre: Crime
Duration: 2 hours 10 minutes
Readers Rating:
Gripping thriller
Story: ACP Vishnu Kamath (Abhishek Bachchan) had hit rock bottom in his career and his personal life, when he suddenly gets a second chance at redemption. He is given the prestigious, yet dangerous mission of cleaning up Goa of its all-pervasive illegal drug mafia. Pitted against the powerful drug lord Lorsa Biscuta (Aditya Pancholi), a corrupt police department and a host of innocents trapped in the trade -- Bipasha and Prateik Babbar -- will the diehard cop succeed in this operation? He does find welcome help from the local DJ, Joki (Rana Daggubati) who wants to extricate the innocents, specially his girlfriend Zoey (Bipasha Basu) from the dragnet.
Movie Review: There's something about Abhishek Bachchan and his cop act. It always works, unlike most of his other screen avatars. Till date, Dhoom remains one of his most memorable performances, where his savoir faire as the sassy policeman stood up commendably to the charisma of the bad guys, John Abraham and Hrithik Roshan. Dum Maaro Dum reiterates the fact that Abhishek seems to be a natural charmer when it comes to slipping into the shoes of a quintessential somewhat crooked-somewhat straight cop. His body language, his dialogue rendition, his lazy zeal and laidback attitude, adds a cutting edge to the character of ACP Vishnu Kamath, Goa's desi Bruce Willis (Diehard) who plays the game according to his own rules.
And Abhishek isn't alone in crafting a host of riveting characters who lend a special cadence to the film. There is Prateik Babbar and Anaitha Nair's teen love story that goes awry, once Prateik gets embroiled in illegal activities. There is Bipasha Basu and Rana Daggubati's bindaas beach romance that lights up the screen intermittently. There is Mafioso Aditya Pancholi and his mean guy act which flashes fire and brimstone. And there is the cop camaraderie between Abhishek and his team that adds substance to the proceedings. All the characters are credible and immensely watchable.
Further more, there is the stylization of the film and its dramatic narration that makes it a compelling watch. The film sl*gs in places and needs tightening, but the lull is followed by a tangy twist in the tale, which makes up for the occasional yawn. Shridhar Raghavan writes a thrilling cops and robbers tale which has some quirky banter scripted by Purva Naresh. Add to this Goa captured in glowing colours by cinematographer Amit Roy and a peppy music score by Pritam, and director Rohan Sippy gives you a film that keeps the popcorn crackling, till the very end. So much so, you don't actually mind the 'potty' lyrics, as Deepika Padukone adds a dusky sheen to them with the Deepika shake. Of course, there's Vidya Balan too, with her winning smiles, in a brief cameo, proving once again that she's the most in-sync co-star for Abhishek Bachchan. Remember Paa?
This one's complete paisa vasool fare.
A word about:
Performances: Abhishek's a cool cop, Rana Daggubati makes a dashing debut, Prateik Babbar's credible, Bipasha Basu still smoulders and Aditya Pancholi is an interesting bad guy.
Direction: Rohan Sippy tells a zippy story, packaging it with the right twists and turns.
Story: Shridhar Raghavan is on familiar ground, with flair.
Dialogues: Purva Naresh scripts interesting conversations amongst the sundry characters.
Cinematography: Amit Roy captures Goa with its grandeur and grime.
Music: Midival Punditz pitches in an eclectic background score and Pritam Singh creates some peppy numbers.
Choreography: Deepika Padukone's title track simmers, despite the questionable lyrics.
Story: ACP Vishnu Kamath (Abhishek Bachchan) had hit rock bottom in his career and his personal life, when he suddenly gets a second chance at redemption. He is given the prestigious, yet dangerous mission of cleaning up Goa of its all-pervasive illegal drug mafia. Pitted against the powerful drug lord Lorsa Biscuta (Aditya Pancholi), a corrupt police department and a host of innocents trapped in the trade -- Bipasha and Prateik Babbar -- will the diehard cop succeed in this operation? He does find welcome help from the local DJ, Joki (Rana Daggubati) who wants to extricate the innocents, specially his girlfriend Zoey (Bipasha Basu) from the dragnet.
Best Reader's Review
Movie is good but not great. Abhishek Bachan is stunning as a cop with amazing intensity b...Read moreMovie is good but not great. Abhishek Bachan is stunning as a cop with amazing intensity but the end could have been better. First half was stunning though and Deepika is wow... Dinesh (Dubai) 22/04/2011 at 04:52 pm Post your Review & Rating
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Movie Review: There's something about Abhishek Bachchan and his cop act. It always works, unlike most of his other screen avatars. Till date, Dhoom remains one of his most memorable performances, where his savoir faire as the sassy policeman stood up commendably to the charisma of the bad guys, John Abraham and Hrithik Roshan. Dum Maaro Dum reiterates the fact that Abhishek seems to be a natural charmer when it comes to slipping into the shoes of a quintessential somewhat crooked-somewhat straight cop. His body language, his dialogue rendition, his lazy zeal and laidback attitude, adds a cutting edge to the character of ACP Vishnu Kamath, Goa's desi Bruce Willis (Diehard) who plays the game according to his own rules.
And Abhishek isn't alone in crafting a host of riveting characters who lend a special cadence to the film. There is Prateik Babbar and Anaitha Nair's teen love story that goes awry, once Prateik gets embroiled in illegal activities. There is Bipasha Basu and Rana Daggubati's bindaas beach romance that lights up the screen intermittently. There is Mafioso Aditya Pancholi and his mean guy act which flashes fire and brimstone. And there is the cop camaraderie between Abhishek and his team that adds substance to the proceedings. All the characters are credible and immensely watchable.
Further more, there is the stylization of the film and its dramatic narration that makes it a compelling watch. The film sl*gs in places and needs tightening, but the lull is followed by a tangy twist in the tale, which makes up for the occasional yawn. Shridhar Raghavan writes a thrilling cops and robbers tale which has some quirky banter scripted by Purva Naresh. Add to this Goa captured in glowing colours by cinematographer Amit Roy and a peppy music score by Pritam, and director Rohan Sippy gives you a film that keeps the popcorn crackling, till the very end. So much so, you don't actually mind the 'potty' lyrics, as Deepika Padukone adds a dusky sheen to them with the Deepika shake. Of course, there's Vidya Balan too, with her winning smiles, in a brief cameo, proving once again that she's the most in-sync co-star for Abhishek Bachchan. Remember Paa?
This one's complete paisa vasool fare.
A word about:
Performances: Abhishek's a cool cop, Rana Daggubati makes a dashing debut, Prateik Babbar's credible, Bipasha Basu still smoulders and Aditya Pancholi is an interesting bad guy.
Direction: Rohan Sippy tells a zippy story, packaging it with the right twists and turns.
Story: Shridhar Raghavan is on familiar ground, with flair.
Dialogues: Purva Naresh scripts interesting conversations amongst the sundry characters.
Cinematography: Amit Roy captures Goa with its grandeur and grime.
Music: Midival Punditz pitches in an eclectic background score and Pritam Singh creates some peppy numbers.
Choreography: Deepika Padukone's title track simmers, despite the questionable lyrics.
By Taran Adarsh, April 22, 2011 - 09:25 IST
I've often heard irate moviegoers grumble that superior stories are in short supply, but I don't subscribe to this viewpoint. I genuinely feel that we have great stories to narrate, but we mess up on screenplay writing, mutilating a brilliant story in the process. That's an issue with DUM MAARO DUM as well. A fascinating concept may not translate into an enthralling and enticing film, right?
Come to think of it, Rohan Sippy has evolved into a stylish storyteller with the passage of time. And DUM MAARO DUM bears testimony to this fact. Right from the shot compositions to the edit pattern, the distinct stamp of Sippy Jr. just cannot be overlooked. But a collage of brilliantly executed sequences cannot compensate for a riveting screenplay. That's precisely why DUM MAARO DUM lacks dum.
I've often heard irate moviegoers grumble that superior stories are in short supply, but I don't subscribe to this viewpoint. I genuinely feel that we have great stories to narrate, but we mess up on screenplay writing, mutilating a brilliant story in the process. That's an issue with DUM MAARO DUM as well. A fascinating concept may not translate into an enthralling and enticing film, right?
Come to think of it, Rohan Sippy has evolved into a stylish storyteller with the passage of time. And DUM MAARO DUM bears testimony to this fact. Right from the shot compositions to the edit pattern, the distinct stamp of Sippy Jr. just cannot be overlooked. But a collage of brilliantly executed sequences cannot compensate for a riveting screenplay. That's precisely why DUM MAARO DUM lacks dum.
At heart, DUM MAARO DUM is a chor-police game, with the cop [Abhishek Bachchan] going all out to nail the drug lord [Aditya Pancholi], the messiah of narcotics trade, but the content fails to hold your attention after a point [towards the second hour specifically]. The writing gets muddled in the post-interval portions, after one has savored some tremendous moments in the first hour. There are portions that put you off [Abhishek injects drugs in the thugs in order to extract information], that remain unexplained [what is it that Prateik knows and reveals in the letter?], that come as a complete shocker [why is Rana hell bent on saving Prateik, so much so that he puts Bipasha's life at stake?]... Besides, the pre-climax as well as the penultimate moments are a major letdown. The drama in the concluding reels, in fact, is prolonged for no reason.
What goes against the film is the fact that the writer sidetracks the protagonist in the pre-climax itself, while the actor in the supporting role walks away as the savior. Frankly, sidetracking the protagonist leaves a sour taste in the mouth. Even the protagonist's loyal fans, I am sure, will find this difficult to absorb and will be shocked and sorely disappointed by this grave mistake. That's not all, even the elimination of the all-powerful drug kingpin by an inconsequential character seems ridiculous. Also, the suspense just doesn't work and nor does it create the desired impact [the twist in the end is quite an anti-climax].
Multiple lives collide at Goa Airport one day... [Lorry] Prateik is a student on the verge of following his girlfriend [Anaitha Nair] to a U.S. University. But when his scholarship gets rejected, his life threatens to spiral out of control, until he meets a smooth-talking hustler who promises to get it back on track.
What goes against the film is the fact that the writer sidetracks the protagonist in the pre-climax itself, while the actor in the supporting role walks away as the savior. Frankly, sidetracking the protagonist leaves a sour taste in the mouth. Even the protagonist's loyal fans, I am sure, will find this difficult to absorb and will be shocked and sorely disappointed by this grave mistake. That's not all, even the elimination of the all-powerful drug kingpin by an inconsequential character seems ridiculous. Also, the suspense just doesn't work and nor does it create the desired impact [the twist in the end is quite an anti-climax].
Multiple lives collide at Goa Airport one day... [Lorry] Prateik is a student on the verge of following his girlfriend [Anaitha Nair] to a U.S. University. But when his scholarship gets rejected, his life threatens to spiral out of control, until he meets a smooth-talking hustler who promises to get it back on track.
In the meanwhile, top cop Kamath [Abhishek Bachchan] is entrusted the responsibility of destroying the brutal local and international drug mafia in Goa. He forms a core team [Govind Namdev, Muzammil] and starts 'cleansing' the land. All fingers point towards Biscuta [Aditya Pancholi], a ruthless local businessman, who has his finger in every pie, legal or illegal. Suddenly, Biscuta finds himself pushed to the extreme limit with Kamath's arrival.
On the other hand, Joki [Rana Daggubati] drifts aimlessly through life after an encounter with the drug mafia costs him the love of his life, Zoe [Bipasha Basu]. Joki takes upon himself to save Lorry, who has been a pawn in a vicious game.
DUM MAARO DUM moves at a feverish pace initially, with the director and writer Shridhar Raghavan not indulging in spoon-feeding, unlike most film-makers here are known for. In fact, they expect the viewer to grasp and figure out certain situations that arise in the film, instead of explaining it themselves. That makes the goings-on a tad difficult to comprehend at times and which, in turn, may not be liked by those who don't feel like taxing their brains while watching a film.
What also puts you off after a point are the brutal killings in the name of violence. One doesn't mind action films [I am all for it], but why make it so real that it puts you off? Stabbing syringes into the neck and even twisting necks is a strict no-no, in my opinion.
Rohan Sippy has given the film his all. He has a unique style of telling a story, which is evident all through the film. But he's letdown by the screenplay writing in the second hour. The highpoints of the film include crisp dialogue and a popular soundtrack [music: Pritam]. The title track has already caught on and will prove to be a major crowdpuller, though there's a sizable section of cineastes who loathe its lyrics. 'Thayn Thayn' is catchy, but the placement of this song should've been better. Amit Roy's cinematography is top notch. In fact, the film bears a stunning look all through. Background score [Midival Punditz] is electrifying. Editing could've been sharper. Clocking in at roughly 2 hour and 05 minutes, it's much longer than it should be.
Abhishek is super in the role of a tough cop whose life undergoes a U-turn when personal tragedy strikes. He projects the varied emotions such as rage, turmoil, helplessness, anxiety without going overboard. Much of the joy comes from watching Rana Daggubati infuse believability into his character. He's easy on the eyes and is a complete natural when it comes to acting. Bipasha shines in several moments of the film. Prateik [credited as special appearance in the titles] impresses a great deal. Aditya Pancholi is first-rate. Anaitha Nair does well in a brief role. Govind Namdeo is in terrific form. Muzammil [as Mercy] does a fair job. Gulshan Devaiya is tremendous. Hussain is okay. Vidya Balan [cameo] is alright. Deepika scorches the screen in the title track.
On the whole, DUM MAARO DUM is like fast food that's high on calories, but falls short in the nutrition department. Yes, it's slick, stylish and well-crafted, but the fact remains that it lacks the power [in its second hour specifically] to create a dum-daar impression. Business-wise, DUM MAARO DUM caters more to the youth in metros than the hardcore masses in general. Its business in plexes of Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Gurgaon, Chandigarh, Hyderabad and Bengaluru in particular will be the best. The Nizam-Andhra circuits in particular will also contribute a good chunk thanks to Rana Daggubati's presence. But the traditional circuits may not react as strongly. In a nutshell, the business is likely to be divided between metros and non-metros, between weekend and weekdays.
shubhaS Shubha Shetty
@
@mihirfadnavis Prateik is very good and Rana is hottt! @Namrata_Joshi
shubhaS Shubha Shetty
@
@Namrata_Joshi Yeah I kind of liked Dum Maaro Dum. Entertaining and that 70s masala film feel @mihirfadnavis
shubhaS Shubha Shetty
@rohansippy After a long gap, watched an entertaining film. Dum hai boss!:)
Namrata_Joshi Namrata Joshi
@
@shubhaS and prateik well... cradle snatching hai yet I can't resist looking at him badi buri nazron se @mihirfadnavis
Namrata_Joshi Namrata Joshi
@
@shubhaS hmmm Rana is hottt hmmm #honestconfession prefer men from SI than NI anyday @mihirfadnavis
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