Movie Review: Dum Maro Dum (Hindi) 128

Possibly Ramesh Sippy’s biggest miscalculation was thinking that Deepika dancing to a sloppily rehashed mix of a cult pothead number would add up to a big opening for ‘Dum Maro Dum’. For one, the song was trashed outright and so was Deepika’s wannabe item act. The launch never brought in the much needed ‘high’.

Obviously inspired in part by reports of murders that rocked India’s beach paradise, Goa a few years ago, the film makes an attempt to pack-in just about everything in two hours. There’s crime, drugs, drama, romance, action and suspense! Busy as they were, concoting this heady cocktail, the filmmakers simply forgot to make it coherent.

Dum Maro Dum opens with the story of a college going, football loving teen Lorry (Prateik Babbar) who loses a schorlarship and misses out on joining his sweetheart who goes to study abroad. His vulnerability is put to use by the drug mafia who convince him to carry contraband in his luggage. A maze of events leads to Lorry being apprehended at the Airport by ACP Vishnu Kamath (Abhishek Bachchan).

Before it can go any further, the film cuts to a flash back by each of its key characters leading to the present timeline. The melee includes a ruthless cop Kamath seeking redemption for his corrupt past, a musician Joki (Rana Daggubati) who quietly pines the loss of his love Zoe (Bipasha Basu), a multilingual airhostess to the drug kingpin Lorsa Biscuita (Aditya Pancholi). Ah, well, what a name for a villain, ‘Biscuita’!

The film succeeds at portraying the muck of the drug world replete with international cartels, rave parties along with some glamour to spice up the screen. A good bit of suspense is created around a shady character that our protagonists are up against. If someone hasn’t revealed it to you yet, I’m sure it isn’t easy to guess.

Where it falters is in the way the story unfolds. While some are indulgent, some take you away from the plot and coming around when the scene ends at the airport. The frequent cuts keep you away from following and empathizing with its characters.

On the other hand, some performances are impressive. Although Abhishek Bachchan is not someone who is a benchmark for acting skills, he delivers a sincere performance. Rana Daggubati who hails from a prominent Telugu filmy lineage thoroughly makes his mark as Joki. The others complement them effectively.

While Dum Maro Dum may not be a winner, it’s not terrible either. Surely, it was a gutsy act on the part of the producers to release it in the thick of the ongoing cricket season. You won’t regret spending a couple of hours on this entertainer.

Rating 5/10: A tale of ‘pot’ sans the ‘high’

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