Dum Maro Dum
Goa is heaven. For tourists, for its people and if you go by DMD, for the drug mafia. It is geographically divided into territories run by the Russians, Israelis, Nigerians, Brits and our very own Desis.
The film set in current times, is about a minister (Bugs Bhargava) wanting to have the state rid of the cancer of drugs, by appointing ACP Vishnu Kamath (Abhishek Bachchan) to do the needful. He wants these menaces removed by the time he returns from having his heart blockages removed. Kamath appoints his team, Rane (Govind Namdeo) & Mercy (Muzammil) to take on a no holds barred approach to eradicate the curse of drugs from Goa.
Lorry (Prateik) has managed to secure admission in a US College, along with his girlfriend Tani (Anaitha Nair). The sweet love story is disrupted when Lorry does not get any financial aid, unlike Tani. Unable to get USD15000, he passes out drunk at Tanis farewell. Lured by his friend Ricky into the world of Russian rave parties and drugs, where he makes out with Rozanna, Rickys Brazilian girlfriend. Ricky offers to organise his scholarship money, so that his career can be made in return for him becoming a carrier for Ricky. This term gets used again in the film, hinting that it might be common parlance in the trade. Become a carrier for a better career. Inspite of all precautions taken by the drug mafia, Lorry gets caught at the Goa customs and is dumped in the Juvenile Detention.
Joki (Rana Daggubatti) is a local DJ, musician cum party singer, who after having lost his girlfriend Zoe (Bipasha Basu) to the drug trade, wants to save Lorry from the clutches of the drug mafia. When his counselling falls on Lorrys deaf ears, he tries convincing Kamath, post Lorrys arrest, Lorrys innocence. Lorsa Biscuta (Aditya Pancholi) is the local business tycoon, known for his philanthrophic ways. What is an open secret is that he is the kingpin of the drug cartel in Goa.
As Mercy, says Goa main housing ka koi problem nahi hai, kyonki sab Biscuita ke pocket main rehta hai. Abhishek Bachchan comes up with a decent peformance, but he could do with less of the teeth gnashing expression of his. After Raavan, KHJJS, Game, he comes up with one of his better performances. He looks good as the local, no nonsense cop. Muzammil as Goas oldest Virgin is good, Govind Namdeo excellent. Prateik although credited with a special appearance, is one of the protagonists in the film. His vulnerability makes Lorry more believable.
So much so that even his often screechy voice is passable, owing to the fact that he is shown a minor. Aditya Pancholi as the gangster, plays a role he seems to have perfected all his life, be it Mukul Anands MahaSangram or the Sanjay Guptas flicks. It is a pleasant surprise to see him again on screen after a hiatus of 6 years, Musafir coming in 2004 and am discounting last years Striker. Rana Daggubatti is the grandson of D. Rama Naidu, son of producer D. Suresh Babu, nephew of superstars Venkatesh & Nagarjuna phew!
The list just goes on. He is a thoroughbred star son, who promises to be the complete package. He looks good, is well built, has a good screen presence and can act as well. Once he fulfills the other requirements of dancing and stuntbaazi, voila we have our new superstar. Although Rana has to share quite a few scenes with Abhishek and Aditya, he holds his own. How does his foray into Hindi cinema pan out, is something to look forward to. Anaitha Nair, has hardly any role in the film. Bipasha on the other hand seems to be trying hard to promote her fitness video and the sportswear company that she endorses. Or else why does she always move around the house only in a shirt showing her well toned calves? She does not leave much of an impact in this guy flick. Deepika Padukones item number might not be the next Munni or Sheila, but she sure does look hot! Bosco Caesar, the choreographers of the song, have done a purely okay job.
The makers should have tried Vaibhavi Merchant instead. As for the song goes, if Rohan and Pritam wanted to showcase Daft Punk, they might as well have played one of their songs. The song is not a remake of the original, but a sincere rehash, mishmash bhelpuri of the original. It is like having a chicken manchurian pizza in a Mughlai restaurant! Anushka adds a certain amount of sensuality to the song, but is let down by the outrightly dumb and stupid lyrics by Jaideep Sahni. oonche se ooncha banda, potty pe baithe nanga cannot work in any song, leave alone a remake of a RD classic! But Deepika looks hot This is Rohan Sippys third directorial venture (Kuch Na Kaho 2003, Bluff Master 2005) as always with buddy Abhishek. His heart is in the right place, but he seems to have been brain dead.
It is a fantastic concept, fantastic plot but is let down by an equally, if not more, skewered screenplay! Amit Roy captures Goa in a fantastically fresh manner. The story by Sridhar Raghavan is fantastic. Music by Pritam is pleasant, Te Amo being my favourite. The background music by Midival Punditz is fantastic. The killer is the screenplay and the editing (Aarif Shaikh).
After starting off very well, the film falls flat post interval. Every action scene is interspersed with a long drawn inconsequential scene, which just brakes the speed of the film. Likewise, the placement of the AB Babys rap is a major disaster. It just kills the plot for you. That is where Rohan Sippy fails. For a crime thriller to succeed, it has to be moving at a breakneck speed, throughout. One can let the audiences breathe at regular intervals by throwing in a few catchy songs.
But the rate of narration has to be fast, wherein the audiences should be in a race with the films plot, trying to solve the mystery and guess the twist before it is finally revealed. Unfortunately, here is where DMD fails. As the film reaches the climax, you tend to give up and just sit back to let the plot reveal itself and leave the theater. Also, the Syriana type twists do not work here. There are quite a few things which are left unexplained, biggest one being, how does Kamath crack the mystery based on Lorrys letter? I still would say, it is worth a watch, for the attempt by RSE in presenting a film which is different. It is not an entertainer, mind you. This is a hardcore, adult plot, which is only let down by its own screenplay. One is bound to come back with mixed views, but if you dont have anything better to do on this holiday weekend, might as well see this film.
