Dhoomam movie review: This Fahadh Faasil starrer gets completely lost in translation – The Indian Express

Set in Karnataka, Dhoomam tells the story of Avinash (Fahadh Faasil) and Diya (Aparna Balamurali), a pair plunged into deep hassle after Avinash decides to stop his profitable place at a cigarette firm.

Regardless of beginning because the advertising head of the corporate, spearheaded by Sid (Roshan Mathew), and efficiently main quite a few impactful campaigns which considerably boosted the agency’s gross sales, Avinash’s conscience begins to torment him when he realises that even youngsters are falling prey to tobacco habit, and the corporate willingly embraces these ‘new’ prospects. This realisation compels him to depart his job.

Sadly, Avinash’s troubles escalate after submitting his resignation. Avinash and Diya are kidnapped by an unknown one that crops a time bomb inside considered one of them, forcing the couple to collect Rs 1 crore inside a particular timeframe. The bomb’s timer can solely be saved from ticking down by, paradoxically, smoking cigarettes. Failure to conform will lead to an explosion. Looking for assist from Sid and his uncle Praveen (Vineeth), Avinash finds himself ignored and uncared for. Nonetheless, the couple devises a plan to amass the required fund by the corporate itself.

As their determined journey unfolds, tragedy strikes when Praveen is shot lifeless and Sid is wounded by a bullet. Falsely accused of those crimes, Avinash and Diya grow to be the prime targets of the police. The rest of the movie focuses on their relentless efforts to save lots of themselves from this perilous predicament.

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Dhoomam, as advised by its title and trailer, revolves across the theme of cigarette smoking and its affect on numerous lives. The movie highlights how the heads of tobacco corporations, totally conscious of the well being dangers related to their merchandise, keep away from consuming them. Nonetheless, these very corporations make use of varied techniques to advertise cigarette use, resulting in them changing into filthy wealthy whereas customers progressively succumb to the clutches of demise.

Whereas a movie that goals to ship a major message is commendable, contemplating the influential energy of the medium, a film solely created for this objective can paradoxically yield counterproductive outcomes. Dhoomam stands as a testomony to this because it excessively prioritises the subject material whereas neglecting the technical elements.

In a single scene, Avinash precisely summarises the movie as a complete, stating, “You all should have seen the (anti-smoking) public service adverts which can be performed in our film theatres. What if we make such adverts in a means that individuals will truly see it?” Whereas Dhoomam might be seen as a 2-hour-24-minute-long public service commercial, its capacity to captivate audiences is questionable. The first purpose for this lies within the movie’s weak script and poorly crafted dialogues, leading to little or no substance past its central theme.

Regardless of the sluggish tempo of the preliminary act, one would assume it’s constructing in direction of a major affect. Nonetheless, Dhoomam disappointingly gives little or no in that regard, finally presenting a collection of disconnected scenes that fail to make compelling factors. Not solely does the movie lack emotionally resonant moments, however it additionally struggles to have interaction the viewers all through. Moreover, the frequent flashbacks, though meant to boost the narrative, paradoxically hinder the viewing expertise, as they focus solely on how cigarette corporations make methods to spice up gross sales. Whereas these sequences had the potential to make a profound affect, they find yourself being mere recounts of Avinash’s previous with out providing substantial depth or substance to the general story.

One of many main drawbacks of the movie lies in its extreme reliance on dialogues. Dhoomam fails to let a single second move with out characters resorting to explanatory dialogues, virtually resembling a operating commentary for the viewers. On the identical time, the style by which these dialogues are written signifies that a lot of their essence was misplaced in translation. The stark distinction between the Malayalam dialogues and the pure and flowing Kannada dialogues right here, penned by writer-director Pawan Kumar himself, additional emphasises this level. It demonstrates how the movie might have fared significantly better if it had been made in Kannada and if the narrative model had been adjusted to align with up to date traits, as an alternative of the 2010s.

On the efficiency entrance, each Fahadh and Roshan showcase their expertise impressively, each individually and of their scenes collectively. Nonetheless, the contrived dialogues and drab script undermine their efforts, leading to a considerably infantile portrayal total. Regardless of her earlier profitable performances, Aparna Balamurali disappoints right here in her depiction of a lady paying the implications for her husband’s actions, because it comes throughout as unconvincing.

Though his function is minor and lacks a major contribution to the movie, Achyuth Kumar manages to depart an enduring impression. Pleasure Mathew and Nandu additionally ship first rate performances with the fabric they’re given, whereas Vineeth’s appearing fluctuates between spectacular and unimpressive in alternating scenes.

By way of technical elements, Preetha Jayaraman’s cinematography and Anees Nadodi’s artwork route shine in Dhoomam, capturing visually charming scenes and making a compelling environment. Nonetheless, Poornachandra Tejaswi’s music fails to make an enduring affect and leaves little impression on the viewers.

In brief, Dhoomam serves as a reminder that merely having a major message is inadequate to create a charming movie; it will, at greatest, assist make a public service commercial. To really interact and captivate audiences, a movie requires a large number of different components that ought to work harmoniously collectively.

Dhoomam film forged: Fahadh Faasil, Aparna Balamurali, Roshan Mathew, Achyuth Kumar, Vineeth
Dhoomam film director: Pawan Kumar
Dhoomam film ranking: 1.5 stars