There have been no dearth of gangster movies in M’Town and the challenge has always been to find novel ways to narrate such tales. The latest release ‘Dum’ starring Shine Tom Chacko and Lal in the lead roles narrate a ‘don tale’, albeit in a conventional manner. There sure are heart rending emotions and intense fight sequences, complete with a take on the present society. With classic movies adorning this genre, the bar should have been set way higher. Director Anuram did have a tough task at hand at the outset itself, and a watertight script could have aided him better.
Anuram himself has scripted the tale and looks like this genre is a personal favourite of his. How well he has been able to bring it to screen is questionable. Though the title suggests some massive ‘dumness’, that element sure is missing. And what at some points look promising to bring out the dum, like the relation between Anthony (Shine) and Xavier (Lal) or the drama surrounding the rival gangs, soon fizzles out. Looked from afar, ‘Dum’ seems to have it all - a passable conflict, romance, action and a gangster feel. The mixing of these in an entertaining manner has come off mediocre. Also there are so many themes that a coherent plot is missing.
If Anuram had stuck to a single theme and woven a tale around it, he could have pulled off the movie convincingly. Here we have too many threads running like the extra-judicial killings on one hand, narcotics on the other, gang wars on one hand and police hunt on the other - leaving the script too tangled. The story is all about Anthony who is the loyal henchman of the elder don Xavier, standing by him through thick and thin. Anthony and Xavier’s daughter Sherin (Sritha Sivadas) are in love. However, Xavier wants to get her married to another don named Duttan (Juby Ninan) who has a huge narcotics ring. Meanwhile, Anthony’s brother becomes addicted to drugs and thus happens the multiple conflict areas in the movie. The gang wars get ugly and taking advantage of the situation is SI Manoj Namoothiri (Joju George) who uses the situation to get a promotion. The movie ends with a drastic ‘twist’ finally.
There are a host of minor characters in the story. The relation between Anthony and Xavier is one to watch out for and both Shine Tom Chacko and Lal have emoted beautifully. But after movies like ‘Kammatipaadam’ and ‘Ann Maria Kallipilaanu’, though this is a full length prominent role, Anthony is not a fully fleshed out character, which reflects badly on the actor. Sritha looks good on screen and her acting chops have not been tested in this movie. Joju and Juby are competent.
For an action movie, which promises to provide the dum, the camera angles or frames are not titillating enough. That racy feel is absent and the thriller element doesn’t always impress, which a crisper editing could have achieved. BGM is by Jassie Gift and is passable. Songs don't stay and a signature song is absent. ‘Dum’ sure is better made than Anuram’s previous movie ‘Kalyanism’. A compact scripting and a more creative narration need to be thought of in future endeavours.
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