Dum Maaro Dum (2011) User Reviews

A cop-story against the Goan drug mafia!

[cokemanu · 7/10 · 21 April 2011]

What's comes to your mind when you think of Goa? Beaches, parties, hangovers.. Dumb Maaro Dumb starts with a hint of of all that and more – raves, drugs, sex and all that is associated with the mafia in the Goan region. The movie turns into a tale of bad-cop-turned-good; who is stubborn over uprooting the drugs-industry from the whole of Goa.

ACP Vishnu Kamath played by Abhishek Bachchan, lost his family in an accident; a car accident which was a result of a driver's drug abuse. This transforms his life and he sets out to transform Goa – his road to redemption. His biggest target is Lorsa Biscuta (Aditya Pancholi), who is the main connect to the foreign mafias, suppliers and the rave parties.

Meanwhile Lorry (Prateik) is a minor who is lured into carrying drugs to the US as his fees to a certain university is paid in return, gets caught by the police. This is when Joki (Rana Daggubati) takes centrestage, in order to save the innocent lad, and in turn deliver, what he couldn't to save hi ex-girlfriend Zoey (Bipasha Basu) from entering the illegal world. Thus the two men in redemption work together for the clean-up. And need I mention, truism in a suspense-thriller is not a great news!

Rohan Sippy does a fine job as a director, and sticks to his style as in Bluffmaster. But clearly the story of Dumb Maaro Dumb has nothing new to offer – owing to the mega 80s and 90s where a single cop was enough to ask for a super-hero. The difference lies in the theme, where drugs, raves and trance surface up. A bit more research in this field and proper exploitation of trance could have been something fresh; and also justified the use of the song(and title!) Dumb Maaro Dumb. Where Hare Rama Hare Krishna was a depiction of the Hippie culture of the 1970s, this movie tries to relate to the modern Trance era, but in the end is another cop story. Even Deepika Padukone's sensuous attempt falls flat in the Munni-Sheila-era. But the good direction, as it stays, was beautifully covered by the camera personnel. The colors used are perfect keeping in my mind the story and.. well, Goa! The movie does not rely on powerful duologue's alone, as has been the trend recently. Instead, intense scenes and heavy action are the dominant part.

The idea of "universal approach" given by Rohan Sippy is not totally baseless, but his claims – "Drug consumption is shown in films only when it is crucial for a script" should be hint of pure Indian-cinema-ness of the script, and the lack of naturality and adventure as much as the original is evident. But I'll accept, the movie is more about Dumb(power & action) than Dumb(drug injection)

The music used in this movie is highly ordinary not at all pertaining to the genre and theme(the expected one of course!) of this film. Having a musician(Joki) in the movie is an advantage though, and the song Ti Amo catches on a few lips as people exit the theaters. Sunidhi Chauhan's experiments and the 'potty' lyrics fail to pull off, being the worst expected in a Rave party!

Finally Bollywood comes up with a decent thriller!

[DarthRaen · 7/10 · 26 April 2011]

Production values in Bollywood have really gone up and how! The way the story keeps the viewer engaged throughout the movie,tells you that DMD is a perfect example of what happens when you invest in a good script instead of lavishing millions on stupid item songs in foreign locations.

Abhi was awesome.You really enjoyed watching him. As far as Prateik is concerned, he really doesn't have much to do-he's adequate but his role could have been done by anyone. Rana was fine in his carefree role but I wish they explained the reasons/motivations for the choices he makes in the second half. Bips is stunning as usual-not much acting expected from the desi equivalent of the Bond girl.

Aditya could have been more....villainous. They really need to spend on lyricists who aren't in the second grade.

The question to ask is..does the movie entertain...the answer...paissa vasool!

AB in Top Form

[jayraj-rao · 7/10 · 23 April 2011]

"DMD" presents the other side of GOA and in what a way...Simply stylish with all the glitz in place.The plot of the movie is ACP Vishnu Kamat(Abhishek Bachchan) is assigned a task by the GOA CM to clean up GOA coz Drugs is the reason for all the illegal things in GOA(Mafia,Rave's ...etc).Vishnu on the other side has his own demons to deal with.With his choice of lieutenant's Vishnu goes on a spree to Clean up GOA and free the place from the menace and the ball starts rolling. The first half presents the sketches of all the characters.Lorry(Pratiek Babbar) is shown as a student who gets in the drama for his love and professional life. And Joki(Rana) who has some Unfinished business with Lorsa Biscuta(Aditya) gets involved because of his love for Zoe(Bipasha).The 3 crosspaths at GOA Airport where Lorry is caught for possession of Drugs.Joki tries to convince Kamath of Lorry's innocence and helps him just to prove Lorry's is a small fish in the pond.

The second half has Kamath looking out for Michael Barbosa.The second half is where the Movie falters from being a good one to just finishing Above Average.The pace just dips a tad due to unnecessary addition of some shall i say...Foolish scenes.It all boils down to finding out the Saviour of Mafia's >Micheal Barbosa in the end and the outcome is not convincing after building up intensity which just dosen't Blow-Off.

The background score of the movie is set according to the feel of GOA which is catchy.

Abhishek Bachchan in top form(after a long time) playing ACP Vishnu Kamath and plays the character with utmost ease which only he can do.Aditya Pancholi as Lorsa is the perfect Baddie.Pratiek,Bipasha and Rana do fairly decent job,but Abhishek Bachchan Steals the Show in this one.

Watch DMD for 3 reasons: 1.A good flick after a long time 2.Entertaining COP-Mafia Thriller. 3.Abhishek Bachchan(who's in TOP Form..).

Cinema is the art to make believe

[jmathur_swayamprabha · 7/10 · 24 April 2011]

This movie is an informal lesson for the aspirants to become a film director in future. Cinema is said to be the art of storytelling. But I assert that it is 'the art to make believe', i.e., the art of making the viewers believe whatever is shown on the screen and letting it go down their throats even when it is not real. Dumb Maaro Dumb may be quoted as a classic example of it in the times to come.

During the seventies, Salim-Jaaved used to write the scripts of crime-thrillers which were actually the stories of cat and mouse game between the police and the criminals. They were skilled in drafting such spellbinding screenplays (according to the standards of that period) full of blows and retaliations between the two rival sides, thrillng action, witty dialogues and some doz of emotions and romance just equal to the quantum of salt in the recipe of the pulse being cooked and they were paced so fast that the viewer hardly got any time to think anything about the characters or the story, who was made to watch the movie without a blink and holding his breath. Salim-Jaaved wrote the stories of the movies of Ramesh Sippy too during that period whose son, Rohan Sippy has come up with this movie and this movie falls under the same genre of movies, a mesmerizing thriller with an element of suspense too. And it is the screenplay of this movie which makes it a winner all the way through the duration of around 130 minutes. Such type of movies made Amitabh Bachchan a superstar during the seventies and perhaps, it's the turn of his son, Abhishek.

Dumb Maaro Dumb, as the name suggests, deals with the illegal business of narcotic drugs with the backdrop of Goa. In between the investigating adventures of the supercop, Abhishek Bachchan; a name is tossed as the main criminal behind all this illegal trade but who is this person, remains a suspense till the climax and myself (being proud of my success in guessing the real culprit most of the times whenever I watch or read a mystery) could not identify him till the storyteller himself revealed the suspense. And that's a great achievement of the narrator, I must admit.

The screenplay itself is the hero which rules over all the characters including the investigating cop, Abishek Bachchan. The pace of the narrative is fast enough to keep the viewers glued to the screen and not missing a single moment of the movie. For thriller-fans it's a very big treat indeed.

Technically the movie is good and the cinematographer has done a praiseworthy job in not only capturing the beauty of Goa but also moving his camera quite skillfully amidst light, semi-dark and dark sequences. The action scenes are well-picturized and the dialogues are also quite impressive. The production value aspect is also up to the mark. Length of the movie could be trimmed by a few minutes in the second half but still the overall length of the movie is quite OK. The first half is more engrossing than the second one though the suspense factor deepens in the second half only.

Music is quite in line with the mood of the movie and according to the scenes running on the screen alongwith the background score. However had Rohan Sippy managed a fresh song instead of the remix of the old hit - Dumb Maaro Dumb from the movie Hare Rama Hare Krishna (1971), it would have been better on his part because neither the remix version nor Deepika Padukone is any match for the original track in Asha's voice or Zeenat Aman for the on-screen performance. Despite being the title track, it is the most unimpressive one (both the song as well as the scene) in the movie.

Rohan Sippy has extracted highly satisfactory performances from most of the performers. I count Abhishek Bachchan's performance as one among his five best performances till date. All others also fit the bill and almost every principle characters is able to maintain his / her identity in the movie for which the writers and the director deserve a pat. Rana Duggupati and Prateek Babbar stand out among others. The movie stars two of my most favourite actresses - Bipasha Basu and Vidya Balan (she impresses in a cameo too), however the movie mainly belongs to the male cast.

I am writing this review after returning from the theatre with my wife who watches a movie with me in theatre once in a blue moon only. Despite not very fond of thrillers or mysteries, she liked the movie very well. The movie proved so engrossing for her that she did not talk much to me during the watch which is unusual for her.

It's not a classic movie but a very very entertaining thriller. I don't know whether such type of activities and such type of scenario prevail in Goa or not (where I visited on the Christmas of 2009) but Rohan Sippy has been able to make me believe whatever he has portrayed in Dumb Maaro Dumb.

An explosion of drug bomb.

[bisht-dinu · 7/10 · 7 May 2011]

Woman has power to make a man to do everything.same thing can be apply with male characters of this movie.Lorry (Prateik Babbar) is a teenager whose girlfriend has gone to us but he couldn't due to inability of getting scholarship.So to meet his girlfriend he deals with drug supplier and gets prison.Another male DJ Joki (Rana Daggubati) remains silent because of his highly passionate girlfriend who enters in drug dealing in order to be an Air Hostess.Story goes slowly and interacts with new characters in movie with their flash back.In second half ACP Vishnu Kamath(Abhishek Bachchan)is in search of "Barbosa".But Kamath intelligence discovers that "Barbosa" isn't a person.It's a grave where drug mafia used to hide drugs.finally an officer (Govind Namdeo)who assists Kamath is right hand of drug mafia (Aditya Pancholi),it's a nice twist which leads to death of Kamath.Story is good but little slow looks like cop-thief drama.Also the guest appearance of Deepika Padukone in item number which is already a hit.But one thing which definitely makes movie watchable is power pack performance of Abhishek Bachchan and usual performance by Prateik and Rana.Also a nice work by Rohan Sippy after Bluffmaster.

decent enough

[ashdoc53 · 6/10 · 2 November 2012]

Goa in the 21st century.......

'' Kiristav , khata hai pav , karta hai myav '' , said noted Marathi language author-cum-politician Acharya Atre in Marathi language about Goa's Christian community in the mid-twentieth century when Goa was still ruled by the Portuguese .

Well , in the twenty-first century the Christian community in Goa is hooked onto something more than just pav--drugs......

Director Rohan Sippy brings back into limelight the scourge that Dev Anand had filmed about so famously in the 70s--paying his tribute by titling the movie by its most well-known song .

In place of the Portuguese are the neocolonialists--Russians , Israelis , French and Nigerians , who have neatly divided Goa into sectors where this most westernised part of India has become a haven for drugs , sex and dhokha--in reverse order.....

And behind all this ,in every drug deal , is the mysterious hand of someone called Michael Barbosa--an entity so enigmatic that hardly any one has seen him , and no one knows his true identity......

And tasked to identify and bring him to justice is ACP Vishnu Kamat ( played by Abhishek Bachchan ) whose passion for the task comes from the death of his family due to drugs , and the blessings for whose task comes from a politician with one foot in the grave--thus both are people who have nothing to lose......

.....which is fitting.......

........For those who have something to lose keep clear of drugs , and above all from Michael Barbosa's long reach--as a young Christian boy ( played by Prateik Babbar ) learns the hard way when he plays with both......

Yeah ,the battle against drugs is a long , hard one , with no satisfaction or security of life for those who fight against it--as one discovers when person after person who tries to bring the drug kingpins to justice is packed off to heaven ( presumably , for fighting against such a threat to society )........

For ACP Vishnu Kamat , grim satisfaction lies in the fact that after he dies , he will remain in Goa--for he thinks that there is no other heaven in this universe than Goa itself......

The movie chillingly brings out how difficult it is to bring an end to the scourge of drugs , and how hopeless is the fight , for the whole system is infected with the agents of the people who sell drugs .

The songs are good ,the dialogues pack a punch , and the movie gets better as it progresses .

Verdict--decent enough.....

Could have been an excellent movie...

[saurabhpant2001 · 5/10 · 23 April 2011]

Most of the movies that we see will either be captivating from the very beginning or will be a complete let down, with little or no fluctuation in the interest factor of the viewer throughout the show, Dumb Maaro Dumb does not fall in any of these categories, it is a movie that starts off with a lot of promise only not to keep most of it. As I said the movie starts of well with nicely narrated introductions, gripping screenplay and building of suspense which keep the movie graph rising on an upward trend, but then comes the interval after which the graph starts fluctuating like an after recession stock market, it falls then rises and then falls again but never reaches to the post interval high, unnecessary melodrama and songs slow down the speed of the movie and the tight script starts to loosen its grip. DMD being a suspense movie could have still scored had that part been handled well but that was not to happen , a good concept fails to deliver because of the poor way it was revealed, the scriptwriter and director should have come up with a better way of revealing the suspense.

What I liked: 1) Abhishek's performance. 2) Direction and Screenplay in the first half. 3) Some nice dialogues.

What I didn't: 1) Direction and Screenplay in the second half with infusion of unnecessary songs and melodrama. 2) The way revelation of suspense was handled.

Verdict: A one timer, that could have been an excellent movie.

One of the best films so far this year. Kudos to Abhishek Bachchan, Prateik Babbar and Rana Daggubati. Very stylish indeed.

[MovieInspector · 8/10 · 29 April 2011]

Rohan Sippy, son of the well-known Sholay director Ramesh Sippy, has given us a crime thriller here. I must say the film doesn't disappoint. Very good script.

The film starts of well with Prateik Babbar. The pace is fair as the film introduces the characters in the movie and lets you develop opinions of them. Things continue at a fast pace, with plenty of unexpected events along the way, keeping you interested throughout.

The music of the film is average. The remix of the famous song 'Dumb Maaro Dumb' doesn't live up to the original from the Zeenat Aman starrer. It is an average item song, after the season of chart-buster item songs last winter. Deepika tries her best to save it, and is helped by the music, which is very good.

The performances are good. Abhishek finally impresses after Guru, this time as a cop after the second in the Dhoom series. Prateik impresses again after Dhobi Ghaat. The performance of Rana Daggubati is very good too. Bipasha Basu is OK. Aditya Pancholi does very well indeed.

Verdict: go and watch it. It is worth a trip to the cinema (theatre). If you don't, you might just regret it.

Bollyood taking a new better turn

[ravram10 · 2 May 2011]

I thought this movie was better than Dabangg and Dabangg was pretty good. First of all Abi was kick ass and all the performances were great. The story was good and the directing, superb Sippy. Second, you feel all the emotions if they were sad or angry you feel it. The songs were pretty good and the background music was awesome. Bipasha Basu did a great performance too. Dumb Maaro Dumb definitely one of the best movies movie this year with just one or two floors that in a particular part of the movie it gets a bit boring but it still promises to keep you on the edge of the seat through the movie with some great twists and turns.

9.5 out of 10 superb

Watch it once, remember it never! :-)

[lavanya-palaparthy · 6/10 · 27 April 2011]

10. Prateik Babbar's squeaky voice was such a turn off. Kya kar rahan hai yaar? Mard ban! Be a man!!! 9. Inappropriate entry of the song "Thayn Thayn" - I mean you are a serious cop trying to kill the drug lords! The song, the timing is totally inappropriate - the attitude however was the only solace! 8. Ill make your career, if you be my carrier - Such a clichéd line - especially if used more than once in the lifetime of a movie. 7. Rana - Too tall to be a musician (notice him singing into the mike, so awkward), has so little dialogues that he must have finished his dubbing in less than 30 minutes. Wasted talent! 6. Susegad, Susegad, Susegad - By the end of the movie, you almost hate that really cool sounding word merely by over-usage. 5. Weird sounding names - From Lorry to Joki - From Lorsa Biscuita to Michael Barbosa - the series of really weird sounding names not only confuse you - but make you think - What is Rohan Sippy thinking? 4. The screeplay was like an ill-fitted suit. Failed to make connection with any of the important characters, except, may be the ACP himself. 3. Pace - You CANNOT have Sunidhi singing "Te Amo", moments before the person she is lending her voice to - is gonna be killed! Its such a sin! Every movie-goer knows, if the hero/heroine gets happy and sings a song (at an inappropriate time or place), something is definitely gonna go wrong in the next scene! Move away from the cliché.... Please! 2. Title track - Now you HAVE to agree with me that the title track was such a let down. You got drugs, deepika and the devilishly short skirt of hers - but none of this could add any quotient to the much-hyped title track. 1. The climax - Unveiling the mystery of Michael Barbosa was probably the most awaited,intriguing and THE MOST let-down moment of the entire movie! It was a Brilliant idea executed so poorly!

I'm not saying that DMD didn't work for me! Compared to the movies I have seen in the recent times, this one ensured I didn't yawn, Tweet or SMS during the movie! And that Mr. Rohan Sippy is an achievement in itself :)

A movie you get to go with cool mind

[varunsadh-34-518701 · 5/10 · 21 April 2011]

the starting of the movie is fast paced making you prepare for the ride which it is not so much. Movie is about a drug based Mafia which is spreads all over the state of Goa popular for foreigner and visitors. movie has this similar change in a man from a corrupted cop to a fierce one for the happening to his family.

A raid is shown and the fight in those shots is really fake and seems to make you laugh. the movie has quite offensive comment not double meaning but direct which are at time unwanted. the movie is slow for the romance is elongated and the screenplay in the mid of the movie gets boring. new actors in the movie show a prominent acting the plot is week to give too much of substance to them.

twist and turn in the screenplay good have been better used accept the major twist which comes towards the end thats the one you would like to see. the movie is average all over with few scenes which can pump your heart a little and dialog here and there which can make you laugh.

Its not the directors best performance and things could have been better.

it give this movie 5.7/10

A Nutshell Review: Dumb Maaro Dumb

[DICK STEEL · 10/10 · 22 April 2011]

Item girls are back with a vengeance given the much talked about Sheila Ki Jawani with the midriff baring Katrina Kaif in Farah Khan's Tees Maar Khan, that fast forward till today the buzz baton was ringing very loudly for Deepika Padukone in her item for Dumb Maaro Dumb. But personally I still preferred Sheila for the music, the narrative flow in which it was picturized on, and of course the dance performance. In Mit Jaaye Gum (Dumb Maaro Dumb), Padukone got decked with a shorter dress number sporting a mean looking cobra tattoo, but I don't have a thing for the drugged out look, given this was solely a song and dance number performed at a rave party before Abhishek Bachchan's ACP Vishnu Kamath came gatecrashing with the cops in tow.

Dumb Maaro Dumb provided what I would deem as a lift from the rather lacklustre lineup of Bollywood films released so far in this year, with the story keeping it fairly simple, yet intriguing with a mystery, with a great ensemble of actors fleshing out their carefully crafted characters. It's a basic cops and robbers tale on the war on drugs in Goa where the stakes are high on either side of the law with matters and issues hovering around the grey, never outright black or white. Cops are on the take, gangsters can turn informers, and you're never too sure just who you can trust, and who will switch allegiance.

Which makes the film thoroughly engaging to follow, paced fairly quickly and clocking just over two hours. The first half of the film before the interval allowed director Rohan Sippy to dabble with a non linear narrative structure to introduce the lead characters, starting with Lorry (Prateik, last seen in Mumbai Diaries), a student at the crossroads of his educational path, being stopped short at clinching a scholarship, and therefore unable to follow his girlfriend to the USA for further studies. Money woes meant subjecting himself to influences from a friend who had persuaded him fast cash from being a drug mule. Then there's the story of ACP Kamath, a once corrupt cop on the take who had now turned his life around given the death of his family, and going all out to take the war on drugs by the horns. The romantic story arc of DJ Joki (Rana Daggubati) and Zoe (Bipasha Basu) has the lovebirds being impacted through the drug trade, with the former being a easy-going, laid back bystander to his girlfriend's woes, with the latter being really hard up to be an air-stewardess, and got sucked into a road of no turning back when short term gains were traded for longer term loyalties.

In some ways this is like Brian De Palma's The Untouchables, where Elliot Ness gathers a few good, uncorrupted man to form a core team to challenge the biggest gangster in town, and here, ACP Kamath does just that when he goes up against Lorsa Biscuta (Aditya Pancholi), a well connected and well oiled businessman who dabbles in the drug trade and is one of the biggest in Goa, carved out into various territories as controlled by various foreign enclaves operating the drug business. With ACP Kamath turning the heat on their operations, Biscuita becomes the guarantor of every drug baron's illegitimate business with the involvement of an enigmatic Michael Babbossa, who becomes the primary mystery man that ACP Kamath and team are trying to unravel.

So begins a cat and mouse game after the interval, where all story arcs merge into a single thread but between the two halves, the first was more of Sippy's playground with tremendous use of seamless and slick editing techniques and transitions. And something that I've always enjoyed watching is the extended single take of an action scene, which Dumb Maaro Dumb now has bragging rights to, involving a very fluid camera following ACP Kamath and team as they go on a drug bust in a building, continuously weaving into and out of corridors and doors, windows and down a drain pipe even in one long extended take. I'm always in awe given the sheer amount of planning that goes behind the scene to have this achieved, and it is nothing short of fascinating always.

The violence is strong as well with ACP Kamath and the villains all dishing out punishment in no holds barred style, whether using a weapon or through their bare fists. And again there will be the usual police tricks and unorthodox techniques used by the no nonsense ACP that may raise some questions, even though he's given the mandate by the chief minister to eradicate the drug problem. It's been some time since Abhishek Bachchan had headlined a box office success, and I'm backing this film to be that shot in the arm for him as he reunites with director Rohan Sippy (since Bluffmaster). Rana Daggubati also shone especially in the second half of the film where his role got expanded and turned meatier, but unfortunately for Prateik he had opened the film, but because of the narrative had to disappear for the most parts in the second half.

Still, this is one of the more satisfying Hindi films that I've seen in recent weeks, with a strong story by Shridhar Raghavan (dialogues by Purva Naresh) coupled with strong performances from the ensemble cast that makes you feel for the characters and their predicaments. Music by Pritam stand out excellently, and if you're in need of a good old fashioned cops and robbers thriller with a mix of interesting cinematography techniques employed, then Dumb Maaro Dumb will be your film of choice this week. Highly recommended as it goes into my shortlist as some of the best of this year!

An average second half ruins the excitement created by the first one.

[bobbysing · 6/10 · 24 April 2011]

If a film starts off with a not so good or average first half but then gives you a very fine and entertaining second one, then it can be a winner at the box office (For instance,"Yamla Pagla Deewana"). But if a film gives you a well paced, fine first half and then suddenly delivers a comparatively dull and unentertaining second one then in most of the cases, the path may not be smooth.

Unfortunately this is the case with DMD, which starts off perfectly and makes a fine impression with a well made speedy first half. But as you excitingly sit back to watch its second half with great expectations, the pace drops and the film fails to deliver anything great or shocking as desired.Before the intermission, it also adds an extra element of suspense around the identity of one Michael Borbusa. But right after the interval, the film loses track and is not able to maintain the same kind of pace or interest for the viewers as witnessed in its initial reels.

Now post intermission,firstly it has nothing new to offer to the audience as a good entertaining thriller with a touch of mystery. Secondly, the revelation of the secret identity towards the end is not capable of giving any kind of big shock or surprise to the viewers. Thirdly the concluding hour of the film seems to be too long with most of the people getting killed one by one without any great interesting build up. And lastly there are too many feebly visible scenes in the second half where the screen remains quite dull and dark for much longer periods making the viewers a bit restless after a while.

However the bitter and unusual truth about DMD remains that at one side I really liked the way the film was designed and conceived in its first part. But at the same time I found the second half very loose, tiring and unconvincing which in the end results in just an average kind of impact on the viewer. The writers fail to encash upon the brilliant curiosity level generated around the name of Michael Borbusa. Once the identity is disclosed, it turns out to be not as great and exciting as expected.

The major highlight of the film, its item song, "Dumm Maaro Dumm" also fails miserably since its not at all enjoyable from any angle. The song neither has any great dance moments nor is it able to make you feel like dancing as it is played. The biggest problem with this remix lies in its Antra, which was in fact the main attraction of the Original Track composed by R. D. Burman. In the original song the lines "Duniya Ne Humko Diya Kya" make you feel like going higher with the high notes and then returning back to the main line. But in this latest version, the innovative composition has been badly tweaked by Pritam to the level of unacceptability. Further, the icing on this sour cake comes as some highly ridiculous lyrics, surprisingly written by the otherwise thoughtful Jaideep Sahni. Deepika Padukone on which the song is picturised does nothing but just staring and making some sensuous moves with the minimum clothes on.

In the acting department, first of all I have some serious concerns with the casting director. One, why to use Govind Namdeo for such a major role, who is already known and famous for many similar acts done before on the screen (giving un-necessary suggestions to the viewers)? Why to bring in Rana Daggubati for a not so well written character and introduce him to the Hindi audience in such a weak manner? And more importantly Why to cast Deepika Padukone in the sexy, item number, when you already have a better sex siren Bipasha Basu in your cast of the movie itself to render the over-famous track? Further I also couldn't guess, What was the need of roping in Vidya Balan for only 1-2 scenes in the movie.

Coming to Abhishek Bachchan, he seriously needs to take care of his career choices made since all his major decisions taken in the last few years have gone wrong. Also his mannerisms and acting style has started giving you the feeling of Deja-Vu, which should be a big concern for an actor. In DMD too, he gives you nothing fresh in terms of acting but only looks smart and younger in his modern police persona. Aditya Pancholi too remains the same as seen earlier many years back. Both Rana Daggubati and Bipasha Basu play their under-written roles well. Govind Namdeo is repetitive and Anaitha Nair is wasted. So, once again the pick of the lot turns out to be Prateik Babbar, who superbly proves the acting genes in him very strongly. He alone gives the most impressive performance in the movie as the innocent victim.

The director Rohan Sippy gives the right treatment to the movie as required by its theme. But he sadly doesn't give the much required attention to the script in the second half. He does give you some extremely bold scenes, like the torture scene in the jail but they are not enough in numbers throughout the film. Musically I liked "Na Aaye Ho" and "Thanye Thanye" numbers more and would only like to praise the arrangement of the song "Dumb Maaro Dumb" but not its lyrics. Cinematography of the film is great in its first half but I couldn't appreciate the deliberately kept dark tone in its second half which was used in excess and could have been avoided.

Overall, for me the film was very fine before its intermission, but post that I was not able to enjoy it entirely. So it would be very absurd to say that you can watch it only for its first half. Still the choice is all yours.

A tale of 'pot' sans the 'high'

[ssvikas · 5/10 · 3 May 2011]

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 'Dumb Maro Dumb'. 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, concocting this heady cocktail, the filmmakers simply forgot to make it coherent.

Dumb Maro Dumb opens with the story of a college going, football loving teen Lorry (Prateik Babbar) who loses a scholarship 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 time-line. The mêlée 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 air-hostess 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 glamor 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 Dumb Maro Dumb 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.

one time watch

[rahulraj273 · 6/10 · 19 May 2011]

Hello Everyone The movie Dumb Maaro Dumb is a one time watch, i was predicting some else in starting but i was wrong, any way movie is OK. the first Half of movie is quite interesting and second half is quite lengthy, Abhishek is looking smart in movie BTW he looks good in Police Role, in the starting of the movie it seems everybody is doing overacting but later they do actual acting, one more thing guys the way deeps dances its awesome, the sound track is awesome i suggest if your are going for movie without choice then go for this one. its a time pass movie

Thanks for reading my review Good Luck

Dum Maaro Dum

[santhosh-10290 · 7/10 · 27 March 2019]

Good Movie. Abhishek Bachchan and everybody acted very well in the movie. The movie was interesting. But the movie somewhat lagged. Songs and BGM in the movie were not good. The movie has some twists and turns. The movie can be more better. Fight scenes in the movie were good. Good Movie.

6

[aritrasinhaa · 6/10 · 5 November 2021]

Unofficial remake of the masterpiece Hollywood film Traffic (2000). Isn't even close to that film but for ones who haven't seen it(most of the people haven't seen Traffic) , for them it's a decent thriller. But, the 2nd half was very bad.

A long yawn

[vinay_payyapilly · 2/10 · 22 April 2011]

There are good movies, there are bad movies and then there are movies that have all the right ingredients and fail to deliver - Dumb Maro Dumb is the third kind.

A crooked cop with all the reasons to go straight. A politician with the will to fight the drug mafia. Three innocent by-standers who were each burnt by the trade and yearn for revenge. A good villain, one you can hate. finally, not the least - Goa.

There ends anything and everything good about this movie. Instead of making a hard, gritty, dirty film Rohan Sippy and this group of writers come up with a tale that doesn't know whether it is going or coming.

Why on Earth would a hard cop rap in the middle of a movie? Abhishek is wasted in a role that fits him to a t.

Pancholi is everything you can expect from him in a role like this. But once again, he isn't given the license to become menacing enough.

The characters of the supporting cops are not allowed to develop enough to allow us to empathize with them.

I missed the last 15 minutes of an Agam concert for this crap, my loss.

Oh! and the Dumb Maro Dumb number is infinitely better in previews than in the movie.

A bold, dark and gritty thriller

[sharadsaxena81421 · 8/10 · 21 April 2011]

First things first; this movie is not your average bollywood 'boy meets girl and then they lived happily ever after' kind of films. This flick takes a look at the dark side of Goa, a side which most movies prefer not to acknowledge. The performances are amazing, be it the determined police officer played by Abhishek Bachchan, Prateik who plays a naive kid who gets seduced into playing a dangerous game, or the altruistic Rana. Bipasha looks gorgeous but proves once again that she is more than just a pretty face. The songs are also very nice. The plot is full of twists and will keep you at the edge of your seat till the very end. That being said, you may find that there are more sad moments than you bargained for. But that just makes it look more realistic. I'll dock one star for screwing up the 'dumb maaro dumb' song which is a classic and another star for stretching out the ending a little bit. A must see for thrill seekers.

Nice

[tushargupta-27286 · 6/10 · 19 July 2020]

This movie story &, script nice and amazing movie i give 6 star

Could be much better

[silvan-desouza · 4/10 · 16 September 2012]

Making film on realistic issues is very critical as the filmmaker has to be careful, unbiased but most important not deviate from main story and focus on dances. DMD had all the right ingredients but yet one expects more from the film afterall perhaps the hype about Drug Trafficking?

The problem with the film is though it tries to showcase the drug trafficking mafia in Goa, it's all done in such a carricatured manner that one fails to take it seriously. Even for a film if we are ready to suspend our disbelief The film is divided into episodes, first we have Prateik's story and how he gets involved into drugs, then followed by Rana's story and then Abhishek's Things are fine initially but Rohan Sippy is tempted to add Bollywood masala, so we have Abhishek suddenly break into a rubbish rap song Thai Thai while catching people There is half baked romance and plenty of loopholes The character of Biscuit comes across as carricatured again and things could be more realistic The reason Rana tries to save Prateik doesn't come across, Also all of a sudden the pre-climax has the main hero killed and then suddenly the villain killed by a not important character that also ruins things.

Direction by Rohan Sippy(after Bluffmaster) is good in parts but one expected much more Music by Pritam was okay but the recreation of DMD lacks the touch of the previous

Abhishek Bachchan though looking a bit on the heavy side does well in his role, though he does remind of his father yet again in a cop role but he adds nice quirks and some old Bachchan tributes,but nothing out of the world Rana Daggubati with a dubbed voice is decent for his debut Prateik who was considered one of the finest new talents to hit bollywood doesn't come across as convincing and his winy accent ruins things all the more Bipasha Basu is given a half baked role and she is okay Aditya Panscholi does well in his carricatured role Govind Namdeo is superb, Gulshan Deviah recently seen in SHAITAN gets a brief role and is good Vidya Balan's part was not required, the actor playing Mercy is typical sidekick rest are okay

Being a Goan myself I found many things not convincing and unreal as usual in Hindi films, Plus the language of Konkani is far from perfect

truly under rated... treat to watch

[siddharthkunwar · 9/10 · 10 May 2011]

by saying this i am referring to the critics or the so called TV anchors who receive money for giving the so called stars to the movie... I think they need to change their outlook and take movie or look at it from more public point of view.. Even when i entered the hall i had little expectations, but came out with a smiling face.. the movie is so well crated and so stylishly made that it just takes the breath away.. each and every shot of the film is made with so much to look into it so that u have to look 10 times to get the whole beauty.. abhishek as usual is flawless,rana is impressive so is prateek,while bipasha making her own statement.. the thriller,action,suspense and just everything keeps u jammed to your seat till last.. Sound track is just brilliant and the movie touches you at many instances.. its a must watch.. and surely the movie is not for the duds,who don't like stylish and like family movies.. And uncles...please grow up to the generation

One of the Worst Movies

[Herag · 4/10 · 13 May 2011]

Worst photography and worst editing makes this as one of the worst movies from Bollywood. The story seems laudable but the direction, dialog is so disjointed it is almost impossible to keep track of who is who and what is what. Abishek Bachchan has lost all credibility as an actor since he started accepting roles as in "Raavan". This is fine example of a good actor lost on a role that is a cartoon (He plays a rapper/cop) The music is lousy. It's obvious that the movie has been hyped by the title of the movie and big acting names but it is just a mess that is painful to watch. Coming from the Sippy Label this is a sad connotation for the Mumbai Film Industry.

Bandarkar meets RGV meets Sanjay Gupta

[kunalkhandwala · 8/10 · 25 April 2011]

Under its tranquil sands, warm waters, vivacious party scene and the susegaad attitude, Goa hides its atrocious face that is smeared with rave parties, drugs, sex and scandals. In desperate times, some ambitious Goans fall victim to the malicious schemes that bring easy money but at life's irreplaceable cost. While the innocent fall prey to the Goan mafia, one man seeks to overturn this nexus and clean up the state of its misplaced virtues. Aided by some 'Untouchable' men from the Police force, ACP Vishnu Kamath heads the relentless hunt for the narcotics kingpins of Goa.

Lorry (Prateik Babbar) aspires to join his girlfriend in pursuit of further studies abroad but the denial of his financial aid, leads him to a local narcotics dealer who promises a career as long as he can be their carrier (of drugs). Greed, desperation and the lure of easy money are enough to convince Lorry and soon, he falls prey to the inescapable circle of crime. He is soon sent to juvenile prison, courtesy of Kamath's astute raid at the airport where DJ Joki (Rana Daggubati) assures Kamath of Lorry's innocence but to no avail. Joki's girlfriend from yesteryears, Zoe (Bipasha Basu) had a similar fate when her ambition to become an air-hostess turned fowl and her ticket to freedom from a lengthy jail term was to switch loyalties to Lorsa Biscuta (Aditya Pancholi), the evil kingpin in this entire game.

Kamath performs raid after raid in the background of a random rap song and gets ever closer to Biscuta's operations. But beyond this Kingpin is a secretive Lord to whom the mafia turns to in critical times. Who is this Michael Barbossa and what key does he hold to Goa's narcotics crime? Can Joki prove Lorry's innocence to Kamath? Will Zoe break her bonds from Biscuta? Will Vishnu Kamath rid Goa off its poison? On the faces of the multi-dimensional characters who have a marked presence of drugs in their lives, there is a glimmer of hope that life will change for the better. Vishnu Kamath and the drug lords will decide what its price will be.....

The engaging narrative is the effect of Sridhar Raghavan's ('Family', 'Bluffmaster', 'Apharan' & 'Khakee') scrupulous writing and Rohan Sippy's slick and crafty film making. A simple Cop v/s Drug peddler story is treated with stylish cinematography, seamless editing techniques, brutal action, convoluted screenplay and adroit direction. Rohan Sippy does not shy away from portraying sex, drug abuse, violence and awkward relationships with liberal profanity. Bandarkar meets RGV meets Sanjay Gupta. The combined effect of it all makes Goa look real and sizzling.

Bipasha Basu looks sensational in almost every scene. Somehow, even in a prison cell. We shouldn't mind getting used to seeing her play serious characters after 'Lamhaa' and DMD. Prateik Babbar looks and sounds innocent throughout and instantly commands sympathy while Aditya Pancholi's presence would inspire indifferent reactions. Perhaps such a shrewd character would better suit the likes of Mahesh Manjrekar, Boman Irani, Irfan Khan or even a negative Sanjay Dutt? Rana Daggubati is the film's highlight reel of performances with his susegaad lifestyle causing the bane of his loved ones. Yet, he portrays a reserved determination to make things right by aiding Vishnu Kamath's operation. Abhishek Bachchan has his best film since 'Sarkar Raaj' and clearly, playing the no nonsense cop is better suited to him than being at the other end sometimes as Beera. Playing Vishnu, whose past screams of the horrors of drug use, his unsettled state can only find solace in the eradication of the poison that is absorbed in Goa. The junior Bachchan does not let go of such meaty roles that come his way where his prowess being an angry young man comes naturally on screen.

Pritam's music has melodious shades with Te Amo and Kyun Jiye which are brought to life by Rana's on screen romance with the gorgeous Bipasha. The super-hit Mit Jaaye Gum rocks with a scantily clad Deepika and is well suited to the situation.

For its witty dialogues, fluid camera work, slick editing, intriguing mystery and stylized direction, Dumb Maaro Dumb does have Dumb in it to provide some different kind of entertainment. Its flaws however, include mildly resonating characters, a Cop-Crime story that is almost overdone and some overly experimental touches such as the rap song in a shoot-out. Yet, it is definitely a worthy watch in the theater for its stylized narration of an 80's theme if not for any moralistic value. The thrill in its succinct length will, at the very least, take you out of your Susegaad of recent films.

7.999 on a scale of 1-10.

Have a puff darling, the movie will blow you!

[himdesai · 8/10 · 4 August 2011]

There was so much of antagonistic vibes about the movie prior to the release.People were more sort of afraid rather than reluctant to see Junior AB in the action after his utter fail "Game". Personally speaking, my mates even bullied me as a goose like die hard fan of Abhishek (Some even felt that I watched premier due to Dipeeka's number, perverts!).

Let me clarify in the beginning only that a film cant work on sheer style (eg. Tashan) or sheer story (eg. Salaam - E - Ishq / Dus Kahaniyaan). A film should be okay in all the fields of cinema and brilliant in some of them. Here the movie is brilliant in direction,script and star cast.

Jr AB as cop, Rana as DJ, Pratiek-Anaitha as teen lover all are perfect.Bipasha lacks edge.Aditya Pancholi is good.Rest are okay.

Screenplay is good. Dialogues are crisp and witty at the same time entertaining.

Cinematography by Amit Roy is brilliant. Camera angles have never been more slick.

Music by Prittam is a mixed bag.BGM by MIDIval Punditz is mind blowing. Almost Rahmanic! (They are Telefon Tel Aviv for Indians!)

A very well directed movie by Rohan Sippy. Full of style and sensibility. This is the third consecutive film of his with Jr AB (Kuch Naa Kaho and Bluffmaster) and the co ordination is clearly visible.

So take a puff darling and enjoy this stylish flick!

Goa was never so splendorous! Looked as if I was watching Rio De Janeiro. By the time when movie ends, you are smiling.