An Occasionally Yummy Screwball Comedy Goes Overexposed

RATING – ⭐⭐✨ 2.5/5*

Dhoom Dhaam Review Movie Talkies:

I remember how Barbara Stanwyck established female-led screwball comedies and romantic comedies back in the 40s with “The Lady Eve”  (1940) and “Ball of Fire” (1941). In Bollywood, the usual trope is to see the hero as a macho guy saving the heroine, but rarely do any movies attempt to do it “the other way around.” Hema Malini did that in the 70s, and now Dhoom Dhaam is quite a yummy rip-off of several plots that we have encountered many times. Dhoom Dhaam is thoroughly funny and unapologetic at times with its conviction, but it goes over the top occasionally. It doesn’t bother you much because it’s a fun-filled, and most importantly, not a boring ride.

Dhoom Dhaam Story:

Dhoom Dhaam sees Koyal (Yami Gautam) and Veer (Pratik Gandhi) getting married on December 31st. Before they can start their wedding night fun, two strangers enter the house with a question: “Where is Charlie?” Veer has obvious answers: “Who is Charlie?” “What is Charlie?” but things turn a bit violent. To confront the fear, Koyal takes the lead and grabs the gun to send those strangers out of the room, but not for long. Koyal and Veer escape from the balcony, and there begins a chase—a game of cat and mouse. CID gets involved, and it is revealed that Charlie is a “pen drive” that holds many secrets capable of exposing a gang. Veer and Koyal must keep away from the two guys and find Charlie to hand it over to CID, but wait, there is a twist… Catch the suspense in the movie.

Dhoom Dhaam begins on a solid note with plenty of comedic scenes, some featuring adult jokes and similar content. “Tushy means Bum,” “Ram-Sita aur Mukesh-Nita ke baad inhi hmki jodi hai,” and such stuff. The dog starts his “sexual antics” right after seeing Veer and then plays a pivotal role in the rest of the story. That twist is reminiscent of 90s British comic capers (which you’ve seen in Fool N Final, too), so it does feel dated. A girl pretending to be simple, sober, and far from modern society and its adventures turns out to be a knockout! I have seen that before. A naive man, with simplicity and principles, transforms into an action hero for a while—just when it was needed—I have seen that too. There are many things that “I have seen before,” and it will apply to you too, so just beware of those clichés while enjoying this “runway entertainer.” The film has major issues with its overexposure of characters. Koyal’s speech outside the club sounded overly feminist and unnecessary. Veer says he’ll handle the bachelor party and begins with his college-era jokes as if he doesn’t know what a stripper’s job is. He is a doctor (vet), so I expect him to have that much IQ. Koyal didn’t seem very bothered when Veer was getting friendly with her best friend—someone of his type—but the moment she steps out of the house, she fearlessly displays her possessiveness. A moment ago, they were discussing divorce, and it wasn’t a joke. “Kiss me, Brother” is the height of making the girl appear drunk, and it comes across as forced. The entire climax section pushes over the top, with little logic to its side, but anyway, who looks for a logic in a screwball comedy? Still, I demand some sensibility and generosity, which were missing here.

Yami Gautam has a nice role here that many girls would enjoy and even embrace, except for introverted and anti-social ladies. Pratik Gandhi took a risk by saying yes to this role, but I believe it was not the wrong choice. I am a man, but it’s fun to see a man in the backseat sometimes. Let the girl have all the fun because feminism, with the right amount of validity, is always welcomed by sensible men. These two capture the entire screen time and look good together, but the romantic chemistry and attachment are missing because the script does not allow for any genuine intimacy. There is a large supporting cast, including Pavitra Sarkar, Eijaz Khan, Sahil Gangurde, Ismail Khan, Babla Kochar, Neelu Kohli, Veronika Arora, Dharmesh Vyas, Nimisha Vakaria, Kavin Dave, and Bruno the dog, who provide equal support.

Dhoom Dhaam lacks musical magic, which was not needed either. OTT films are often better off without songs. The cinematography was decent, the sound design was average, and the tappy Punjabi folklore used in the background was exciting. The production design was fairly good. The film has a fast-paced narrative, all thanks to sensible editing that doesn’t bore you, except for one or two unnecessary conversation scenes that could have been avoided. Rishab Seth seems to have done a lot of research on social media & WhatsApp jokes, as the entire setup appears to cater to a specific audience that belongs to the social media generation. Families can enjoy it too; it’s harmless but not pure and grounded. Rishab could have avoided taking the characters to their extremes, where they start looking intentionally manufactured and sometimes forced, and I think the film would have appeared more genuine and organically funny then. Humour is not everyone’s forte, so it’s okay to rely on physical and verbal comedy, but overdoing it may cause harm. Dhoom Dhaam overdid that; otherwise, there is not much wrong with it. Less than two hours on Netflix can be spent well without much burden.

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