A fresh pairing of two solid performers in mid-budget Indian cinema, especially the streaming space, namely Pratik Gandhi and Yami Gautam Dhar, hold together this middling wedding-night caper-comedy-thriller. The talented leads make sure the movie is consistently watchable despite its numerous glaring flaws and contrivances.
In Rishab Seth‘s “Dhoom Dhaam“, an unlikely couple find themselves in an opposites-attract kind of situation even though they are thrown into an implausible arranged marriage. It’s true for Indian people nearing their thirties to be forced into an arranged marriage but there are indications in the story that the couple are neither from the same community, nor do they know each other very well. On top of that, they are quite individualistic, and the groom is also a well-established doctor. The only link between the families is the bride’s uncle who seems to have brokered the marriage and who plays an important part in the chaos that ensues later.
But let’s suspend disbelief and even imagine, for a fact, that this couple is indeed getting together and have gotten married. The situation that now is usually mined for most laughs in such stories is the awkward first night when the couple is expected to consummate the marriage, no matter how well they know each other or are even attracted to each other, or not. But before the awkward moments can creep in, two strangers do and what ensues is standard fare for most caper comedies: bumbling protagonists caught in an unlikely situation unsuspectingly, cops, goons, and a comic and violent race against time.
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In this case, the plot hinges on two things in particular- whether the protagonists are able to wriggle out of this sticky situation and whether, along the way, they are able to discover some love, mutual respect, or understanding for each other. The answer to both is most likely, yes, but in these sort of movies, it’s the how rather than the what which is most important.
For director Rishab Seth, who has also directed most notably a caper, released on Indian OTT, called “Cash”, his love for capers, and hat-tips to various movies is pretty much evident. The most unoriginal and tedious part of the plot involves a Hangover-style retracing the steps after a drunken night formula, which is mostly inane and plot-heavy, and threatens to derail the film. However, it’s the small moments where the director manages to capture some chemistry between the performers. He shoots the city at nighttime in a particularly interesting way, especially with respect to lighting and sometimes uses music to good effect.
There are some small charming moments within the screenplay, which bring out the intricacies of the lead characters like a scene in an under-construction building where while seeking refuge from the two people chasing them, they encounter a moment of beauty which they get to share together. The scene is all the more poignant, because it is between two people who haven’t spent much time alone before this and are expected to spend a lifetime together. It is a pity that the screenplay does not allow for much such moments to resonate while moving at breakneck pace, even though the pacing is not really an issue since movies of this genre are expected to keep things going quickly so as to not let tedium set in, often owing to the preposterous nature of the whole setup. The golden rule here really is that the audiences don’t mind a convenient yet illogical plot hole as long as they are entertained.
The problem is that in the middle section, the film focuses on uninteresting gags like a cat-fight in a restroom and a kick-in-the-nuts to a philandering ex-boyfriend to try and make things interesting. There are throwaway witty lines in the aforementioned scenes but they add little to the screenplay and characters like the ex-boyfriend, the friend with a secret and a male stripper-no less- are uninspired and lacking in depth. There is no lack of humor in terms of situational comedy and joke writing. A scene involving all family members mispronouncing the name of a branch of medicine, and an overenthusiastic dog who likes to be a little too friendly with guests in the house make for truly funny moments, especially owing to the cleverness with which the dog is later incorporated into the narrative at a pivotal point. But sometimes the makers clearly lose sense of how far you can drag a joke, especially with a scene at a bachelorette party, even though it is salvaged by the male lead Pratik Gandhi’s commitment to the performance and the layers he brings to his character.
The male lead character truly has an interesting arc of someone who grapples with many phobias, but over the course of the eventful night learns to find the courage within him. The same cannot be said of the female lead, however, who comes across as just another modern stereotype without the layers of vulnerability, in spite of a long monologue about how women feel suffocated in domesticated Indian families. The actor Yami Gautam Dhar has the screen presence to carry off a character which is written in broad strokes, which she has also done in the past. If the female character had a little more vulnerability and a little less of an outlandish yet stereotypical quality, the film would have benefited further. Thankfully, her co-star as usual is in fine form and can make even run-of-the-mill material on paper work with the subtle elements he brings into his performance. He has the craft of a stage actor, the physique of a star, and no trace of vanity in his performances.
As far as the cinematography and editing of the film is concerned, handled by Siddharth Vasani and Shivkumar Panicker respectively, it is mostly crisp, which keeps the pace of the film from not becoming a hindrance to its enjoyment, or the viewer’s experience of it. However, the lack of novelty in such stories has become a little too evident. When your movie starts to look like just another movie you might have seen some years ago, made in some other country or language, there is obviously the sense of a letdown. The movie benefits from the fact that Mumbai city at night is a fascinating subject and one that never fails to intrigue a viewer and the film, to be fair, tries to do justice to its setting, especially with the lighting of certain scenes, as mentioned earlier.
The fact remains that there is a lot to like about the film but it is also brought together in a package where a lot of it is just the same old recycled formulaic storytelling. It makes for good casual viewing, which the streaming audience wouldn’t mind, but would one fondly recall it a few years from now? One may have serious doubts about that.