E. Niwas
Sandeep Chowta
Sameer, Abbas Tyrewala, Nitin Raikwar,
Vivek Oberoi, Diya Mirza, Atul Kulkarni
By Aijaaz Karim
Dum deals with the influx of corruption at every stage of this so-called law and order
system. And how difficult it is for a common man to stand up against it.
One such commoner is Uday Shinde (Vivek Oberoi) who dreams of donning the khaki
uniform some day. But things aren't easy, as a nexus of vested interests are up against him.
They include a politician, DeshmukhGovind Namdeo), a thug, Babu Kasai
(Yashpal Sharma) and an encounter specialist, famously known as Encounter
Shankar (Atul Kulkarni).
There's still hope in the form of an honest and upright police officer (which is a rarity these days),
Sharma (Mukesh Rishi). And so, the battle lines are drawn, with this corrupt
system acting as a personal feud between Uday and Shankar, as they fight to
the finish for one-upmanship.
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The script has shades of Kurukshetra and even Nayak. The camerawork is sleek but loses focus
at times.
The biggest negative factor working against the film is that the main lead himself has to take
refuge in unlawful activities to tackle the corrupt system. It would have been a good idea to have
let Uday been an inspector and faced everybody under the boundaries of law. But alas, the film
ends before he can wear the khaki colour.
Of the cast, Atul Kulkarni fits the bill as a gangster in uniform. Vivek Oberoi is on
a song, with 3 hits in a row. He has yet to taste a flop. The angry young man image is carried
forward here in Dum. And lastly, the less said about Diya Mirza, the better.
She is just an extra in the crowd.
VERDICT:This 'Dum' has some 'dum'. But you ponder about its fate with mixed
feelings.
