From Rishab Seth, Aditya Dhar, and Aarsh Vora comes Dhoom Dhaam, a new Netflix India, Hindi-language original film. Co-writer Dhar cast his wife Yami Gautam in the lead role; is this film, which translates to âfanfareâ or âpageantry,â worth the stream?
DHOOM DHAAM: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
The Gist: Veer (Pratik Gandhi) and Koyal (Yami Gautam), a newlywed couple who donât know much about each other, are forced to lean on each other when heâs mistakenly targeted as a person of interest in the disappearance of someone named âCharlieâ and theyâre forced to go on the run on their wedding night.
What Will It Remind You Of?: The mix of romance and hijinks made me immediately think of the Steve Carell and Tina Fey film Date Nightâand the laughs are just as consistent.
Performance Worth Watching: Both Gandhi and Gautam are convincing, but itâs Gandhiâs comedic chops that are a standout. While his phobias and conservatism are grating, Veerâs disposition and evolution offers the most comedy.
Memorable Dialogue: Not even halfway through the film, Veerâs antiquated thoughts about how a woman should act finally reach a point of no return and Koyal unleashes a tirade for the ages. âWho misbehaves? Men. Who harasses? Men. And whose freedom is taken away? Womenâs. So yes we may lie to our parents, but that doesnât mean we have loose morals. We just have one life and we have the right to live it to the fullest,â she spews at him, without one word out of place. I gave this speech a standing ovation in my living room and every man should really hearâand I mean actually hearâthe words she says.
Sex and Skin: A running joke is that these two keep getting interrupted as theyâre going to consummate their marriage. The closest we get to seeing anything is when Veer drops a wrapped condom on the floor.
Our Take: Dhoom Dhaamâs premise is a straightforward one on paper: a couple with opposite personalities and skills consent to an arranged marriage. But the literal honeymoon period doesnât last long. On their wedding night, theyâre thrown into an underground world of crooked cops and aggressive chase sequences that reveal their true colorsâand make them actually fall in love with each other.
The comedy comes from their mismatched personalitiesâVeer is borderline OCD about rules, while Koyal is secretly a badassâbut his straight-laced antics border on idiocy in an extreme situation. For the first half of the film, I was annoyed on her behalf. But, he grows on you and transcends the feeling of dead weight by the end of the film.
Both the acting and the writing are impressive, even if the story is predictable. What was most exciting is the depiction of Koyal, who is the one with street smarts and the wherewithal to keep her and her new husband alive. Her aforementioned speech is a highlight in the film, not just because it speaks to the many double standards that Indian women face in the patriarchal society; itâs also a feminist rallying cry that women across the world can relate to.
In films like these, the main boxes to check are whether audiences like hanging out with the characters, and if the action and story are entertaining. At just under 2 hours, Dhoom Dhaam checks both boxes.
Our Call: STREAM IT. The comedy caper is also surprisingly progressive.
Radhika Menon (@menonrad) is a TV-obsessed writer based in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared on Paste Magazine, Teen Vogue, Vulture and more. At any given moment, she can ruminate at length over Friday Night Lights, the University of Michigan, and the perfect slice of pizza. You may call her Rad.
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