Ram Madhvani, seems to be in a rush to finish things up, chooses the righteous road out, which is not only simple but also downright ludicrous.
Now and then, we watch a film in which an inconspicuous actor is tasked with playing a character that appears to be larger than their screen image.
Director Ram Madhvani is known for throwing such googlies at us regularly. Neerja stars Sonam Kapoor. Ram performs it again in Kartik Aaryan‘s Dhamaka.
He casts Arjun Pathak, a man known for his monologues, his unkempt mane, and a toothy smile that many find appealing, as his prime-time news anchor, with terrifying bombs exploding on the Bandra Worli Sea Link in Mumbai in the background – both metaphorically and practically.
And he manages to wring a mind-blowing performance from Kartik Aaryan.
Kartik’s Arjun is a radio anchor at the start of this Netflix offering, relegated from his prime-time television anchor post after a five-year tenure.
He’s also seated in a whirl of smoke from his cigarette at his corner radio studio, poring over a divorce draught and reminiscing about the life that was.
We eventually discover the disagreement and how his personal and professional lives have evolved into what they are now.
He goes on air, gives a traffic update (the Sea Link will be closed between 9 and 10 a.m. due to construction work, so avoid it), and then takes his first caller. “Main Sea Link udane wala hoon,” says a man who introduces himself as Raghubeer Mate.
The following events are predictable yet adrenaline-pumping. A regular man, a labourer who assisted in the construction of the bridge, is now hellbent on destroying it to gain attention. To be granted an apology.
On a wet day in Mumbai, three employees were killed while patching up the bridge. The promised restitution never arrived for the families.
The news was never shown at prime time. Everything has vanished. However, you will not be pardoned. He says, “Sarkar ko maafi mangni padegi.”
It’s easy to understand this regular man’s angst. You sympathise with him, but you wonder if a bombing, which puts the lives of other people in jeopardy, is the best way to go.
Ram Madhvani makes the conflict simple in this film, almost failing to challenge the audience enough. There is also the negotiation of an “exclusive” in all of this.
Arjun renegotiates his prime-time news anchor job, claiming it as his big break and guaranteeing the station improved TRPs.
But the game he’s playing is filthy, and no matter how much he wants to wash his hands, there’s blood on them, the blood of those three labourers, which binds him to the main storyline.
Neerja was based on a true storey, and despite some artistic licence, we all knew how it would end. Dhamaka comes to a halt with a flop, which is a shortcoming we cannot overlook.
Ram Madhvani, in a rush to finish things up, chooses the righteous road out, which is not only simple but also downright ludicrous.
Ram Madhvani made a fascinating decision to direct Dhamaka, the Hindi remake of the 2013 Korean film ‘The Terror Live’ in light of the subject it introduces.
Planned as a remark on the impassive condition of early evening broadcast media, it permits Madhavani to additional thin down the stretch among the real world and organization, the hazy situation that has come to be known as his particular way of filmmaking.
