Dum Maaro Dum promises entertainment
Fast-paced Dum Maaro Dum races through the beaches, bylanes and shacks of Goa, India’s famous beach paradise, tracing the stories of four characters whose lives crisscross one another throughout the movie, sometimes with brutal consequences.
The protagonist is police officer Kamath (Abhishek Bachchan), a tough-as-nails cop with a past to redeem who is hell bent on bringing down a mysterious drug kingpin in Goa.
The other lead characters are Lorry (Prateik), a young innocent student who finds that shortcuts in life often come with a heavy price; DJ Joki (Rana Daggubati), a local musician who once stood by silently while he lost everything dear to him but is now determined to make sure history does not repeat itself; and Zoe (Bipasha Basu), a free spirited girl whose innocence and beauty were marred when she let her ambition take her down the wrong lane.
As their stories dramatically twist and turn, they discover that even paradise has a few snakes and danger lurking beneath the tranquility of its picturesque beaches.
Directed by Rohan Sippy and produced by Ramesh Sippy (director of India’s first ever blockbuster, Sholay), Shridhar Raghavan has written the screenplay. The production team includes director of photography Amit Roy, editor Aarif Sheikh, lyricist by Jaideep Sahni, and music director Pritam.
--
Indian Weekender editor in chief Dev Nadkarni spoke with leading man Abhishek Bachchan and director Rohan Sippy earlier this week. Excerpts from the interview:
Abhishek, you play the police officer fiercely driven by a cause – sounds like the quintessential angry young man?
Abhishek Bachchan: The quintessential angry young man – no, not at all. There’s been only one and only one angry young man in Hindi cinema and I am nowhere near that. But yes, the character I play, of ACP Kamath, is that of a driven character – and interestingly it’s a character with considerable complexity: it’s not all black and white; there are shades of grey, which is what make it so interesting.
Rohan, what sort of genre would you place the movie in?
Rohan Sippy: The film is a dramatic suspense thriller that focuses on ACP Kamath trying to track down a mysterious drug kingpin, with the help of a series of characters – each of whom have their own background story. The narrative in the first half is non-linear, making the story telling a little different. It’s quite racy and climaxes to a shocking end.
Are you and scriptwriter Shridhar Raghavan turning out to be a hit team after the success of Bluffmaster?
RS: (Laughs). We’ve hit it off quite well and yes the runaway success of Bluffmaster gave us the confidence to try new things together. Shridhar is great with twists in the storytelling. I enjoy the rollercoaster format of his scripts. When this story was presented to me, I was simply fascinated.
Fox studios also seem equally fascinated?
RS: That’s right. We sent the script to Fox Studios and they went through it and came back saying it had great possibilities and everything fell in place.
Abhishek, you are playing a role without a leading opposite number?
AB: Yes, that’s true. The role of the cop is intense and there is no leading lady opposite me, though Bipasha is in the movie but plays opposite Rana [Dagubatti]. But I enjoyed playing the role because of its intensity and sense of purpose in the character and it was challenging most of all because of the character’s shades of grey.
Why did you choose Goa as the location?
RS: The story could be set anywhere – there is nothing in it that anchors it in Goa. But Goa is such a wonderful place. It is so beautiful, exotic and not too many full length films have been based there – so we thought it would be a great idea to base it there.
Goa has suffered from stereotyping in Indian cinema – too easygoing, too much drinking, drug-related lawlessness and that sort of thing… Does Dum Maaro Dum put Goa into that kind of stereotyped slot?
AB: Not at all – on the contrary, the storyline dispels a lot of such myths about Goa and portrays aspects of its varied culture. It really showcases Goa in a very good light as it deserves to be. We all love Goa, love being there and the movie captures the positives of Goa.
RS: The movie weaves the wonderful spirit of Goa in the storytelling. We shot from Baga to Morjim, from Candolim to Panaji, from the beautiful beaches of Aswem to the hippie chaos of Arambol, to the creek of Siolim, to the streets of Ribander lined with heritage houses. We recreated a moment from the carnival. And the beauty of Goa is that people will leave you alone and let you do your work. I must say when it comes to crowd management Goa is simply unparalleled, probably one of the best places in India to shoot.
Rohan, your father’s film Sholay was one of the greatest blockbusters of all time. How much does Sippy senior influence your work – also were you around when Sholay was made?
RS: Dad’s is a tough act to follow. But I am lucky to have him closely associated, there’s so much I can learn from him – the rich experience, the vision. Yes, I was about four years old when Sholay was made and I do recollect being at the sets seeing Amitabhji and Dharamji work.
Your fathers worked together and now you are doing the same – how does the connection feel?
We feel privileged. And these are not the only connections that go back a generation. There are many people involved in Dum Maaro Dum that have connections with our families for long. It’s a great feeling, a sense of family, comeradeship – makes working together so much better.
How about the music of Dum Maaro Dum – by the way, does the movie hark back in any way to the famous number from Hare Rama Hare Krishna?
RS: Not beyond a remixed version of the famous song – there is no similarity whatsoever between the two movies. Having created an iconic chartbuster “Right Here Right Now” in Bluffmaster, the pressure was on to deliver music that was on par. Lyricist Jaideep Sahni and music director Pritam teamed up once again to come up with a repertoire that has each song that is eclectic and different, making them memorable.
AB: The music is fantastic. I warmed to the tunes from the moment I heard them first. You simply get hooked on.
Abhishek, you were in New Zealand recently – what was your experience like?
AB: It’s the most amazing of places; blessed with such unbelievable beauty. What was also great was the Indian people in New Zealand – they are so warm, friendly and lovable. It was wonderful spending time with them. I’d love to visit New Zealand again and hope I’ll have more opportunities soon.
You celebrated your birthday here…
AB: Yes, that’s what made it all the more special
Rohan, any plans of making a movie based in New Zealand?
RS: I’d love to if the opportunity comes up. Everyone raves about the beauty of the place. My family has a place in Queenstown, which is one of the most beautiful towns on earth. It’d be a dream to make a movie in New Zealand. I do hope the wonderful people in New Zealand will enjoy Dum Maaro Dum when it hits the screens this month.
--
Dum Maaro Dum releases in theatres in Auckland on April 22
ABHISHEK BACHCHAN
BIPASHA BASU
RANA DAGGUBATI
ADITYA PANCHOLI
SPECIAL APPEARANCE BY PRATEIK
WITH GOVIND NAMDEV
DIRECTED BY …..ROHAN SIPPY
PRODUCED BY …..RAMESH SIPPY
WRITTEN BY …..SHRIDHAR RAGHAVAN
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY …..AMIT ROY
EDITOR …..AARIF SHEIKH
LYRICS BY …..JAIDEEP SAHNI
MUSIC BY .….PRITAM
Fast-paced Dum Maaro Dum races through the beaches, bylanes and shacks of Goa, India’s famous beach paradise, tracing the stories of four characters whose lives crisscross one another throughout the movie, sometimes with brutal consequences.
The protagonist is police officer Kamath (Abhishek...
Fast-paced Dum Maaro Dum races through the beaches, bylanes and shacks of Goa, India’s famous beach paradise, tracing the stories of four characters whose lives crisscross one another throughout the movie, sometimes with brutal consequences.
The protagonist is police officer Kamath (Abhishek Bachchan), a tough-as-nails cop with a past to redeem who is hell bent on bringing down a mysterious drug kingpin in Goa.
The other lead characters are Lorry (Prateik), a young innocent student who finds that shortcuts in life often come with a heavy price; DJ Joki (Rana Daggubati), a local musician who once stood by silently while he lost everything dear to him but is now determined to make sure history does not repeat itself; and Zoe (Bipasha Basu), a free spirited girl whose innocence and beauty were marred when she let her ambition take her down the wrong lane.
As their stories dramatically twist and turn, they discover that even paradise has a few snakes and danger lurking beneath the tranquility of its picturesque beaches.
Directed by Rohan Sippy and produced by Ramesh Sippy (director of India’s first ever blockbuster, Sholay), Shridhar Raghavan has written the screenplay. The production team includes director of photography Amit Roy, editor Aarif Sheikh, lyricist by Jaideep Sahni, and music director Pritam.
--
Indian Weekender editor in chief Dev Nadkarni spoke with leading man Abhishek Bachchan and director Rohan Sippy earlier this week. Excerpts from the interview:
Abhishek, you play the police officer fiercely driven by a cause – sounds like the quintessential angry young man?
Abhishek Bachchan: The quintessential angry young man – no, not at all. There’s been only one and only one angry young man in Hindi cinema and I am nowhere near that. But yes, the character I play, of ACP Kamath, is that of a driven character – and interestingly it’s a character with considerable complexity: it’s not all black and white; there are shades of grey, which is what make it so interesting.
Rohan, what sort of genre would you place the movie in?
Rohan Sippy: The film is a dramatic suspense thriller that focuses on ACP Kamath trying to track down a mysterious drug kingpin, with the help of a series of characters – each of whom have their own background story. The narrative in the first half is non-linear, making the story telling a little different. It’s quite racy and climaxes to a shocking end.
Are you and scriptwriter Shridhar Raghavan turning out to be a hit team after the success of Bluffmaster?
RS: (Laughs). We’ve hit it off quite well and yes the runaway success of Bluffmaster gave us the confidence to try new things together. Shridhar is great with twists in the storytelling. I enjoy the rollercoaster format of his scripts. When this story was presented to me, I was simply fascinated.
Fox studios also seem equally fascinated?
RS: That’s right. We sent the script to Fox Studios and they went through it and came back saying it had great possibilities and everything fell in place.
Abhishek, you are playing a role without a leading opposite number?
AB: Yes, that’s true. The role of the cop is intense and there is no leading lady opposite me, though Bipasha is in the movie but plays opposite Rana [Dagubatti]. But I enjoyed playing the role because of its intensity and sense of purpose in the character and it was challenging most of all because of the character’s shades of grey.
Why did you choose Goa as the location?
RS: The story could be set anywhere – there is nothing in it that anchors it in Goa. But Goa is such a wonderful place. It is so beautiful, exotic and not too many full length films have been based there – so we thought it would be a great idea to base it there.
Goa has suffered from stereotyping in Indian cinema – too easygoing, too much drinking, drug-related lawlessness and that sort of thing… Does Dum Maaro Dum put Goa into that kind of stereotyped slot?
AB: Not at all – on the contrary, the storyline dispels a lot of such myths about Goa and portrays aspects of its varied culture. It really showcases Goa in a very good light as it deserves to be. We all love Goa, love being there and the movie captures the positives of Goa.
RS: The movie weaves the wonderful spirit of Goa in the storytelling. We shot from Baga to Morjim, from Candolim to Panaji, from the beautiful beaches of Aswem to the hippie chaos of Arambol, to the creek of Siolim, to the streets of Ribander lined with heritage houses. We recreated a moment from the carnival. And the beauty of Goa is that people will leave you alone and let you do your work. I must say when it comes to crowd management Goa is simply unparalleled, probably one of the best places in India to shoot.
Rohan, your father’s film Sholay was one of the greatest blockbusters of all time. How much does Sippy senior influence your work – also were you around when Sholay was made?
RS: Dad’s is a tough act to follow. But I am lucky to have him closely associated, there’s so much I can learn from him – the rich experience, the vision. Yes, I was about four years old when Sholay was made and I do recollect being at the sets seeing Amitabhji and Dharamji work.
Your fathers worked together and now you are doing the same – how does the connection feel?
We feel privileged. And these are not the only connections that go back a generation. There are many people involved in Dum Maaro Dum that have connections with our families for long. It’s a great feeling, a sense of family, comeradeship – makes working together so much better.
How about the music of Dum Maaro Dum – by the way, does the movie hark back in any way to the famous number from Hare Rama Hare Krishna?
RS: Not beyond a remixed version of the famous song – there is no similarity whatsoever between the two movies. Having created an iconic chartbuster “Right Here Right Now” in Bluffmaster, the pressure was on to deliver music that was on par. Lyricist Jaideep Sahni and music director Pritam teamed up once again to come up with a repertoire that has each song that is eclectic and different, making them memorable.
AB: The music is fantastic. I warmed to the tunes from the moment I heard them first. You simply get hooked on.
Abhishek, you were in New Zealand recently – what was your experience like?
AB: It’s the most amazing of places; blessed with such unbelievable beauty. What was also great was the Indian people in New Zealand – they are so warm, friendly and lovable. It was wonderful spending time with them. I’d love to visit New Zealand again and hope I’ll have more opportunities soon.
You celebrated your birthday here…
AB: Yes, that’s what made it all the more special
Rohan, any plans of making a movie based in New Zealand?
RS: I’d love to if the opportunity comes up. Everyone raves about the beauty of the place. My family has a place in Queenstown, which is one of the most beautiful towns on earth. It’d be a dream to make a movie in New Zealand. I do hope the wonderful people in New Zealand will enjoy Dum Maaro Dum when it hits the screens this month.
--
Dum Maaro Dum releases in theatres in Auckland on April 22
ABHISHEK BACHCHAN
BIPASHA BASU
RANA DAGGUBATI
ADITYA PANCHOLI
SPECIAL APPEARANCE BY PRATEIK
WITH GOVIND NAMDEV
DIRECTED BY …..ROHAN SIPPY
PRODUCED BY …..RAMESH SIPPY
WRITTEN BY …..SHRIDHAR RAGHAVAN
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY …..AMIT ROY
EDITOR …..AARIF SHEIKH
LYRICS BY …..JAIDEEP SAHNI
MUSIC BY .….PRITAM
Leave a Comment