Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Yami Gautam and Pratik Gandhi play Koyal Chadda and Veer Khurana, two clashing personalities who find themselves in a rushed arranged marriage after their family priest warns them that although their horoscopes match, they’ll have to wait two and a half years for an auspicious wedding date – unless they get married within two weeks.
Still essentially strangers on their wedding night, the nervous couple is in their suite when two armed men break into their hotel room, demanding they hand over ‘Charlie.’ What follows is a wild goose chase across Mumbai through the night as the couple scrambles to uncover the mystery behind Charlie, all while goons threaten to murder their families in the 2025 Bollywood movie Dhoom Dham.
Directed by Rishab Seth, who shares writing credits with Aarsh Vora and Aditya Dhar, Dhoom Dham is an interesting blend of action-thriller and romantic comedy. The movie opens with a lighthearted arranged marriage meeting between Koyal and Veer’s parents, where Koyal is introduced as a traditionally demure girl who has grown up studying in an all-girls school and college, while Veer appears to be a simple, shy veterinarian.
The two barely get a chance to interact privately before their wedding, so Veer is stunned to discover that Koyal is actually a trigger-happy, ass-kicking, car-racing, drink-chugging party girl when they find themselves being chased by armed men on their wedding night. With the bride saving the groom for most of the night, the dynamic is refreshing and fun to watch – except for some forced preachy monologues and emotional scenes that slow down what could have been a riotous entertainer.
For instance, about 30 minutes into Dhoom Dhaam, Yami Gautam’s Koyal delivers a Pyaar Ka Punchnama-style rant about how difficult it is to be a woman in India when Veer confronts her about lying about her lifestyle. The issue is that the story is set in Mumbai – one of the safest cities for a young, affluent woman like Koyal. Had it been set in a city like Delhi, her rant would have felt far more justified. Yami rants with full conviction, but it’s simply out of place. Regardless, Dhoom Dhaam is largely powered by the pataka bride, while Pratik Gandhi’s meek Veer, who has several phobias, entertainingly shoulders the problems of their chaotic night together.
There’s a surprise song-and-dance sequence in the second half of Dhoom Dhaam—a strip show meant for laughs—but the music composition just didn’t match the sass and hilarious tone of that section. Pratik Gandhi is probably not much of a dancer, because the choreography is extremely basic, and Yami’s Koyal drooling over his moves felt far too exaggerated. L-O-L. Flaws aside, the whole ‘innocent newlyweds spend their suhaag raat on the run’ is a fresh premise that should keep Bollywood fans amused until the end.
The supporting cast has very fleeting roles, so nobody makes a lasting impact on viewers – not even Eijaz Khan and Pavitra Sarkar, who play Sathe and Bhide, respectively, the two men primarily chasing the bride and groom on their wedding night for the mysterious Charlie. Koyal and Veer visit different acquaintances throughout the night in search of this ‘Charlie,’ resulting in comedic chaos. The climax is as filmy as a masala entertainer can get, but it would’ve been spicier if Koyal got to kick more ass.
Overall, Dhoom Dhaam isn’t the explosive action-thriller-rom-com it hopes to be, but it’s definitely a fun one-time watch if you have no plans for the weekend.
Rating: 3 on 5 stars. The film is on Netflix.
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