INDIA: Dhamaka is an official remake of the 2013 Korean film ‘The Terror Live’ directed by Kim Byung-woo, which sets an already prepared layout for semi-creative purposes. Terror Live centers on the faceoff between truth and TRP of news channels which exposes the toxicity of the media culture and politicians’ blame game.
Kim Byung-woo decently manages to portray the horrors of the system in his narrative. In Dhamaka, Ram Madhvani, who is best known for Neerja 2016 and the Disney+ Hotstar series Aarya 2020, joins as director. Both have gotten excellent feedback from critics and the audience. His directorial approach is defined by a thrill and tense touch of storytelling. For the film, no one could have been a better choice than him.
The movie Dhamaka shows the life of a former news anchor and hesitant radio jockey Arjun Pathak (Kartik Aaryan) appears to be a reminder of an emotionally trenching past with his wife until he receives a system alarming call, which he interprets as an opportunity to resurrect his long-lost career. Little known to the cause, this call may flip his ethics.
Kartik Aaryan and Amruta Subhash excels at their best
Dhamaka’s stronger elements are carried out by its performers. Kartik Aaryan, who has portrayed similar lover boy roles in his past films, pushes his acting skills to the limit this time, resulting in the best performance of his career. His facial expressions are the only key element that sets the seriousness of the film.
Amruta Subhash as Ankita Malaskar is a TRP-hungry boss, which may be disturbing as a character, but her gaze establishes the aura of power in her role at the performance level.
Heavily illogical with typical Bollywood style forced romance
Dhamaka contains a slew of flaws and irrational character reactions to the circumstance. The plot revolves around bombings and terrorists, which ironically do not involve any anti-terrorist units at the outset. Mrunal Thakur’s car sequence makes no sense since a bridge has been blown and no one from the security forces has arrived at the scene. Only an officer from the anti-terror squad is shown at the end, with an utmost nonsensical way of operating, which is highly disrespectful in every way.
It’s as if the movie’s fictional world doesn’t have any security forces or anti-terror units, and if they do, their attitude is stupid and unprofessional.
The sequence in which an earpiece explodes and kills the news anchor demonstrates that the terrorist has penetrated the news organization’s internals. However, no one seems to be bothered by the fact, everyone is engaged in nonsensical behavior. The news channel and anchors are dully shown; actual live news debates are more exciting than this fictionalized rendition of news.
The unneeded Bollywood touch to serious films detracts from the film’s intense atmosphere. It was ludicrous to watch Kartik Aaryan and Mrunal Thakur’s forced relationship. In the most stressful circumstance possible, a TV anchor and reporter hysterically tries to develop a romance in the most Bollywood way possible, that too on live television.
Deeply problematic at many points
Its trend these days in movies in the name of so-called revolution and resistance the act of terrorism is justified. It is important to bring attention to the suffering of the working class. However, the issue emerges when it is implied that the sole answer to the suffering of the working class is to commit acts of terrorism. For example, if the system is accountable for the exploitation of the working class, they must bomb the system in the most severe manner imaginable, as the movie emphasizes all this from a terrorist standpoint.
The act of terrorism is justified through emotional triggers, and at the end of the film, it tries to elicit pity for a terrorist who killed innocent individuals on the verge of a system meltdown. The film’s plot does not even attempt to dispute the terrorist’s motivation; instead, it instills in the audience a sense of fondness for him, which is extremely problematic.
Verdict
Dhamaka starring Kartik Aaryan is at its finest in terms of acting, but the illogical character motives and lack of seriousness in the narrative render it into a nonsensical version of the original.
Transcontinental Times Rating: 2/5
Also Read: Nigeria Set To Eliminate Meningitis By 2030
