Production: C J Jayakumar Cast: Remya Nambeesan, Vaibhav Direction: Shree Screenplay: Shree Story: Shree Music: SS Thaman
Damaal Dumeel has a lot of ‘damaal’ and ‘dumeel’ on offer, right from Vaibhav’s mobile ringtone to the other variety of gun shots that feature in the film.But, are the fire crackers contagious enough to seep into the engaging juices of our brain?
Well, the movie has an interesting combination of dark comedy and titillation and the actions of the characters that appear in the film are quite unpredictable. Vaibhav plays Moneykandan (spelling courtesy: ‘numerology’), who is a regular IT professional with a thick salary and a pretty girlfriend. His pretty girlfriend in the movie is Meera, played by Ramya Nambeesan.
Unlike the usual commercial masala that we get to watch every second Friday, Damaal Dumeel slips into the crux of the story right after the public service advertisement on smoking is played and clutches onto it right till the end, making sure they don’t suddenly take off to a foreign location for a dream song.
However, an unanticipated twist in the screenplay does push Moneykandan to attempt to make a vamoosing escape to a foreign land, completely overlooking the fact that one needs to have a visa to fly abroad, which turns out to be anignorable flaw in the script.
Kota Srinivasa Rao tickles your comic nerves with his assorted variety of whimsical nuances and his very presence on screen keeps your lips stretched wide. Shayaji Shindae plays the bad guy and the entire movie revolves around a deal between him and Kota Srinivasa Rao garnished with a little villainess and sufficient humour.
Director Shree’s presence of mind in pushing in interesting inserts such as the visual split up of the address as and when Shayaji tells it, is a pleasing point out. Thaman’s background scores score well at crucial areas, providing the movie that extra thrust as it moves uphill.
On the flip side, the team could have concentrated a little more on churning out interesting sequences as the magic of dark comedy finds itself left behind as the movie progresses.The film has an interesting storyline that relies mostly on comedy and the deficit of this factor in certain areas slows down the pace of the movie.
Kota Srinivasa Rao and Shayaji Shindae, the friends who turn foes, for absolutely no fault of each other, are the savers of the movie. Their misinterpreted enmity drives the entire movie to its finaleand the film steps over its finish line after a colourful ‘damaal dumeel’ in a paint factory. However, one might just begin to wonder the reason behind the ill will between the two antagonists.
Well, you’ve got to watch the movie to find out.
Verdict: Damaal Dumeel, leaves you content – a one time watch.