Review: 'Dam 999' is a ‘dam’pner

Film: Dam 999
Director: Sohan Roy
Cast: Rajit Kapoor, Linda Arsenio, Aashish Vidyarthi, Vinay Rai, Megha Burman, Joshua Fredric Smith
Stars: *
Verdict: Tests your dam of patience!

There are films that are so bad that make you want to walk out during the interval. Well, this one’s not one of them. On the contrary, this is a film that you can, well, walk into post the interval, as it’s only after watching the last twenty minutes, that you are least likely to curse yourself for having spent the money on this 3D flick. If the annoying glasses you have to perch on your nose is not enough, you have a lost and confused hero, who manages to put you in the same state of mind rather quickly. The real hero here actually is the cinematography, and the special effects. The film gives you the feeling that while this department of filmmaking was the pampered one, the filmmaker meted out a rather step-motherly treatment to the rest of the film.

To begin with, the most intense dialogues make you laugh, while the ones meant to evoke laughter, make you yawn. The actors have no star presence and walk through their parts like amateur theatre enthusiasts at college level. Several scenes end abruptly, some unnecessary ones are retained, while others are rushed through. The story is flawed too, though it could’ve been made interesting, the depth in the emotional turmoil is missing.

The hero is caught between two women. One is his ex-wife who wants to enter his life again, while the other is his childhood sweetheart who he couldn’t marry because the horoscopes won’t match. To add to the ‘horror’scope, each time the two come close, a disaster happens!

Now, this wife happens to be a rather interesting lady. A TV journalist, she even turns into a black cat commando-meets-GI Jane, as she rescues a damsel in distress and then saves the day! In the meanwhile, you have no clue what the hero is up to and why is here in the first place.    

There’s no doubt that the ongoing dam issue has been skimmed too, albeit on the surface, a rather sensitive issue with Tamil Nadu and those not clued into the politics will feel themselves at sea.

The only high point about the film is the climax sequence of the dam-breaking and the floods washing away the town. It reminds you of films like 2012, and though it doesn’t live up to that technical brilliance, it is extremely well-done and deserve a mention. Among the star cast, Rajit does a good job. But, overall, it would be wise to stay indoors and be safe than sorry about getting caught in this flood!