Dhamaka movie review: Kartik Aaryan, Amruta Subhash take 'The Terror Live' and leave an indelible mark on you

3.5/5

Story:

A terrorist threatens a failed TV reporter Arjun Pathak, who is currently an RJ (played by Kartik Aaryan) about a blast on the bridge (Bandra-Worli sea link). While Arjun sees it as an opportunity, he soon realises the whole truth and how things close to him are falling apart. Will he succeed in saving the innocent victims from the terror attack? The movie, inspired by The Terror Live, is about the choices the reporter makes in his life and how they impact him.

Review:

Being a typical Bollywood film, Dhamaka begins with a romantic track. It is to be noted that the same was not elaborated about in The Terror Live, which the movie is inspired by. Thankfully, the film is back on track as Kartik Aaryan as Arjun Pathak is finally revealed.

He gets a call from Raghubeer Mhata, who is the terrorist in the film. The story goes on like the original film. Kartik's look works well for him. However, his behaviour during the call is a little disappointing.

The smoking to show his frustration rather than using his words, is upsetting. It appears that the actor has not given his all to the project, at least in the first few minutes.

Slowly, he gains momentum. Amruta Subhash as 'boss' Ankita Malaskar comes and steals the show. She makes an even more powerful impact than Kartik himself. Obviously, Kartik also grows as the film goes on. Him saluting the 'boss' is still the highest point in the movie.

Right before one of the main scenes, Ram Madhvani slows down the pace of the scene. You realise that something huge will take place and leave an impact, but it doesn't surprise you.

The film focuses on emotions and heroism. It is quite evident in Mrunal Thakur's scene with the kids at the sea link. Vikas Kumar, on the other hand, comes in as a surprise. He does a fair job during his role in the film. Vishwajeet Pradhan has a cameo role in the film. He does a fair job too. The music tends to do the most work when it comes to him. The scene leaves an impact on you no matter how many times you watch it.

Ram has perfectly shown how media works. No matter what, they have to do their work. Amruta Subhash as 'boss' Ankita Malaskar comes in during one of the lowest points in the film and proves just that. Kartik also steals the show in the scene. How he gets away with calling his boss bitch is both amusing and unreal. His speech about how he is a pawn in the system is refreshing and takes the film to a new high. Adding the final nail to the coffin, the rival does anything to take Arjun down. With that, Ram explored the politics in media.

The pauses work well for the film. However, it isn't something new since The Terror Live worked with the pauses too. Mrunal, who comes in the second half, appears to do overacting at first but gets back to normal soon. However, the passion of journalism Amruta had spoken about, isn't seen per se in the scene. The scene soon after is, however, the most impactful scene of the film. Even if it is the same sequence as The Terror Live, the scene makes your heart sink.

The action sequence following that scene leaves a better impact than the original movie. Kartik's stunt, even though filmy, is heroic. As a story, Dhamaka, like The Terror Live, is dramatic. Thus, the last scene, like in the original, is very unreal but has drama at its peak. Kartik pulls off the scene well. The climax scene is different from what it was in The Terror Live. Thus, the impact is reduced to a considerable amount. Of course, if the film started on an overtly-emotional note, how can it not end in the same way? Once again, the love angle is explored towards the end.

Verdict:

Although Dhamaka is not a perfect product, it is quite close to amazing. The movie makes for a good watch, especially if you have not seen The Terror Live. Even if you have seen the film, Kartik and Amruta take Dhamaka and bring it to the list of must-watch movies of this year. You could ignore the overly dramatic bits in the film for once but it is the cheesy romance between Kartik and Mrunal that tends to get a bit too much in an otherwise powerful storyline. It is why the movie, which would have otherwise been among one of the most-loved films, drops down by half a star. But otherwise, Dhamaka is definitely a recommended watch.