Media Magick

First things first, “Let’s support Pakistani Cinema” and appreciate the efforts that go behind making a film. So, for that Dum Mastam is worth appreciating, every bit – just like other films. When you have an actor (Imran Ashraf) who has never disappointed his audience and fans in dramas the expectations are high, after directing one of the most bankable actresses of Pakistani Cinema (Mahira Khan) in his (Ehteshamuddin) debut film Superstar, the expectations with the second venture are higher. It doesn’t end here, with an actor/producer like Adnan Siddiqui who has tasted the flavors of PTV, Bollywood and Hollywood, again expectations aren’t mediocre. Dum Mastam is perhaps one movie about which many are excited because of the Amar Khan and Imran Ashraf pairing – at least they look fresh for celluloid. Let’s see what the film has to offer.

Trailer – Dum Mastam

Dum Mastam revolves around two characters, mainly, Sikandar Hayat Khan aka Baao (Imran Ashraf) and Alia Butt (Amar Khan); both are passionate about their dreams; Alia wants to become a “Star / Celebrity” and is not bothered about anything and willing to lose everything that comes between her dream, Baao is passionate about Alia and that’s it – his morning starts with Alia and nights are spent thinking about her. Baao multiple times try to propose Alia but she refuses and then one day he requests his parents to visit Alia’s place and ask for her proposal. Alia gets furious and insults Baao which leads to a clash between the elders and Baao announces that he will not marry her. Things change and very abruptly they both tie the knot. Baao gets fortunate because of an unfortunate incident, thanks to Guddu Razor (Momin Saqib) and finds overnight success; what happens next is what Dum Mastam is about.

Story-wise, Dum Mastam is not just confusing but emphasizes too much on heavy intense moments that should have been shown fewer times. Unfortunately, the writer tried to add sentimental and emotional drama merged with confusion in almost every third scene and that is where the audience starts to yawn. Dialogues are good but forced. Amar Khan, as a writer, tried to create the characters multi-layered but somehow they failed to translate the gist of their characters.

Ehteshamuddin is a blessed director and he has proved himself in dramas and even his debut film was a few steps better than Dum Mastam. In this film also, he tries his best to present a world that’s very relatable and simplistic but somewhere that thought is lost, especially post-interval. The climax of the film is rushed, forced and dragged.

After watching Dum Mastam I realized one thing, it will take some more years to take Punjabi jokes out from an Urdu film to crack jokes and connect with the audience, and ditto for Imran Ashraf to keep a distance from Bhola (Raanjha Raanjha Kardi). Imran Ashraf is undeniably one of the most gifted and dedicated actors in Pakistan and would love to watch him doing something different from what he has already shown. I don’t want another Mehboob Alam repeating the iconic Chaudhry Hashmat character from Waris in all his dramas. There are some good scenes where Imran Ashraf surprises his audience, he is loud, jovial and reminds you of Govinda’s energy from the 90s – his “Bhola Avatar” fans will love him on the silver screen.

Amar Khan also gets her fair share of screen presence and in no way Dum Mastam is a film where heroin takes the backseat. She oozes emotions and her confidence is worth appreciating. A little realistic treatment would have made her character a lot more impressive.

Adnan Siddiqui is seen in a cameo and that has no connection to the rest of the movie. Sohail Ahmed is a delight to watch in every scene, his dialogues will be enjoyed by those who understand Punjabi. One of the scenes that stayed with me was of Sohail Ahmed’s when he has heart to heart with Imran Ashraf. That’s a class act. Momin Saqib is another good talent but his wardrobe and mannerism reminded me of two characters (Annu Kapoor’s & Rakesh Bedi) from Om Jai Jagdish. A little realistic touch to his mannerism and body language would have created a huge difference.

On the whole, Dum Mastam is a musical film with good music but multiple loopholes in story, execution and it offers a very loud but dragged and stretched viewing.