BY JYOTHSNA HEGDE

Director: Rohan Sippy Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Bipasha Basu, Rana Daggubati, Aditya Pancholi, Kangana Ranaut, Prateik Babbar, Govind Namdeo

A legendary line for a movie title, Dum Maro Dum (DMD), in itself exudes enigma of enormous proportions. The burden of huge expectations is but inevitable. To it's credit, DMD, gets a lot of things right. While seductive Goa with its gold bathed beaches offers perfect premises for the story centered around drug mafia to be set in, "Goa meri jaan, Jannat ki shaan" is an example of one of the powerfully punctuated lines with a southern superstar and Bachchan Jr to deliver them certainly helps. Rohan Sippy's stylish approach to storytelling is refreshing. Where DMD falls a little short, is the screenplay and script, which is really sad, given everything that could have packed in so much more ‘dum’.

Like Mumbai in Dhobhi Ghaat, Goa in DMD is also a vital character. ACP Vishnu Kamath (Abhishek Bachchan) is called in to clean up Goa, ruled by drug cartels operated by the Nigerian mafia, Israelis, Brits, Russians and East Europeans. Lorsa Biscuita (Aditya Pancholi) who runs a de-addiction center by day, controls the entire drug trade by night is the guy Kamat is after. Kamat's mission is also driven by his own personal loss. It all begins at the Goa airport where the lives and tales of four individuals begin to unravel.

Lean lad Lawrence (Prateik Babbar), or Laurie as he is called, in an attempt to pay for his school fee abroad, has agreed to carry drugs for the mafia. He is the chosen one because, as explained by his drug dealing friend, he has the perfect cover - a valid visa to enter the U.S. Unfortunately for Laurie, he is stopped by Kamat and his aides at the airport. Zoey (Bipasha Basu ), an air- hostess also makes a deal with the devil to be put in prison and released, only to never be free again. Joki (Rana Daggubati) is her helpless boyfriend who watches her slip away, but is determined to help Laurie. 

The story of each of the characters unfolds in flashback mode. The transitions between these lives required more finesse. While the first part is paced right, the second half feels heavy and lengthy. The story infuses some intrigue with the mysterious Michael Barbossa. The message about drugs is clean and clear but somewhere along the way, the theme tends to become self-indulgent ( in an unintentional sort of way ) in parts so much so that the characters themselves take a back seat and the viewer finds it hard to invest in them emotionally. 

Abhishek as ACP Kamat, is restrained and effective. Rana definitely has an unmistakable screen presence, but his deliverance could have used more punch. Pratiek is a treat to watch. Bipasha is hot but does not have much to do. The meanness required by Aditya Pancholi's character is missing. Crisp dialogues and one liners such as "Har ghar apne maalik ke baare mein kuch kehta hai" ( seems to be inspired by a line for some paint ad ) by Shridhar Raghavan and Charudutt Acharya are definitely the highlight of the movie. Amit Roy brilliantly portrays Goa as the hot spot it is known to be and then some. Deepika sheds her inhibitions as she grooves well to the iconic remixed version of the title track. Pritam's music is very average. You know he is running out of ideas when he reuses one of his own tracks - 'Tera Hone Laga Hoon'. 'Thyan Thyan' and the title track fare better. 

There are lots of things that will keep you entertained throughout Dum Maro Dum. In fact even the element of trepidation works in parts. Actually if you are 'susegad' ( laid back - term to describe Goan lifestyle ) about the details, such as why Joki who barely knows Laurie cares so much for him, etc, there is a good chance you might just enjoy the high promised by DMD. The edgy presentation with zesty dialogue baazi could have all come together oh so wonderfully if only the script had just a little more dum; a tad bit more. It is like salt in a recipe, if it is less, you can live with it, but you can tell.