You got to give it to these young directors who don’t care much about Tamil film grammar. Take for instance, this Shree has made a simple but effective dark comedy that doesn’t break you in to laughter but makes you smile to moments you wouldn’t imagine. He got it all right – impeccable casting, brilliant technical crew, engaging screenplay and even those nifty directorial touches are in place. Before you think, I am going to shower only praises on Shree, I should just say he unimpressed me in the final 3 minutes. Can a director wipe out all the good work he has done in just 3 minutes? Yes, Shree did it for me but for some of you he might sound convincing.
Damaal Dumeel is not a breakthrough movie from a debutant but a simple dark comedy that puts a simple man in a difficult situation. Moneykandan (numerology effect, Vaibhav), an IT employee who boozes, parties and has a steady girl friend (Ramya Nambeesan) loses his job. While trying to work out his plan for the future, he strikes gold and gets in between two gang lords – Kamatchi Sundaram (Sayaji Shinde) and Ilavarasu (Kota Srinivasa Rao).
The reason why I said impeccable, is the choice of actors for each and every role. Vaibhav is extremely believable and makes the story interesting because you don’t know whether he will make it till the end. Sayaji Shinde and Kota Srinivasa Rao bring down the house every time they are on screen and especially the climax sequence. And Kota’s body language is unmatchable. Even the gangster group from each side impress you. All those little characters make a mighty impact. I wish Charlie gets more roles in movies. Ramya Nambeesan’s character is functional.
The screenplay makes you believe the situations that Moneykandan ends up but there are some logical plot holes. For instance, you would wonder how nobody cares about a missing policeman or how a girl believes a guy who broke her heart just few minutes before. But if you shrug it off, Shree has given you a delectable fare with small nudges that will make you smile. The way gunshot ringtone plays a role or the way Vaibhav gets each and every idea – Shree shines. Thaman’s Dumeel is impressive because of Usha Uthup while he makes his mark with his BGM score.
It was all well for me until the last few moments that doesn’t suit this genre of movie making. Sometimes, you need to just go with the flow and wish the grammar doesn’t change. Shree has given in to the eternal Tamil movie making sentiments. Probably, some of you might like it because what is shown on screen is the right thing to do but for me the whole premise went down the drain because it makes the movie pointless.
Damaal Dumeel is an enjoyable movie. You will not break in to string of laughs but you wouldn’t be disappointed after watching this movie. I don’t approve of what Moneykandan does at the end. If you agree with him, enjoy it but I do have an alternative ending for Damaal Dumeel in the parallel universe of Sylvianism. Join me there if you don’t agree with shree
Damaal Dumeel – a silent but powerful shot from Shree but misses the bulls eye by few millimetres and so a 3/5.
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