Director: Ram Madhvani


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Cast: Kartik Aaryan, Mrunal Thakur, Amruta Subhash, Vikas Kumar and others


Ratings: 3.5/5


Intense, riveting and honest performance as the hardball journalist Arjun Pathak, Kartik Aaryan's 2.0 act in his latest outing 'Dhamaka' is everything that you wouldn't have expected from the actor.


Kartik, who won over the audience's hearts with his boy-next-door charm and shot to fame as the monologue king, dabbling between romcoms like 'Pyaar ka Punchnaama' and its sequel, 'Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety', 'Pati Patni Aur Woh', 'Luka Chhupi' among others, delivers a passionate performance. 



 


Helmed by national-award-winning director Ram Madhvani, who has delivered hit projects like 'Neerja' and 'Aarya', both of which turned out to be game-changers for the lead stars Sonam Kapoor and Sushmita Sen, respectively, with 'Dhamaka' too, the filmmaker has attempted to present a never-seen-before avatar of Kartik Aaryan and succeeded.


The film begins on a romantic note with Arjun Pathak recalling the lovey-dovey time he had spent with his wife Saumya Mehra Pathak, essayed by the talented Mrunal Thakur.


In the background, the soothing voice of Prateek Kuhad and soulful lyrics capture your attention and heart. The sequence is an emotion in itself and makes you fall in love with Arjun and Saumya's small, love-filled world.



 


But it's not all hunky-dory in Arjun Pathak's life as he is about to get divorced.


Why? Well, all of it is answered as the story progresses. 


A prime-time anchor on a popular news channel demoted to be a radio jockey in the same media house, Arjun Pathak is a driven individual who would do anything to get his primetime slot back! 


Based on the South-Korean film 'The Terror Live', it's when a random caller, Raghubir Mhata, threatens to blow up the Mumbai sea link bridge and Arjun Pathak - the radio jockey, having not taken him seriously at first, realises that it is not a hoax and that his exclusive interview with the terrorist, who in the end turns out to be a common man (son of a construction worker) is the trump card that would help him get his prime time seat back, that the story of Dhamaka unfolds.  



 


However, some portions of the film seem unnecessary and elements of major twists seem missing when the viewer is expecting them the most.


It's rather a steep downfall for 'Dhamaka' that began on a high note.  Nonetheless, it's not a film you wouldn't want to watch. 


Arjun Pathak's dilemma while he is reporting a terrorist attack from a newsroom and negotiating with the man who is responsible for it, his helplessness while his wife, the righteous journalist Saumya Mehra Pathak reports live from the site and helps hostages, will keep you engaged throughout.


Mrunal Thakur's short performance is impactful whereas Amruta Subhash is Kartik Aaryan's b**chy and an assertive boss who only cares about the TRPs and plays him to the gallery to climb another ladder of success. 


And even though the script and dialogues lack at some points in the film, Ram Madhvani's direction in the restricted space of one newsroom while capturing every heightened emotion during a breaking news scenario through multiple camera setup is fabulous.


Dhamaka shows you the marvel of Ram Madhvani's direction yet again. 


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