Dum Maaro Dum has all the ingredients of crackling entertainment. A subject that works as an anti-drug cautionary tale but also provides ample opportunity to revel in the gritty glamour of rave parties, cocaine and formidably toned women wearing as little as possible.

This is one film that should soar but sadly it never quite takes flight. The problem is the writing.

Writer Sridhar Raghavan gives us four characters whose lives intersect. Dum Maaro Dum has some punchy dialogue-baazi and snazzy action, especially a nicely done shoot-out at a night market.

It also features Abhishek’s best performance in recent times. But the narrative slumps in places, the plot has loopholes and the characters just aren’t convincing enough to grab you. What is impressive is Sippy’s music video-ish presentation of vivid flashbacks
The first few reels of the movie is not too bad-not too great fare are rather snappy.

Like Bips, her co-star Rana Daggubati is easy on the eyes but low on dynamism. Rana’s strangely expression-less face and Bipasha’s hair, which stays salon-styled even when she is in jail is what you see.

Dum Maro Dum could have been so much more. I’m going with two and a half stars.