Dum Maaro Dum – review

It's always been tough for Indian cinema to tackle the more controversial issues with much depth, so while this drama set around the illegal narcotics trade in Goa may be less explicit than an episode of Grange Hill, it's still an honourable and brave attempt. To give you an idea; there is a written warning against smoking tobacco in the opening titles, while all the pills and powders are handled in a far more coy fashion than would be the case in the west. A poor young student fails to get the scholarship he desperately needs to join his girlfriend at university in the US. He falls prey to drug traffickers who send him on a disastrous mission as a mule. It's made to high technical standards with plenty of stylish transitions and impressive location work, and its message just about makes it through all the songs and stylised drama intact.