Written by: Haroon Shuaib
Posted on: May 17, 2022 | 
| 中文
The lead actors in song 'Larki Achari'
Childhood affection blossoming into grown-up romance is a constant theme in subcontinental cinema. The film is set against the backdrop of the alluring old city of Lahore, and has a generous sprinkling of good songs produced by the best music makers of the country.
Eid release 'Dum Mastam' is all that and more, and yet you walk out after 155 minutes of its runtime wondering what was missing. The story of childhood sweethearts played by the talented duo Amar Khan (Aliya) and Imran Ashraf (Bao), is complimented by powerful performances of veterans Sohail Ahmed and Saleem Meeraj. The surprise of the film, as far as supporting cast is concerned, is the antagonist Guddu Razor, played by Momin Saqib. In fact, his performance is so good as a con rapper thriving on plagiarism and unbridled greed that one is left wishing he had more screen time.
Imran Ashraf, Saleem Meeraj and Momin Saqib
Dum Mastam is a dramedy – a romantic drama laced with abundant portions of comedy and tragedy. Amar Khan, in addition to her debut performance in the film, has the credit of writing an interesting script for Dum Mastam. Her screenplay is fresh and the dialogues are well crafted, saving a few in the banter between Bao and Aliya that get irksome. Director Ehteshamuddin, whose previous cinematic project ‘Superstar’ was somewhat on the same storyline, has grander sets in Dum Mastam and beautiful lighting. Salman Razzaq is undoubtedly the best cinematographer of Pakistan and his skill is amply on display.
Muhammad Ehtishamuddin, the director of the film
It is pertinent to dwell a little more on the performance of the leading pair since there is a lot of buzz around Imran and Amar’s debut on the big screen. Imran’s acting prowess is well established with many memorable roles that he has played on the television. While in Dum Mastam he again embraces the character with full command, but a little more attention to his appearance and styling would have helped. His goofiness is endearing but sometimes dangerously close to tripping over into his more well-known avatar of a mentally challenged Bhola from his first claim to fame drama serial ‘Ranjha Ranjha Kardi’. Amar Khan also makes her big screen debut with this film. She matches the level of a more experienced Imran well. While Imran Ashraf’s strength is his dialogue delivery, Amar’s expressions are much more impactful. Her portrayal of a carefree and headstrong Aliya in the first half is a bit overwhelming, but her expressions in the second half of the film as a silent and suffering partner of the equation really show the strength of her acting.
The lead actors
No film claiming to be a musical is worth its salt without an OST that is a bigger hit than the film itself. Dum Mastam has enough good songs and they are already chart busters, so the musical score is definitely working in favour of the film. With a substantial line up of best music producers of Pakistan involved, Dum Mastam has a song list that is perhaps the best Pakistani cinema has produced in recent times. The film has songs contributed by Shani Arshad, Shiraz Uppal, Azhaan Sami Khan, Bilal Saeed and Nabeel Shoukat. Soulful and strategically placed tracks such as Beqarar Dil, Tu Heer Meri, Ik Vari Sun Le and the peppier Larki Achari are tunes that are already popular. The title track Dum Mastam is by far the best, and its visualization on screen is the highlight of the film. Thus, the song hasn’t been released on YouTube but the effect of the song and its choreography is strong enough to leave the viewers spellbound. Amar’s dance performance for a theatrical production in the film, are a rare treat for the Pakistani cinema audiences.
Adnan Siddiqui, Saleem Meeraj and Amar Khan
With all of the above factors working in Dum Mastam’s favor, where does the film fall short? A needlessly long opening sequence of a neighborhood wedding added nothing to the plot or the characterization. Secondly and much more importantly, the most unforgivable flaw of the film was actually its background music. While the songs are all well executed, the background music and audio mixing of the film was so bad that at many places, due to the overpowering background music one had to really strain to understand the dialogues. On this account Dum Mastam falters in a big way, and one can only wish audio mixing was given more attention in the post production. If details such as these had also been looked at carefully, the film could get a better rating, but it gets three stars at best.
Momin Saqib
At the end and on a side note, I would like to make a direct appeal to the cine goers. With Pakistani cinema industry trying to gain a firm footing, it is important for public to adhere to the basic etiquettes of watching a film in a cinema. Respecting personal space, saving chats and commentaries for interval or after the film, and keeping cellphones silent and mobile screens on dim light are basic manners of a good cinema experience for all. Cinema is a community entertainment and it is important to enjoy it as responsible and conscientious community members. Here is to supporting Pakistani film industry and hoping for many more good films to come.
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