Where Dum Maaro Dum falters is in its uneven tone, and in its less-than-impressive principal characters — the hero, and the villain.

Watch it nonetheless. The heady cocktail of sex, drugs and dialoguebaazi that Dum Maaro Dum presents you with is hard to come by.

In case you think that ‘Dum Maaro Dum’ is a cop story, check out the sizzling chemistry between smouldering hot Bipasha Basu and hunk Rana Daggubati, who light up the screen with their oozing sensuality. Then there is Prateik Babbar and Anaitha Nair`s love story. And yes, the latkas and jhatkas of Deepika Padukone in a sexy item number!

On the whole, Dum Maaro Dum has an interesting first half but a very ordinary second half. It will fail to do much at the box-office.

DUM MAARO DUM is a ‘dumdar’ thriller with a riveting plot and splendid performances. You’ll surely get ‘high’ on it.

Dum Maaro Dum looks to be a new experiment for Bluffmaster team Rohan Sippy and Abhishek Bachchan as they explore the drugs and hippie lifestyle in Goa.

An average drugs-drama to a smart and entertaining action thriller. It’s got its moments, but they’re few and far between.

On the whole, DUM MAARO DUM is like fast food that’s high on calories, but falls short in the nutrition department. Yes, it’s slick, stylish and well-crafted, but the fact remains that it lacks the power [in its second hour specifically] to create a dum-daar impression. Business-wise, DUM MAARO DUM caters more to the youth in metros than the hardcore masses in general. Its business in plexes of Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Gurgaon, Chandigarh, Hyderabad and Bengaluru in particular will be the best. The Nizam-Andhra circuits in particular will also contribute a good chunk thanks to Rana Daggubati’s presence. But the traditional circuits may not react as strongly. In a nutshell, the business is likely to be divided between metros and non-metros, between weekend and weekdays.

It just about makes for an enticing thriller here. There’s probably an even better film when compressed. But if you stay ‘susegaad’, relaxed, laidback, it’s unlikely that you’ll regret the promise of entertainment this picture meets in major portions. That, as you’d know, is saying a lot.

Sippy obviously knows his flash, but after a point there needs to be more. Dum Maaro Dum is a very watchable film, but squanders tremendous potential in a puff of white smoke. As can be said the morning after a party with too much cocaine, all that eventually remains are a couple of good lines.

This one’s complete paisa vasool fare.

Dum Maro Dum could have been so much more.