Dhoomam (Smoke) is a thriller that revolves around smoking and its harmful effects. It launches Kannada director Pawan Kumar in Malayalam and Malayalam actor Fahadh Faasil in Kannada.
Sid (Roshan Mathew) is the managing director of the cigarette manufacturing company TTE and he hires Avinash (Fahad Faasil) as marketing head who is shrewd and very good at his job.
How he gets targeted by outsiders and insiders in the company as he becomes their enemy is the crux of the movie. The film also discusses how people make fun of the anti-tobacco disclaimers.
Dhoomam is vocal about the nexus between political parties and corporate companies. Joy Mathew’s character as the minister’s connection with Sid’s firm gives an outlook on this aspect.
Fahadh Faasil as Avinash is in good form, while Aparna Balamurali scores well as his wife. Both are good as a pair and deliver impressive performances in their run for survival.
It has a good theme — the use of nicotine and how corporate firms market it for their business. But it lacks the gripping feel that is essential for a thriller.
Dhoomam has a strong subject that deals with smoking as an addiction and how nicotine is marketed by corporate firms. But it isn’t gripping enough to be a good thriller.