Parents' Guide to Dhamaka

A decent effort with some big names almost saves this rehashed thriller. The problem with Dhamaka is largely that it doesn't do anything that new or entertaining beyond the genre's expected tropes. A remake of the Korean thriller, The Terror Live, this Indian version loses some of the sincerity and tenderness that the Korean original featured. But beyond that, lots of the tension and drama feels a bit forced and overwrought. The score, oddly, may have something to do with this, as the music often prematurely ramps up when the film wants the audience to know that things are about to get dramatic. In other words, the music often goes overboard in intensity and often doesn't match what's happening on screen.

There are also a few logical missteps, like how Arjun's worry (and calls out to coworkers) about who gave him his earpiece with a bomb in it (others were also given bomb-infused devices) never gets answered. And lastly, Soumya is given too little a role and is instead simply doomed to die for a forced emotional impact. Perhaps, it simply would have been nice to have had the roles of Arjun and Soumya switched.