Why I Love Dum Dum Dum So Much

 


Why I Love Dum Dum Dum So Much

One of the movies I didn't grow to dislike is Dum Dum Dum. Directed by Azhagam Perumal, with music by Karthik Raja, and released in 2001, Dum Dum Dum is a a feel-good movie that makes me feel that directors these days could refer to it before writing female characters.

1. Intelligent lead female character who knows what she wants - to study further.
Ganga ((Jyothika) is the 2nd state topper and wants to go to college in Chennai - but her father fixes her marriage with his former boss' son, much to her frustration. So, she plans to stop the marriage with the groom, Adhityan (Madhavan) who is also uninterested in marriage - preferring to enjoy life as a bachelor in the city. 

2. No love at first sight BS - Ganga and Adhi start liking each other after getting to know each other - and that's refreshing.
Only a handful of Tamil movies don't show how the hero is smitten by the heroine purely based on how she looks, upon laying eyes on her - Dum Dum Dum is one of them. Although Adhi's definition of love isn't Ganga's idea of love, at some point, both of them know that they've fallen for each other amid family tension that leads to court.

3. Educates daughter but marries her off before she could be independent - Indian parents.
Dum Dum Dum exposes the evil of arranged marriage - where the people getting married are completely not ready to marry - but forced so by their parents. It also pinpoints how arranged marriage nips a woman's potential and how dowry is another evil disguised as custom. That custom being leveraged to stop the wedding was genius - I loved it as an 18 year old even though the leverage didn't work.

4. A man, even though provided an opportunity to marry his late wife's younger sister, rejects the proposal and marries a woman everyone calls a bad omen.

"Pattama takes care of my son like a mother would. And I never viewed my younger sister-in-law like that." Men who think their wives' younger sisters as their additional wives should learn from him. 

5. In a comedic timing, Vivek (Sam) preaches body type inclusion.
Though Sam's crush on Ganga despite having a girlfriend is a bummer, the dialogue of acceptance of heavier body types for women serves as a wider beauty standard. While Adhi keeps hinting on Ganga's weight, Sam defends her, quote:

"Gunda iruntha enna thappu? Tamilnadu pasangaluku konjo gunda size ah irukrathu tha pudikum. Gundu tha enaku pudicha size-u."

6. Jyothika was given a meaty role and she didn't waste it.
I really wish that today's filmmakers don't reduce heroines to a piece of meat for the consumption of lustful men. I am not against glamor or even nudity but such clips should add to the weight of the story - not interrupt it. Women can aspire to be like Ganga - that's what we need.

7. Parents should ask their adult children what they want to be, not arrange marriages for them without caring about what's in their hearts.
At least Ganga's father asks what she wants to do after everything went haywire. Even then Ganga couldn't say what she wants - this is also a problem with us. We're so accustomed to parental authority, we can't bring ourselves to say what we really want - and this is realistically portrayed in this movie.

8. Women's love failure that feels real.
Ganga cries her heart out upon hearing that Adhi fought with his father that he wouldn't marry her. Then, she avoids Adhi. Unbeknownst to her, Adhi spoke as such because he's frustrated with his father's ego that stands in the way of his love on Ganga. Ganga's love failure really resonated with a lot of girls - yes, we get rejected and go through heartbreaks too!

9. Music by Karthik Raja that's timeless. 
I think Dum Dum Dum album is one of the best in Tamil cinema. The use of electric guitar in a song introducing a village girl is awesome - I like to think that those modern strings imply that Ganga may be a village girl - but her aspirations are beyond it.

If they make a sequel to Dum Dum Dum, I'd like to see Ganga as an accomplished engineer. Yes, I overthink. 😂😎



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