Dalam is a 2013 Telugu-Tamil bilingual action thriller film by debutant director B. Jeevan Reddy, a protégé of noted Indian director Ram Gopal Varma.^[1] The Telugu version Dalam was produced by M. Sumanth Kumar Reddy under the banner of Mammoth Media & Entertainment and released in the first week of 15 August 2013, while Koottam, the Tamil version, was released in 2014. The film starring Naveen Chandra, Piaa Bajpai, Nassar, Abhimanyu Singh, and Kishore tells the story of a group of former naxals and their struggles against the police and politicians when they start their lives afresh from Jail.

Plot

The scene begins in a Naxal-infested area, where a gun battle is ensuing between state policeman and Naxals. In the battle, the Naxals lose many men. They decide to forgo their pursuit of war and hand themselves to the government. During their time in jail, they undergo many tortures, but then one of the jail's seniors offers the Naxals to switch sides to the police and do hit jobs.

Cast

Production

The film began pre-production in early 2012 with Piaa Bajpai in the role of love interest to Naveen Chandra, the male lead in the film. Actors Kishore, Nasser and Saikumar play important roles in the film. James Vasanthan has scored the music. Some scenes were shot twice for both versions while some scenes from the Telugu version were dubbed for the Tamil version.^[2]

Soundtrack

The music was composed by James Vasanthan.

Release

The Telugu version of the film released in August 2013 released to average reviews, with a critic noting "it's a decently directed movie, and the story flows neatly for the most part" and that "despite its violent content, the film is not as loud as it is thought-provoking. The film is also suitably intriguing."^[3][1] The Tamil version of the film released in April 2014 with Malini Mannath of The New Indian Express writing that "Koottam has a plot with the potential to turn into a riveting thriller. It would probably have, had the screenplay been more coherent and focused".^[4]

References