Dhoomam

Dhoomam (2023) is a Malayalam thriller film directed and written by Pawan Kumar. It features Fahadh Faasil, Aparna Balamurali, Roshan Mathew and Vineeth playing the lead characters. The film is about Avinash, a marketing genius whose past in the cigarette industry comes back to haunt him when a vengeful ex-army man plants a bomb inside his wife Diya’s throat. Racing against time, Avi must deliver ransom money while uncovering a truth that could destroy them both.

Avinash and his wife Diya, are suddenly kidnapped and left on a remote hill. Avi wakes up to find Diya unconscious, rescues her, but their car explodes. A mysterious caller warns Avi that a bomb is implanted, not in him, but in Diya’s throat, and she must smoke cigarettes to delay its detonation. The caller is demanding money and has threatened to detonate the bomb if they don't provide it. The other scenes show flashbacks of Avi, who worked his way up in a cigarette company, acquiring a personal relationship with his boss, Sid, while coming to grips with the morality of having children using their brand of cigarettes. His fallout with Sid and Sid's brother, Praveen, creates enemies who could also be behind the attack.

In the present, Avi and Diya have kidnapped Sid, and Sid's employees are being held for ransom. Avi and Diya get instructions to deliver the ransom for Sid to two separate locations. Continuing the investigation, they find out Sid was contacted by an ex-army man who realised his daughter died from smoking-related issues because of Avi's marketing campaigns. The ex-army's plan is revenge, making Avi suffer by threatening Diya. Avi tries contacting the man, while Diya is at the cemetery mourning that he didn't show up. As Diya is attacked by a goon, the sniper saves her. However, Avi is shot by the caller. The film ends with ambiguity, and Diya's fate is uncertain, having the bomb inside her throat.

Dhoomam attempts to merge a social message with suspenseful storytelling. Fahadh Faasil delivers an adequate performance, keeping the story in line with force. The message of the film is regarding smoking and corporate greed. However, appears somewhat antiquated, and the narration is sometimes short of the urgency and bite required in a thriller of this nature.