|
Starring:
Rajit Kapur, Joshua Fredric Smith, Linda Arsenio, Gary
Richardson, Jaala Pickering, Vinay Rai, Ashish Vidyarthi
Direction:
Sohan Roy
DAM999 is a
film to watch in a 3 Dimensional format. Only
disappointment here is that the 3 D effects are just
peppered somewhere in between and then the special
effects come to play in the last 20 minutes of this
film. It is produced by UAE based BizTV Networks and the
direction and script is credited to upcoming director
Sohan Roy, who is primarily an established mariner with
a Guinness Book record to his credit.
The film is based on real life incidents bringing to
life the memories of 1975 Banqiao Dam disaster in China
which claimed the lives of an estimated 250,000 people.
It is a movie with a social cause which describes the
hazards dams can cause and creates awareness among the
masses about the impending dangers of a dam collapse, if
not attended on time.
Its screenplay is now archived into the Permanent Core
Collection of The Academy’s Margaret Herrick Library and
to its credit it is the first movie to enter the Library
even before its theatrical release anywhere around the
globe.
National Film Award for Best Actor Rajit Kapur dons the
role of Shankaran who portrays Shantha rasa, the rasa of
tranquility. Joshua Fredric Smith plays Captain Fredrick
Brown, a tongue-in-cheek Anglo-Indian mariner, an epitome
of Hasya, the rasa of laughter.
The audacious and heroic mood of Veera rasa (Courage) is
portrayed by Linda Arsenio ‘s character as Sandra, a
clued-in TV journalist. Gary Richardson plays the part of
Mariya’s father, Mayor John Brown.
Jaala Pickering plays the role of Maria, Freddy’s invalid
sister who is confined to her home. A personification of
Bhayanaka rasa, Maria characterizes terror. Vinay Rai
plays the part of Vinay in the movie, a mariner and
Freddy’s trusted friend. Vinay is aggressive, fierce and
ferocious and stands for Roudra rasa, the rasa of fury.
Ashish Vidyarthi plays Durai, the antagonist in the movie.
Bheebatsa is the rasa he represents and it symbolizes
disgust.
Cast:
Rajit Kapur - Shankaran
Joshua Fredric Smith - Captain Fredrick Brown
Linda Arsenio – Sandra
Gary Richardson - Mayor John Brown.
Jaala Pickering – Maria
Vinay Rai - Vinay
Ashish Vidyarthi – Durai
Vimala Raman – Meera
Megha Burman – Raziya
|
The movie maintains a very positive note throughout, in
the portrayal of Indian culture and values.
Shot in a single start-to-end schedule “DAM 999” has
sixteen National and International award winning cast and
crew working behind and in the scenes of the movie.
This epic story is all about a corrupt mayor who builds a
new dam for political gains and personal glory endangering
millions of innocent lives; a mariner desperate to save
his sister from evil; two not-so- young lovers challenging
destiny in a bid to unite; a woman on a mission to win her
family back; a little boy battling a deadly disease; a
devoted wife who wants to be with her husband even in
death; and the astrologer who has foreseen their ominous
fate - Nine lives entwined by the impending disaster. Nine
characters, Nine moods and a crumbling dam of emotions.
Vimala Raman, a model and a trained Bharatnatyam dancer,
plays Meera, an archetype of the rasa of compassion,
Karuna. Megha Burman the young Bengali beauty portrays
Shringara rasa that stands for romance in the movie. She
plays the character of Raziya.
International expert Eric Sherman is the Project
Consultant for this film; Rob Tobin as the Script Doctor
and Uzma Xina Kang is the Casting Director.
It has brilliant visual effects, and the USP of this film
is the climax sequence which has been done at Prasad EFX
in Chennai and EYEQUBE Studios in Mumbai. A point to note
is that such effects and the 3D conversion was carried out
in Rays3D Magna, an ultramodern studio situated in Mumbai.
A film which begins at a fast pace and then slows down to
establish the characters and then picks up towards the end
of the second half.
-
Amarjeet
Credits & Crew:
Director - Sohan Roy
Project Consultant - Eric Sherman
Script Doctor - Rob Tobin
Director of Photography - Ajayan Vincent
Editor - Suresh Pai
Production Designer - Padmashri Dr. Thotta Tharani
Music Director - Ousephachan
Sound Designer - Shajith Koyeri
Casting Director - Uzma Xina Kang
Make-Up Artist - Pattanam Rasheed
Costume Designer - S B Satheesh
Graphics Supervisor - V. Srinivas Murali Mohan
Action Director - Anal Arasu
Choreographer – Prasanna
Visual Effects - Prasad EFX Chennai
Visual Effects - Landslide Sequence: EYEQUBE STUDIOS
Playback Singers – Hariharan, P. Jayachandran, K S
Chithra, Shreya Ghoshal
|
