Dum 2003

Sushant Singh as Mohan and Vivek Oberoi as Uday Shinde come from modest, lower-middle-class families and are stubbornly set on earning a police badge. They dream not just of status, but of proving themselves on merit, trusting that their capabilities will carry them farther than any recommendation. With no powerful connections and little leverage, luck finally smiles when they meet their training officer, Mukesh Rishi in the guise of Raj Dutt Sharma, a seasoned cop who believes in real talent over pedigrees. Under Sharma’s steady guidance, the two young men train hard, push through the grind, and slowly earn a reputation as no-nonsense, upright cops who embody a fresh, principled approach to law enforcement. The bond between mentor and trainees grows as they begin to carve out a place for themselves in a system that often rewards the well-connected more than the capable.

In the film’s broader world, a musically charged moment introduces a special appearance by Yana Gupta in the song Babuji Zara Dheere Chalo, a scene that hints at the film’s blend of grit with larger-than-life showmanship. The plot thickens when Uday’s girlfriend, Kaveri, played by Dia Mirza, witnesses Inspector Shankar—known in the force as Encounter Shankar, a hard-edged cop with a reputation for bending rules—urinating in a river. The witnessing of such a crude act unsettles Kaveri and exposes the darker facets of power within the department. Shankar tries to quiet the disturbance with aggression, attempting to slap Kaveri, but Uday intervenes and delivers a brutal beating, shattering any illusion that Shankar’s code of conduct is above reproach. The confrontation triggers a chilling vow from Shankar: revenge.

From Sharma’s perspective, Shankar’s behavior is not a rogue anomaly but a symptom of a corrupt ecosystem he helped to foster. Sharma explains that Shankar is egoistic, ruthless, and uses his authority to shield himself and others who push wrongdoing. The deeper corruption is traced to Minister Deshmukh, a political heavyweight whose orders set the stage for tragedy. Deshmukh, portrayed by Govind Namdeo, has backed Babu Kasai, a notorious goon, who killed a rival on the minister’s behalf. Babu Kasai is brought to life on screen by Yashpal Sharma. In the backstory, Sharma’s own wife Lakshmi, brought to life by Sheeba, becomes a key witness to the murder, and that testimony places the family in the crosshairs of a murderous power play. The violence doesn’t end there: Shankar himself barges into Sharma’s home and, in a horrific show of force, kills Sharma’s daughter in front of Lakshmi. After this brutal act, Shankar receives a promotion while Sharma is demoted and assigned to the grueling task of selecting new officers for training. These revelations help explain why Sharma took a chance on Mohan and Uday, seeing in them the potential to counterbalance the very system that punished him.

Mohan and Uday decide that they will not let this menace go unchallenged. But Shankar is not a man who accepts challenges silently. He escalates the conflict by killing Mohan, a blow that only hardens Uday’s resolve. In a fierce confrontation, Uday fights back and latches onto Shankar’s gun, using it to kill Babu Kasai. The scene sows confusion and fuels the belief that Shankar was the killer, turning the city’s fear toward the notion that the evil cop has prevailed. The murder, however, triggers Shankar’s most brazen counter-move: he kills Minister Deshmukh and frames Uday for the crime, flipping the public narrative and tightening the net around the two recruits.

As the investigation unfolds, the truth behind Babu Kasai’s fate begins to unravel: Babu Kasai’s death was staged, and he is alive, kept in captivity by Uday as part of a dangerous ruse designed to expose the corruption at the top. Unaware of this, Shankar launches a full-scale manhunt against Uday, determined to wipe out the threat he believes Uday poses. The chase intensifies as the trio—Uday, Kaveri, and the still-elusive Babu Kasai—are tracked across the city. A gunfight erupts, Babu Kasai is gravely wounded, and in a crucial moment, the dying criminal confesses his crimes to Kaveri on video, revealing the tangled web of deceit that had driven the events.

With the evidence mounting and the truth finally surfacing, the city’s commissioner arrives at the crime scene. The confession video, combined with the mounting evidence, compels a surrender from Shankar and Uday alike. Strapped with the legal jeopardy of the charges and the desire to see justice prevail, Uday tracks Shankar down in a final confrontation and kills him, bringing an end to Shankar’s reign of intimidation. After these climactic events, Uday surrenders himself and stands trial. The court’s verdict clears him of the charges, based on the broader evidence that the system had long concealed, and the film closes with a sense of vindication as the public cheers the renewed legitimacy of the police and the resilience of those who fought to restore it.