Dalam (transl. Group/Gang)[1] is a 2013 Indian action thriller film by debutant director B. Jeevan Reddy, a protégé of noted Indian director Ram Gopal Varma.[1] The film was simultaneously shot in Telugu and Tamil with the latter version titled as Koottam (transl. Crowd). 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. The Telugu version was released in the first week of 15 August 2013 while the Tamil version was released in 2014.
| Dalam | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster - Telugu version | |
| Directed by | B. Jeevan Reddy |
| Written by | Shankar Devaraj |
| Screenplay by | B. Jeevan Reddy |
| Story by | B. Jeevan Reddy |
| Produced by | M. Sumanth Kumar Reddy |
| Starring | Naveen Chandra Piaa Bajpai Nassar Kishore Abhimanyu Singh |
| Cinematography | Sudhakar Reddy Yakkanti |
| Edited by | Madhu G. Reddy |
| Music by | James Vasanthan |
Production companies | The Mammoth Media & Entertainment |
Release dates |
|
| Country | India |
| Languages | Telugu Tamil |
Plot
editThe scene begins in a Naxal-infested area, where a gun battle is ensuing between the state policeman and the 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
edit- Naveen Chandra as Abhi
- Kishore as Shatru/Chatru
- Piaa Bajpai as Shruthi
- Nassar as JK
- Abhimanyu Singh as Ladda
- Krishnudu as Veerabhadram
- Subbaraju
- Saikumar
- Pragathi as Shruthi's mother
- Ramaraju as N. Laxman
- Ajay
- Thagubothu Ramesh as Yadagiri "Yadav"/Prabhu Deva
- Dhanraj as A. K. 47 alias Nataraj
- Harsha Vardhan
- Prudhvi Raj
- Chatrapathi Sekhar
- Nathalia Kaur as Item Number
Production
editPiaa Bajpai shot for the film for 35 days. Part of the film was shot in Dallapalli near Araku Valley.[1]
Soundtrack
editThe music was composed by James Vasanthan.
| Dalam / Koottam | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 2013 | |||
| Recorded | 2013 | |||
| Genre | Soundtrack | |||
| Length | 22:31 (Telugu) 22:33 (Tamil) | |||
| Language | Telugu Tamil | |||
| Label | Vega Entertainment (Telugu) Saregama (Tamil) | |||
| Producer | James Vasanthan | |||
| James Vasanthan chronology | ||||
| ||||
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Yetellinaa Aranyame" | Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry | Vijay Yesudas | 3:09 |
| 2. | "Thayya Thayya" | Krishna Chaitanya | Dhananjay, Belly Raj, Raghu, Somasundar, Prasad | 4:44 |
| 3. | "Ikkadi Nundi Ekkadi Dhakaa" | Ananta Sriram | Haricharan, Shweta Mohan | 5:26 |
| 4. | "Addirabanna" | Sahithi | Priya Subramaniam | 4:48 |
| 5. | "Ekbaar Esukora Theenmar" | Krishna Chaitanya | Dhananjay, Sunandan, Srinivas, Pooja | 4:24 |
| Total length: | 22:31 | |||
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Pattaana Kunjamum (Kannala Unnatha)" | Sumathi | Arvind Raj, Bellie Raj, R. Ajay, Somasunder R. | 4:40 |
| 2. | "Ithanai Dhooram" | Madhan Karky | Haricharan, Shweta Mohan | 5:23 |
| 3. | "Yeni Mela" | Mohan Rajan | Sunandan, V.V. Prasanna | 4:25 |
| 4. | "Nigarputha Pinangal" | Madhan Karky | Vijay Yesudas | 3:15 |
| 5. | "Kaalanaa Kannu" | Mohan Rajan | Priya Subramanian | 4:50 |
| Total length: | 22:33 | |||
Release and reception
editReviewing the Telugu version, a critic from The Times of India rated the film two-and-a-half out of five stars and wrote, "Antics and some nifty cinematography are the most watchable parts of the movie, so it will help if you watch the movie with lowered expectations".[4] Reviewing the Tamil version, 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".[5]
References
edit- 1 2 3 "'Dalam is an intelligent film'". Rediff.com. 17 August 2013. Archived from the original on 19 February 2014. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
- ↑ "Dalam Telugu Movie Songs Video Juke Box | Navven Chandra, Piaa Bajpai | TVNXT Telugu". TVNXT Telugu. Hyderabad. 10 March 2020. Retrieved 6 April 2026 – via YouTube.
- ↑ "Koottam (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". Spotify. 2013. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
- ↑ "Dalam Movie Review {2.5/5}: Critic Review of Dalam by Times of India". The Times of India. 15 August 2013. Archived from the original on 31 January 2014.
- ↑ Mannath, Malini. "Koottam: Could Have Been a Riveting Thriller". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 27 July 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2022.