Dobaara Movie Review: An Engaging Multi-Layered Thriller. Dobaaraa, directed by Anurag Kashyap and starring Taapsee Pannu, is a thriller with many layers. Here is what you need to know more about this story.
Dobaaraa is the Hindi remake of the Spanish film Mirage, set in Pune. The story covers a time period from the mid-1990s to present day, and follows 12-year old Anay. On a night with heavy thunderstorms, Anay dies in a car accident after witnessing his neighbor cover up his wife’s murder.
Twenty-five years after the fateful incident, Antara, now older, tries to save Anay’s life on a stormy night in front of a television set–in an ironic turn of events. This event marks the beginning of a chain reaction that will change her reality.
The film starts with a scene from the mid-’90s, where Anay, a 12-year-old boy who witnessed a murder is trying to escape his neighbor’s house (Saswata Chatterjee). However, he gets hit by a heavy vehicle and dies while running away. Twenty-five years later, a nurse named Antara (Taapsee) moves into Anay’s old house with her husband as the new owners.
On an ominous night, eerily similar to the conditions of Anay’s death, his sister Antara begins speaking to him through their old television set and VCR. In the process of obtaining her goal, she accidentally sets the chain of events that turns her reality.
Anurag Kashyap’s directorial debut, ‘Dobaaraa,’ is complex but engaging from beginning to end. Aarti Bajaj’s editing keeps the film engaging by incorporating a sense of unease and foreboding as the story unfolds. The dark jokes sprinkled throughout the film will leave you questioning what could happen next. What appears to be a run-of-the-mill murder mystery unravels into something much more complex and thrilling.
Compromises and inner demons lie at the heart of this story, without any mental illness being highlighted. This turns out to be a plus point for the film. It tries its best to make you believe in the sci-fi narrative. The senses and understanding of your Hindi Cinema seem to be challenged as you watch this film; it is fast, dark, and disruptive as it has to go through the Indian treatment which lacks a bit.
Taapsee Pannu does a sensational job in this film and really keeps you engaged. Her character could have easily come across as schizophrenic, but instead is wonderfully flawed and easy to relate to. The film is undoubtedly one of the best films in which the actress has ever starred. The film allows the audience to see different sides of each character.
Nitin Bhave’s screenplay and writing are what ensure that the film stays faithful to the original. The character graphs are straightforward and easy to comprehend. The film follows its original story, with an Indian twist, making it quite different from other Anurag Kashyap films. It is a romantic time-travel thriller that is unlike anything else out there.
Although the film has two tracks, they were both necessary in order to make it a successful Bollywood film. Anurag – Taapsee did an amazing job with this thriller that is definitely worth watching if you’re looking for something engaging.
Manali Shinde is a news analyst and entertainment content writer at Empire Weekly. Born in Mumbai, Maharashtra, she is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Arts degree in multimedia and mass communication.
Trailer Dobaara:
Directed by: Anurag Kashyap
Screenplay by: Nihit Bhave
Based on: Mirage by Oriol Paulo
Produced by: Shobha Kapoor, Ekta Kapoor, Sunit Khetrapal, Gaurav Bose
Starring: Taapsee Pannu, Pavail Gulati
Cinematography: Sylvester Fonseca
