The official Hindi remake of the Spanish film Mirage, Dobaaraa is set in Pune and oscillated in the period between the mid-1990s and today. The story revolves around a 12-year-old Anay who dies in a road accident on the night of a wild thunderstorm after seeing his neighbor covering up his wife’s murder.
It’s been twenty-five years since the incident and on a similar stormy night, with a strange turn of events, Antara finds herself in front of a TV set through which she tries to save Anay’s life. This begins a chain of events that surrounds her changing reality.
The film begins with a flashback from the mid-’90s where Anay, a 12-year-old boy is trying to escape his neighbor’s house (Saswata Chatterjee) after witnessing a murder. While running from the scene he gets bumped off by a heavy vehicle and dies. Twenty-five years later, Antara (Taapsee), a nurse at a local hospital moves into Anay’s house as its new owner with her husband.
On a stormy night, exactly the way it was when Anay died, Antara who is aware of Anay’s death, starts communicating with Anay through his old TV set and video cassette. In the process of doing that she accidentally sets the chain of events that turns her reality.
Anurag Kashyap’s directorial ‘Dobaaraa’ is too complex but keeps you hooked until the very last moment. Aarti Bajaj’s editing with the runtime is one thing that keeps the film engaging. Slowly, as the story starts to unfold it gets you sucked into the feeling of something ominous is about to happen. The film has its dark jokes and has a lot to decode. The film turns out to be a murder mystery at first sight but as the wraps open it is much more than that of an ordinary thriller.
For one it is a story about compromises and inner demons. With no mental illness being highlighted it turns out to be a plus point for the film. It tries its best to make you believe the film to be with a sci-fi narrative. The senses and understanding of your Hindi Cinema seem to be challenged as you watch this film. The film is fast, dark, and disruptive as it has to go through the Indian treatment which lacks a bit.
Taapsee Pannu’s mind-blowing performance is what keeps the focus intact. She makes sure that her character isn’t looking schizophrenic, and is a woman struggling to find the reality of her life. Overall, the film turns out to be one of the finest performances of the actress. The film brings out many layers and many characters in one person.
Writer Nitin Bhave’s screenplay and writing are what make sure that the film doesn’t lose track from that of the original. The character graphs are simple and easy to understand. The narrative of the film sticks to its original blueprint with an Indian touch, a romantic time-travel thriller that is quite different from the usual Anurag Kashyap directorial.
The film has two tracks which however were not necessary but being a Bollywood film it does. This Anurag-Taapsee film is more than what we expect it to be. The film is definitely worth watching and an engaging thriller one shouldn’t miss out on.
