'Dasvi' review: Important message wrapped in puerile packaging
Tushar Jalota's debut directorial Dasvi premiered on Netflix and JioCinema on Thursday. Starring Abhishek Bachchan, Yami Gautam Dhar, and Nimrat Kaur in the lead, the film tries to shine a light on the importance of education and prick satire on corruption in our country. But what was present in terms of the message and technique falters in design and execution. Here's our detailed review.
Vain chief minister Ganga Ram Chaudhary's (Bachchan) corruption scam lands him in jail. This barely affects him as he passes his seat to his meek, homely wife Bimla Devi (Kaur), and is greeted by specialized treatment behind bars. Chaudhary's ego finally gets challenged with honest, upright jail superintendent Jyoti Deswal's (Gautam Dhar) entry as he gets instigated to pass Class-10 and prove his mettle.
While Chaudhary has to deal with this new opponent called education inside the jail, on the other side is his wife. Now, having tasted blood, Bimla refuses to let go of power. The three characters are surrounded by a sprinkle of supporting characters (read comic devices), of whom only jail warden Satpal Tomar (Manu Rishi Chadha) gets enough leeway to do something noteworthy.
The female leads have been given agency, in the sense that it's limited to advancing the story of the "hero." While Deswal's feisty side is shown, she soon turns into a personal tutor for Choudhary. Bimla transforms after gaining the chief ministerial seat but her change is given an antagonist color, even though she is doing exactly what her husband used to do.
The problem doesn't end with the short-sightedness of the characters. Jalota and writers Suresh Nair, Ritesh Shah, and Sandeep Leyzell attempt to web a simplistic (impractical) story that preaches even the most corrupt can be transformed through the correct means. Despite having a distinct flavor, Choudhary's character gets reduced to a caricature who boasts of his crimes but is naive and essentially good.
Despite limited scope in the screenplay, Bachchan gives a spirited performance, as do Gautam Dhar and Kaur. Their performances are perhaps the only thing that makes the not-so-funny comedy bearable. Dasvi is currently streaming on JioCinema and Netflix. Verdict: 2.5/5 stars.
