‘Dasvi’ Review: Abhishek Bachchan, Yami Gautam Nimrat Kaur Score Full Marks For Performance In This First Class Social Comedy
As someone who would love to someday pursue a PhD and loves teaching, it is safe to assume that I put a lot of emphasis on education. I have always noticed a difference between those that were able to get exposure through their education and those that didn’t have access to one. However, whenever this is discussed, it tends to take such a serious tone that most people don’t want to listen more. Moreover, let’s be fair, in a country where politicians and people in power are uneducated, you can’t really expect everyone to understand the seriousness of it, can you? Hence, I was so pleased when I watched the trailer of Tushar Jalota’s Dasvi featuring Abhishek Bachchan, Yami Gautam Dhar and Nimrat Kaur in pivotal roles. The movie, currently streaming on both Netflix and Jio Cinema,had me park my butt right in front of the screen and watched it. This movie made me feel a lot of things and because I feel the need to broadcast it all, I’m going to share the review of Dasvi with you guys right now.
The Plot
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The movie revolves around Ganga Ram Chaudhary (Abhishek Bachchan), a Chief Minister who was only able to educate himself till 8th grade before he left education in the pursuit of politics and power. Like many politicians, he isn’t the most honest in his work and has done a lot of jhols throughout his life to get to the power he has. However, his actions catch up to him and he has to go to jail. He leaves behind his soft-spoken and supposedly submissive wife, Bimla Devi Chaudhary (Nimrat Kaur) or as he affectionately calls her, Bimo, as the CM in his stead. Due to his contacts and power, Ganga Ram enjoys a very comfortable first few days in jail but as soon as the fierce and fearless superintendent Jyoti Deswal (Yami Gautam Dhar) comes into the picture, she starts whipping him into shape. Ganga Ram then decides to use his jail time to fulfil his and his mother’s dream of him receiving higher education and decides to prepare for the 10th board or dasvi.
The Cast
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Also Read: ‘Dasvi’ Trailer: Abhishek Bachchan, Yami Gautam, Nimrat Kaur Have Us In Splits With Their Dialogue Delivery
I have always believed that the hate and criticism that Abhishek Bachchan gets on a regular basis from jobless trolls was unnecessary and unwarranted. And not that he needs to prove anything to them; in fact, I love the sass he employs to shut them down. But when you see him in a film like Dasvi, you feel that good, second-hand vindication. Abhishek completely melds into his character of the uneducated, corrupt politician Ganga Ram Chaudhary who is set in his ways and beliefs but is open to change. I absolutely enjoyed his performance as Ganga Ram and it was pleasant to see Abhishek in this comic role. Moreover, I love that the way Dasvi chose to portray the politician humanised him rather than making him out to be a wholly negative or positive character.
I also want to highlight how well Abhishek portrayed Ganga Ram. At no point did I see the actor but simply the character before me and that type of understated but spot-on, balanced acting is such a rare skill. He was genuinely one of the highlights of Dasvi for me.
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Yami Gautam Dhar also surprised me. I personally wasn’t sure what to expect from her playing a tough cop. However, she was amazing! The character of Jyoti Deswal is the voice of a lot of us frustrated Indians in Dasvi. You can see the frustration towards politicians in her eyes and hear it in her voice when she gets into fights with Ganga Ram. However, just like most of us, she’s open to seeing people redeem themselves which is a refreshingly written cop role.
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Bimla Devi Chaudhary was a character I wasn’t sure what to expect from. However, I enjoyed Nimrat Kaur’s performance a lot. She perfectly embodied the soul of Indian homemakers who has never been given the chance to make something of themselves and hold any power. I absolutely enjoyed her interactions with Ganga Ram and their banter in Dasvi.
Also Read: ‘Sharmaji Namkeen’ Review: Wholesome Film About Second Innings Leaves You With A Smile, A Hungry Stomach, And A Heart Full Of Missing Rishi Kapoor
The Execution
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I wasn’t sure what to expect from the equation between Abhishek, Yami and Nimrat when I watched the Dasvi trailer. However, I didn’t know how much I needed this combination!. The acting was good (dialect coach Sunita Sharma did a good job, in my opinion), the chemistry was great and the overall equation of the characters made the movie a fun, humorous watch. I usually don’t enjoy watching music videos in the middle of my movie but I enjoyed the songs of Dasvi. Sachin Jigar’s music set the mood and atmosphere needed for the oncoming scenes.
But let’s talk about the things that made me deduct some marks from this otherwise well-written paper. Ganga Ram and Bimla’s relationship, I feel, deserved a little more background to make the audience more invested in their bond, just like we get to with Jyoti and Ganga Ram’s relationship. Another thing that bothered me was the lack of clarity or rather closure for Bimla Devi Chaudhary’s character. Her ending felt very lacking and kinda underwhelming considering how engaging her character was in Dasvi. I wish they would have done her character a bit more justice, also considering they had a talented actor like Nimrat Kaur play her. And finally, I do think Dasvi could’ve aspired higher rather than sticking so close to the ground on its messaging. Social comedies are slowly coming of age in Indian cinema. Education as a message has been pandered about by several films, and while Dasvi puts its own, quite entertaining, spin on it, it might be lost in a flurry of other similar films rather than standing out.
Verdict
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Even as a fairly educated person, Dasvi made me rethink a lot about how I have been conditioned to perceive education. I genuinely would suggest you watch it. It is light-hearted but will definitely leave its mark on you with its characters who are relatable and hilarious to watch. With this, I give Dasvi a 3.5/10!
Dasvi is currently streaming on Jio Cinema and Netflix.
