Dasvi film has been inspiring. But the fundamental problem with new-age Bollywood films that revolve around social issues is direction. Not in the literal terms, but in the general sense. Any artistic endeavor, howsoever relevant, must pass the litmus test of consistency. While ambitiously labeling their efforts, they seem to forget earnestness matters only when the push isn’t reflected in the final product.
‘Dasvi,’ unfortunately, has little of that. Instead, there is plenty of optimism about its subject matter and the feel-good tone it works with. ‘Dasvi,’ as a film, only works in parts where the brilliant cast takes over from the premise and makes what happens on the screen secondary to how the events make the viewer feel inside.
Its core setup is somewhat of a reimagined form of the television show, Maharani. However, the laziness in writing shows as the execution becomes half-hearted and borderline redundant somewhere along the way. This movie review of ‘Dasvi’ will break down its various aspects. You can watch ‘Dasvi’ on Netflix.
Dasvi Film: Plot and Story
Abhishek Bacchan plays Ganga Ram, the Chief Minister of a fictional state, Harit Pradesh. His half-baked education makes him wary of those around him. Ganga Ram commits public fraud and has to go to jail His trusting wife, Bima Devi (Nimrat Kaur), takes over the reign in his absence. Jailer Dhar (Yami Gautam) encourages him; he vows to complete his education and goes through a transformational change.
Dasvi Movie Review: Themes and Analysis
Dasvi comes across as confused about its thematic priorities. At first, it tries to portray itself as a satirical take on our beleaguered institution of democracy. The lacking mandate system is made an easy target. But along the way, it tries to tame the more daunting themes of the allure of power and the male-dominated rural household hierarchy. This makes the execution too messy to make sense.
It eventually settles for the formulaic operation that has made producers millionaires and actors stars in the industry. Watching Dasvi as a subset of a dying genre is even more frustrating. There is hardly any attempt to transcend the comfort zone that its predecessors have established. Instead, it sits like a lame duck, waiting to be lapped up by trusting audiences.
Dasvi Film: Final Word
As a film that fumbles, falters, and fails to engage its audience, Dasvi never has the chance to convey its message properly. Its satirical mood is deceptive to the effect of never really intelligibly identifying and commenting on the actual problem in the interface of power and education. Instead, it oversimplifies complex human behavior that has evolved its functioning sensibilities over years of trial and error. Dasvi dangerously ventures into the territory of making the characters seem like caricatures. The model golden-hearted simpleton is an overused template that Bollywood soon needs to rid itself of to make anything meaningful that doesn’t feel redundant.