Movie: Dohchay
Rating: 2.75/5
Banner: Sri Venkateswara Cine Chitra
Cast: Naga Chaitanya, Kriti Sanon, Posani, Bramhanandham, Ravi Babu and Others
Cinematography: Richard Prasad
Editor: Karthika Srinivas
Music: Sunny M R
Producer: B V S N Prasad
Story, Screenplay and Direction: Sudheer Varma
Release Date: Apr 24th, 2015
A director with a hit film in his kitty is the most promising option for a producer. And BVSN Prasad says he was totally convinced when Swamy Ra Ra Sudheer Varma director narrated the plot to him. Then there is Naga Chaitanya who had a decent run with Oka Laila Kosam and Kriti Sanon who debuted with Mahesh Babu in One-Nenokkadine. Naturally, they make a most promising combination. So, does Dochey live up to the expectations or is it a lost cause, let’s find out…
Story:
The film starts off with a bank robbery and takes you to the story of Chandu (Naga Chaitanya). A happy-go-lucky thief, Chandu is not your run-of-the-mill guy who plans big time thefts with elaborate schemes. Instead, he believes in smooth operation where he manages to steal the money without much effort. In short, he relies more on his brains than on gun power or muscle power to make his money. Into his life enters the cigarette-smoking medico Meera (Kriti Sanon) and love happens almost effortlessly.
So to cut a long story short, we are told that Chandu’s father (Rao Ramesh) has been wrongly convicted of a murder committed by Maninkyam (Posani Krishna Murali). The rest of the film shows how Chandu tries to save his father and take his revenge on Manikyam.
Artistes’ Performances:
Naga Chaitanya is his usual self. Of course, the film revolves around his character, but it fails to excite you or thrill you. But he sports a toned look and carries himself well. Still, it disappointing to see him getting wasted in a film with a bad script. We sincerely wish he picks better scripts in future.
Kriti Sanon is definitely the surprise package of the film. Okay, if you read that one as the saving grace, then, please stop. Now whoever has seen her in One Nenokkadine probably still remember as the stylish journalist she had played in the film. On the contrary, she plays a character that tends to get on to your nerves and instead of being cute and sexy, she looks more like a desperate wannabe.
Probably in the past one year, there hasn’t been a film without Posani Krishna Murali and Rao Ramesh. Both the actors have become staples in Tollywood and so is the case with this film.
While Posani gets to play the main villain in the film, Rao Ramesh gets a character that would have been played by a lower-rung character artiste in the past.
One is left wondering if he said yes to Sudheer Varma even without listening to the script. On the other hand, Posani’s is probably the only character which has been written with some thought in the film.
Apart from them, there is the usual ensemble cast of comedians comprising Praveen, Satya, Viva Harsha, Saptagiri among others.
Technical Excellence:
Though it is a heist film of sorts, it does not have the usual thrills and frills that such films have. So, there is no amazing cinematography or stunt choreography to write about.
It is an average film with average work by all departments. However, the music by Sunny Mr who had provided music for films such as Swamy Ra Ra and Uyyala Jampala is below average to say the least. He did try to do something different, but it does not fit into the overall scheme of the film.
As for director Sudheer Varma, for now, he looks like he will remain a one film wonder for some time to come.
Highlights:
- Naga Chaitanya
Drawbacks:
- Story
- Narration
- Weak Climax
Analysis:
While the title and the pre-release hype leaves you thinking that Dohchey will be one of those slick heist films, Dochey ends up being a film with an identity crisis.
In principle, Sudheer Varma has put together quite a few elements that would have made the story interesting. Instead of making the most of them, he makes a film that makes the watching tedious and in the second half you only wish the film will end at the earliest.
When you have a hit film to your credit, expectations are high and it is but natural to falter. But in Sudheer Varma’s case, Dohchey is anything but an exciting comedy thriller. All the scenes are drab and lack the entertaining element. Unfortunately, they also fail to thrill you.
The core strength of a thriller or a film that revolves around robbery is to surprise the audiences with a sudden twist. But Sudheer Varma has no such surprises planned and one tends to feel cheated by the time climax approaches.
Just like the situations, the characterization of various artistes too is superficial and does not leave you interested in any of their on-screen efforts.
Another major drawback is the patchy screenplay where every scene leaves you utterly disappointed.
Wonder if it was Sudheer Varma’s original plan or if he bowed down to pressure, but he brings in Bullet Babu’s (Brahmanandam) character towards the climax and instead of leaving you in splits, the entire episode totally bores you as the entire plot has been repeated too often these days.
The only saving grace for the entire film is Naga Chaitanya who is sincere and the bunch of comedians who get some interesting one-liners.
Surely, not a film that one expects from the director of Swamy Ra Ra.
Bottomline: One Hit, One Miss
(Venkat can be reached [email protected] or https://twitter.com/greatandhranews)
