Dhokha is an extremely entertaining thriller that had me intrigued throughout it's runtime. There are of course some shortcomings in the story, but that didn't affect the overall impact this movie had on me. Right at the beginning of the film, I was quite relieved to see that the director didn't waste time in setting things up and got to the point in just five minutes by telling us the backstory through a song. Throughout the movie I kept wondering as to what kind of film would this turn out to be, and every time I thought alright maybe that's the direction this story will take, it surprised me with an unexpected twist. It almost feels like this movie was made keeping in mind the audience of today, people who have a short attention span, because the screenplay does not follow a predictable path and reveals itself in an episodic manner with a cliffhanger at the end.
It's impossible to imagine Indian movies without songs, and I totally agree that this is one area where we shouldn't take inspiration from Hollywood or other International films, which are made without songs; but there are certain films, like this one, in which songs only end up blocking the flow of the story and so they need to be avoided at all costs, and I am really glad that the director of this film kept the focus entirely on the characters and their story and didn't allow any kind of musical distractions during the film. There is a song right at the beginning of the film and one right at the end, but nothing when the story is unfolding itself.
Ayushman Khurana has proved his talent time and again but his brother Aparshakti hasn't been so lucky with the opportunities, up until this film. For the first time, as far as I know, Aparshakti got to play the main lead and he performed brilliantly. Normally, Aparshakti only gets to play underdeveloped supporting roles, but here the focus was on him and the role had enough meat in it, for him to sink his teeth and showcase his acting skills, and he did not disappoint. I had no expectations from Khushali Kumar, simply because it's common knowledge that she was finalized for this film because of being Bhushan Kumar's sister, who happens to be one of the producers of this film; but I was pleasantly surprised by her performance in the film. Khushali was very convincing as a sensuous seductress as well as a helpless woman experiencing a difficult marriage. Khushali, who looked absolutely gorgeous in every single frame of the film, managed to express all the complex emotions associated with her character through her face; a skill that I did not expect an actress like her to have. Surprisingly, Madhavan did not have a lot to do in the film; he was pretty much the supporting actor in this story. Although he was fantastic as Yathaarth, I would have loved to see him play a more active role in the film. Darshan Kumar, an amazingly talented actor, did very well as Harishchandra.
Talking about the shortcomings, I could not understand how Riyaaz Gul got hypnotized by Saanchi every time she seduced him. Regardless of how trained or untrained he was, it can be said with certainty that he wasn't a child, and it's not possible for a grown-up man to get hypnotized like that. Also, the Police action was quite strange, because they were quite aware that Riyaaz had just one pistol and yet they never bothered to go upstairs and overpower him. There were so many officers in that area and not one of them questioned the strategy of Harish ?
I liked the theme of the film, which was also shown using the example of news channels. Truth has been buried and forgotten, while lies and deceits are walking free with a big smile on their face. There are very few takers for the truth told in a gentle and simple manner, but a lie told repeatedly and loudly is accepted as the truth and is loved and pampered by everyone. The real terrorist may not always be the one getting punished, some of them are bombarding your mind with false stories filled with hatred, every day from their air-conditioned studios in the form of news. This movie not only had an interesting story but also managed to do some social commentary through it, and I think that was truly praiseworthy. Cinema has the power to reach a large number of people and I think it should be used wisely, because with great power, comes great responsibility.
It's impossible to imagine Indian movies without songs, and I totally agree that this is one area where we shouldn't take inspiration from Hollywood or other International films, which are made without songs; but there are certain films, like this one, in which songs only end up blocking the flow of the story and so they need to be avoided at all costs, and I am really glad that the director of this film kept the focus entirely on the characters and their story and didn't allow any kind of musical distractions during the film. There is a song right at the beginning of the film and one right at the end, but nothing when the story is unfolding itself.
Ayushman Khurana has proved his talent time and again but his brother Aparshakti hasn't been so lucky with the opportunities, up until this film. For the first time, as far as I know, Aparshakti got to play the main lead and he performed brilliantly. Normally, Aparshakti only gets to play underdeveloped supporting roles, but here the focus was on him and the role had enough meat in it, for him to sink his teeth and showcase his acting skills, and he did not disappoint. I had no expectations from Khushali Kumar, simply because it's common knowledge that she was finalized for this film because of being Bhushan Kumar's sister, who happens to be one of the producers of this film; but I was pleasantly surprised by her performance in the film. Khushali was very convincing as a sensuous seductress as well as a helpless woman experiencing a difficult marriage. Khushali, who looked absolutely gorgeous in every single frame of the film, managed to express all the complex emotions associated with her character through her face; a skill that I did not expect an actress like her to have. Surprisingly, Madhavan did not have a lot to do in the film; he was pretty much the supporting actor in this story. Although he was fantastic as Yathaarth, I would have loved to see him play a more active role in the film. Darshan Kumar, an amazingly talented actor, did very well as Harishchandra.
Talking about the shortcomings, I could not understand how Riyaaz Gul got hypnotized by Saanchi every time she seduced him. Regardless of how trained or untrained he was, it can be said with certainty that he wasn't a child, and it's not possible for a grown-up man to get hypnotized like that. Also, the Police action was quite strange, because they were quite aware that Riyaaz had just one pistol and yet they never bothered to go upstairs and overpower him. There were so many officers in that area and not one of them questioned the strategy of Harish ?
I liked the theme of the film, which was also shown using the example of news channels. Truth has been buried and forgotten, while lies and deceits are walking free with a big smile on their face. There are very few takers for the truth told in a gentle and simple manner, but a lie told repeatedly and loudly is accepted as the truth and is loved and pampered by everyone. The real terrorist may not always be the one getting punished, some of them are bombarding your mind with false stories filled with hatred, every day from their air-conditioned studios in the form of news. This movie not only had an interesting story but also managed to do some social commentary through it, and I think that was truly praiseworthy. Cinema has the power to reach a large number of people and I think it should be used wisely, because with great power, comes great responsibility.