Dasvi: Abhishek Bachchan outperforms a mediocre script

From minute one, Abhishek Bachchan hooks you in. The pagri, the (Haryanvi) accent, the surma (eyeliner) and the swag are only supplementary props to his grounded and powerful performance.

And a few minutes into the movie, you might be so surprised by his acting skill that you would ask yourself, hey, Abhishek Bachchan can act? Why did he stop? All this may even nudge you to remember his performance in the 2004 movie Yuva, where he absolutely killed it. 

Abhishek's unfortunate journey in Bollywood was marred with one too many bad movie choices in times past. But right now, let's really get into his latest movie, Dasvi, which premiered on Netflix on 7 April. 

I would think Abhishek's loyal fans (not yours truly) would hit the Netflix play button with much excitement and see this movie as a breath of fresh air. And it is refreshing, but there are some buts. 

Abhishek Bachchan in Dasvi

If you can move past the special thanks page before the movie starts - thanking India's current Chief Minister (Uttar Pradesh) Yogi Adityanath without batting an eye, kudos to you.  

Dasvi's protagonist is Ganga Ram Chaudhary, an eight-grade school literate and corrupt Chief Minister of a fictional province in India (played by Abhishek Bachchan), who is imprisoned, right in the beginning, because of his criminal records. All we know is that there was an education ministry scam gone wrong. 

The movie starts in the right direction and at the right pace: an illiterate politician put in jail for corruption charges, who then rediscovers himself and has a change of heart. And even though it masquerades as a comedic drama, there are one too many moments when it could have become a satire or a full-fledged socio-political parody. But the script seems confusing, like a teenager, scratch that, like an adult suffering through an identity crisis. 

The script - underlined with realistic overtones - was definitely the weakest link in the movie, and then the directorial execution (and even movie editing) come in second as the biggest flaws. The pacing was all wrong, there is either way too much going on in a rush - like an inter-caste wedding of a prisoner with his beloved - or too little is going on - like the dragged out montage of Chaudhury Shaheb in jail overcoming lifelong behavioural problems that barred him from concentrating and studying for his high school diploma. 

There are comic reliefs that work mostly because of the actors' merit breaking through the average script writing. And even if you can forgive the erratic undulations in the movie's script, the second half falls flat on its face, leaving the audience in sheer disappointment. 

The message of the movie is that education is good and self-determination is important. And in this case, it can rehabilitate a crooked man. While all that is great - especially given how the plot perpetuates that politicians should have a minimal level of education to hold positions of power - the unfocused (or too ambitious) script loses its meaning. The lacklustre writing is a missed opportunity because all the ingredients were there, Abhishek (and the two other main characters) were bringing their A-game plus the plotline had huge potential. 

Also the script is a cluttered one, with too much going on with references. Chaudhury Shaheb himself talks about the movie Taare Zameen Par (2007); and just like that Aamir Khan's production, Dasvi too uses the same technique of alphabets coming out the book to portray, in this case, a cluttered mind. 

If you do sit down to watch this, you can also spot references from two more critically acclaimed and popular Hindi movies. 

Watch it for the performances

To reiterate, Abhishek Bachchan did not disappoint, rather he hooks you in. He (and the other characters) carried the movie. It is refreshing to see a plot like Dasvi in Bollywood with star power make it to streaming platforms, regardless of how the writers missed their opportunity to make a lasting impact. 

And finally, Dasvi's two other main characters are Bimla Devi, Chaudhury Shaheb's wife (played by Nimrat Kaur) and Jyoti Deswal, the new (and very strict) female superintendent put in charge of Chaudhury Shaheb's prison (played by Yami Gautam). Both roles hinge on women in positions of power that've been dipped and fried in toxic masculinity. 

While all three performances are immaculate, Nimrat Kaur for sure takes the cake. From a quiet, timid wife who prescribes to the performative duties of a housewife, she transforms into a politically clever (even cunning) Chief Minister by the end of the two-hour movie after her husband bestows his post on her when he goes to jail. 

Every minute of her screen time is worth it, absolutely enticing - and this might as well be Nimrat's breakout role; if we are to keep her 2013 The Lunchbox role aside. 

As of this writing, Dasvi has a 8.2 IMDb rating (expected to decline over time) and is no#1 on Netflix Bangladesh.

And it is a highly recommended movie even if it's just to see Abhishek Bachchan in his element.