Dhabkaaro, which opens on May 1, and which means a heartbeat in Gujarati is about man so wretchedly mean, his search for atonement is aeons away from fruition. This doesn’t stop him from seeking forgiveness from all those whom he has wronged.
Deven Bhojani gets the role of his lifetime. He sinks his teeth into the part with all his heart….The heart being a crucial character in a film that is designed as an oldfashioned weepie and yet manages to rise above the tearful templates , thanks to Bhojani . He lifts every scene from the treacly to the deeply moving. And to think he spent most of his acting career doing comedy!
Abhishek Shah, who earlier directed the highly acclaimed Hellaro, is a skilled healer of the ‘unhealable’(to coin a contextual term). Shah winds his way around his vile protagonist Dayabhai’s pilgrimage to reparation but offers the man no solace. He probably doesn’t deserve any. The more Dayabhai tries to repair and heal, the more the damage seems irreparable.
There are some overly sentimental passages, like the one where Dayabhai meets up with an old Muslim friend(Kumud Mishra in a stirring cameo), which feels overwritten and stilted. However like the torn chaadar which is mended for an offering of peace, the narrative flounders but regains its momentum in time for a climax where the full force of Dayabhai’s past trespasses hits him.
Who says it is never too late to say sorry? Sometimes it is too late. Especially when the burden of guilt festers too long.
Dhabkaaro is designed as a road movie with a taxi driver accompanying Dayabhai. Aarjav Trivedi playing the cabbie is an absolute delight. He is that rare kind of vigilant co-star to the magnificent Bhojani who knows exactly where to punctuate and where to step back in his performance without taking away the edge from the lead performer.
Unlike the last big Gujarati hit Laalo Krishna Sadaa Sahaayate, Dhabkaaro doesn’t thrive on cheeky spiritualism. It is far more straightforward, far less abstruse in its appeal. Parts of the narrative sag dangerously. But as is the wont for the protagonist , there is always a silver lining for a film so pure in its intention, it feels like a breeze.
Most of all Dhabkaaro reminded me of how far Indian cinema has drifted from its roots in the quest of Dhurandhar-isms. The makers of Raja Harishchandra would nod smilingly at Dhabkaaro.
There is an elemental basicity to the this warm-hearted film that tells us to heal the wounds inflicted on those we should value, before it is too late. Deven Bhojani’s performance made me laugh at the ostensibly great performance in Hindi cinema, where you get applauded for making faces
