Dasvi follows the story of an uneducated corrupt politician who decides to take the class 10th exams while his political career hangs in the balance.
Story
Chief Minister of Harit Pradesh (Abhishek Bachchan), Ganga Ram Chaudhary, finds himself in a fix when, one day, out of the blue, he lands up in jail under corruption charges. To manage the state’s control, he transfers his powers to his wife, Bimla Devi Chaudhary (Nimrat Kaur), a political rookie.
In the jail, initially, Ganga Ram finds a comforting stay, thanks to his political stature. But this easy vacation turns into a struggle for him when a taskmaster, Superintendent of Police Jyoti Deswal (Yami Gautam), takes charge.
She quickly takes Ganga Ram to the task and makes him work daily like everybody else in the jail. Outside, Bimla Devi grows ambitious as she enjoys the authority held by a chief minister.
To find a way out of the daily chores, Ganga Ram pretends to undertake preparation for the class 10 exams. Being uneducated, he sees this as an easy way out of the daily effort.
But soon, circumstances change and his whole political career is put at stake when the results of the exams get linked with his future political prospects.
A struggle ensues between Ganga Ram and Bimla Devi. Ganga Ram struggles to pass the exams to save his drowning future. Bimla Devi constantly attempts to foil his plans in order to accommodate her growing ambitions.
Performances
The cast plays the part of the backbone with their charming and entertaining performances.
Abhishek Bachchan, in the role of a haughty uneducated politician, brings his natural aura to the performance with a captivating screen presence. A loud and ill-mannered Abhishek Bachchan becomes the perfect fit for the part, smartly balancing between scenes that require the actor to be boisterous in one and emotive in the next.
Yami Gautam, as the strict and disciplinarian police officer, provides a challenging, grounded opposition to Abhishek’s farcical politician. Her character brings a realist dynamic to the otherwise caricaturish fiction of the film which is portrayed convincingly by Yami.
Nimrat Kaur is cheerfully funny throughout the film. A thorough entertainer, she brings authenticity and small-town charm to her performance with her witty silliness.
Danish Husain, Arun Kushwah, Manu Rishi Chaddha, and Shivankit Singh Parihar, among others, all play contributing parts in making the film enjoyable and entertaining.
Positives
The acting performances are the major driving force of the film presenting characters that are fun to watch and follow. All the three main actors are given significant screen time to deliver noticeable performances.
The variety of characters adds to the comical element of the film. From a sensationalist reporter to a toady police officer, the world of the film is filled with theatrical characters who do not hold back much.
There are plenty of clap-trap filmy dialogues that contribute to the already over-the-top portrayal of the film. While these are obvious, they add to the stupid, laughable nature of the events.
The film attempts to drive a message across. From casteism to education, there are plenty of subjects the film tries to discuss, albeit briefly, helping it to inch closer to a smart social satire.
Negatives
There is little to fall back on, for the actors, in terms of writing. Behind the layer of witty one-liners and exaggerated character work, there is little substance. The story arc is pretty flat and obvious. The writers fail to convert the logline into an engaging and meaningful story.
While the characters are interesting, there is no meaningful journey for the audience to accompany them on. The potential to explore the characters beyond their wit-cracking semblance is wasted.
The film decides to contend with important social issues. But it fails to achieve anything that feels more than a passing mention. Even the theme of education, while established multiple times, fails to leave an impact.
Verdict
Dasvi moves at a frolicking pace with enthusiastic characters saying the obvious things to garner a laugh. The actors achieve whatever they possibly can with the weak script that fails to rise above the basic premise.
The film has some heart in it, but the desperation of the film that wants to prove a point doesn’t translate as well on the screen. It wants to drive a serious social message but it’s hard to take it seriously, thanks to the weak writing. Stream it or skip it- no harm done either way.
Rating: 2.5/5
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