Dobaara movie review: Works thanks to excellent direction and performances

Director: Prawaal Raman

Cast: Huma Qureshi, Saqib Saleem, Lisa Ray, Adil Hussain, Madalina Belariu, Rhea Chakraborty

Having last directed Main Aur Charles starring Randeep Hooda and Richa Chadha, director Prawaal Raman brings you all yet another intelligent film Dobaara which is an official remake of the Hollywood horror film, Oculus. The film is about a man who turns into a lunatic murderer because of a possessed mirror.

Alex Merchant (Adil Hussain), an artist by profession happily lives with his wife Liza (Lisa Ray) and kids Natasha (Huma Qureshi) and Kabir (Saqib Saleem). Meanwhile, Alex falls out of love with Liza and gets intimated to one of his models. His family knows about his extra-marital relationship, but to no avail.

In the meantime, Alex buys an antique mirror and soon after his life changes upside down. He kills his wife Liza and incidentally his son Kabir kills him which results in Kabir being sent to a juvenile prison.

Many years later, Natasha decides to prove her brother innocent by telling the truth to everyone through a recording but things aren't in her favour. Tanya (Rhea Chakraborty), a lawyer, helps Kabir in coming out of the cell.

What happens next is what Dobaara all about. Will Natasha be able to prove Kabir's innocence or the possessed mirror will play its own evil game?

The best part of the film is its direction. Prawaal Raman is certainly one of the most underrated directors of our times. Handling a subject of a possessed mirror by keeping the thriller element alive till the last frame isn't an easy job. The treatment of the film is its USP. Though it’s an official remake, Prawaal makes it look like a completely fresh film. The pace of the screenplay is a little sloppy especially in the first half (which is the only drawback of the film) but the second half will keep you glued till the climax. Prawaal’s films have their own set of spine chilling moments. Like his previous fares, this one too is spooky and intense but at the same time, unlikely to appeal to a certain strata of the society because it might prove to be too cerebral for the average viewer. But then again, we need filmmakers like Prawaal to keep the bar high. Keeping the commercial aspects alive, Dobaara is certainly a good watch in the horror genre.

Few scenes such as Huma cutting her mouth by eating a bulb instead of an apple, Adil reciting the lines taken from bible spoken by the charming philosophical spirit, dancing wearing a mascharade, are all thrilling moments in the film. Overall, it is interesting to see how Prawaal has narrated the story.

In the bunch of actors, inarguably Adil Hussain steals the show. His scary eyes are enough to give you the chills. The scene where he pounces at Madalina with lust is sexy and how he chases his kids with his gun in the house is flawless. Huma Qureshi is convincing in her act and so is Saqib Saleem. Guess their chemistry works for the film as they are real life siblings, which was required for a subject like this. Rhea Chakraborty and Lisa Ray are average but Madalina is noticeable throughout.

It seems the horror genre is almost extinct in Bollywood but Dobaara is surely a game changer but aren't all Prawaal Raman's films like that? They are different from ther run-of-the-mill ones. It is very important for a director to have a unique vision towards a genre and he does justice to it each time.

On the whole, Dobaara is engaging and definitely not avoidable. With so many films releasing this Friday, Dobaara will surely stands out for its unusual treatment and story telling.