Dug Dug REVIEW: Will Make You Chuckle And Question Indian’s Belief In Fate And Blind Faith

Film:
Dug Dug

Director: Ritwik Pareek

Writers: Ritwik Pareek

Cast: Altaf Khan, Gaurav Soni, Yogendra Singh, Durga Lal Saini

Runtime: 107 Minutes (1 Hour, 47 Minutes)

Dug Dug Review

FINALLY! Five years after its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF 2021), Ritwik Pareek’s debut film – Dug Dug, has arrives in India. Inspired by the Bullet Baba temple on Rajasthan’s Pali-Jodhpur highway, the 107-minute-long film begin when a drunk individual begins riding his rickety Luna (bike) down a never-ending highway while shrouded in darkness. While the audience watch the character – named Thakur, sway on the road due to his drunken stupa, a prophetic but poetic voiceover continues in the background.

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As the ‘words of wisdom’ continue to be delivered, our ‘hero’ meets with a horrifying accident after being distracted by the sensual poster of magician P P Sharma. Following the accident – which leave even the police uneasy, Thakur’s blue and pink Luna is confiscate by local cops and parked in the police station. However, it miraculously disappears from the station and makes it way to the accident same spot – not once or twice, but several times. As the story of the moped mysteriously appearing at the accident spreads, the bike earns divine status and soon sees droves of believers flock the site-turned-shrine. But they don’t come empty handed. Upon the advice of a sage – to stop offering God only sweets, they bring with them alcohol, beedi/cigarettes and huge donations.

The film at the same time also concentrates on the police officers stationed at outpost and how Thakur Sa and his increasing influence effects their lives.

What follows will make you question fate and blind faith. It will also leave you with some unanswered questions – did the magician have something to do with Thakur’s death? Is worshiping a moped faith or blind faith? Before you decided whether you want to watch the film or no, read our honest review of Dug Dug.

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What Works

The humours, screenplay and cinematography are on-point. In fact, the acting too is real, with all actors nailing the accent, dialect and mannerism of villagers in Rajasthan. The ariel shots will make you fall in love with the dessert state of India.

What Doesn’t Work

The lengthy runtime – the film could have been closer to the 90 minute mark but the makers were definitely in love with their work and used as much as of the material they could.

Technical Analysis

Directing, Story & Scriptwriting

Director Ritwik Pareek – in his first outing, has left no stone unturned to in making sure this story of religion, monetised spirituality and the loud privatisation of belief reaches the audience without being preachy. He manages to hold your attention (from the moment the accident takes place) with detailing, smart cinematography, an intuitive soundtrack and absurdities that will make you not only make you slam you palm on your head but also chuckle.

Aditya S Kumar’s hypnotic camerawork that captivate when a landscape’s stoic, stark visage befitting a Western metamorphoses into the hustle bustle of a pilgrimage town.

Music & Editing

The music is nothing out of the world, but in sync with the style and setting of the narrative. It does add a layer of mystery to the story, especially in the first half.

As mentioned above, the film could have, and should have cut done on dragging scenes for way too many minutes (yes, minutes not seconds). While the visuals shows are amazing, they add unnecessary runtime and drag the film. Despite being way longer than it should have been, the narrative rarely lags, even when the repetitions run out of satire and the satire runs out of sarcasm.

Star Cast

Each actor has done a commendable job. They’ve all given their all and it’s clearly visible in each frame.

Conclusion

Dug Dug is a one-time watch that is sure to make you chuckle with its humour while also making you question whether India is really progressing or still stuck in time where faith – even if its privatised or blind – is given more importance than medicine and science.

Watch the trailer of here:

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Also Read: Raja Shivaji REVIEW: Riteish Deshmukh’s Earnest Efforts To Tell The Courageous Story Of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Is Visible Despite Major Setbacks

Grinell Jacinto

With nearly 10 years of experience, Grinell Esther Jacinto is the Desk Head of Bollywood Bubble. Her interests lie in everything that is kaleshi and she loves to dig deeper into the lives of B-town actors. She has a problem though – she loves horror films but will have chills the minute the theatres lights dims. She’s previously worked with Koimoi, UrbanAsian and SpotboyE.