Do Dooni Chaar Movie Review: Do Dooni Chaar: Middle Class Magic!

Director Habib Faisal's 'Do Dooni Chaar' is a delightful movie which brings back memories of Basu Chatterjee and Hrishikesh Mukherjee and their films on the Indian middleclass. 'Do Dooni Chaar' is one such movie which belongs to that same genre and evokes a lot of nostalgia. With the advent of globalisation, Hindi films seem to have lost their roots somewhere along the line.

The people who inhabit movies these days are no more the thousands of nameless ordinary men and women who make up our middle class. Perhaps their mundane lives don't attract filmmakers anymore. But they did attract makers like Mukherjee and Chatterjee, who made some delightful, wholesome and very entertaining movies about ordinary men and women like most of us.

'Do Dooni Chaar' uses the same formula which was made so popular by filmmakers in the Seventies and makes for quite a delightful viewing. It is a movie which is rooted in its time and manages to really say what it has to say in a very simple and endearing manner, without ever getting preachy or boring.

The other most exciting thing about the movie is the fact that it sees the famous romantic 'jodi' of Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Kapoor, back on screen, playing reel life husband and wife. But it's not just about the delight of seeing the two together but also the conviction which they bring to their roles. Rishi has always been a tremendously talented actor and like always, he really holds the movie together with his portrayal of a teacher.

He is brilliantly supported by Neetu, who despite her much smaller role, manages to make an impact with her acting. The cast of a movie more often than not, plays an important role in conveying a director's vision and no one could have conveyed director Faisal's vision so well as these two veterans have done.

The film is about a middleclass household in one of Delhi's tiny colonies, and the problems and preoccupations of the denizens of this colony are real and down to earth. The Duggals are one such family who are struggling to make ends meet. Santosh Duggal (Rishi) is a schoolteacher who has a wife, Kusum (Neetu) and two teenaged children to support on his meagre salary. Santosh is basically quite happy with his life and circumstances but everyone else in his small household has dreams of making it big.

The dreams seem to acquire wings when Santosh gets a tax rebate of some Rs 6000 odd and the entire family has their own views on how the money should be spent. Kusum wants a new fridge, the daughter wants an I pod while the son wants a new TV. Santosh is forced to borrow a car from his neighbour for a family wedding which causes a lot of upheaval in his life, leading him to declare that he would buy his own car.

Of course, no one believes him at first. Santosh tries his level best to come up with the money to buy the car, but is frustrated in all his attempts till one day, life presents him with an opportunity to get rich quickly. However, in the end, Santosh backs off and is unable to go through with it. His moral values come in the way.

The film works as it has been very well written with a taunt screenplay and some lovely dialogues, all very lifelike and believeable. It has a message as well, but one which does not seem forced. Director Faisal impresses with his writing as well as with his directorial skills. There is hardly a false note in the film and it has been quite impeccably handled.

The film really belongs to Rishi Kapoor. If one had any doubt about his acting skills then this films should serve as a good reminder about how brilliant an actor he is. In his understated style, he really manages to brings his character alive and is quite amazing to watch. Neetu is equally natural and puts in an effortless performance. The two kids, played by Aditi Vasudev and Archit Krishna do a good job as well.

'Do Dooni Chaar' is a pleasure to watch. And not just because it brings back memories of films like 'Golmaal', 'Rajnigandha', 'Baaton Baaton Mein' and their ilk, but also because it tells a story about real people and real issues. It's like a slice of life.