When Sudheer Varma brought out his Swamy Ra Ra he won a million hearts with his refreshing con drama combined with its fair share of laughs. He made pick pocketing look suave while looping in an element of danger. With it set the bar high, it remained to be seen if Dohchay would be able to pull off the same feat. With its tongue-in-cheek humour and slick action sequences, it is a fancier cousin of the director’s debut film.
The story is about Chandu (Naga Chaitanya) and his three buddies, all con artistes, who pull off some of the most outrageous heists with as much style and ease as Houdini. As they go about minting money, it is revealed that Chandu has an ailing father Seetharama Raju (Rao Ramesh) who has been imprisoned for a crime he did not commit and Chandu is now responsible to get his sister through medical school and fulfil his father’s dream. All his heists therefore are to this end. Meera (Kriti Sanon) comes into the picture as Chandu’s love interest and the lead pair share a great on screen chemistry.
All goes well till Chandu takes a gamble with consequences he didn’t bargain for. He steps on all the wrong toes by crossing paths with gangster Manikyam (Posani Krishna Murali) and greedy cop Richard (Ravi Babu). There are many people interested in going after Chandu leading to an elaborate chase scene with wheelies and drifting cars and a lot of Hollywood style action before ending in a feel-good climax.
Naga Chaitanya looks sophisticated as the suave con artiste trying to right all the wrongs and Kriti Sanon does more than just look pretty. She manages to hold her own in the midst of all her male co-actors and is refreshing as the outgoing and fearless Meera. Brahmanandam as Tempting Star, Bullet Babu, a fading actor with a taste for beautiful women, provides comic relief and plays a crucial role in this con comedy. Ravi Babu and Posani Murali Krishna carry off their roles with élan.
The film has its fair share of comic situations and doesn’t slacken pace throughout. The director weaves a plot thick with sub-plots and ties up all the loose ends in the second half leading it to its logical climax. While Sudheer Varma does a decent job with Dohchay one can’t shake off the Swamy Ra Ra hangover that this film seems to have. There are several sequences in the film where one ends up drawing parallels with the director’s debut film.
While the music is situational and complements the plot, there are a couple of song-dance sequences where one can’t help but notice poor lip syncing. Except a few minor glitches like these the film is a decent watch.
Dohchay
Cast: Naga Chaitanya, Kriti Sanon, Brahmanandam, Posani Krishna Murali, Ravi Babu
Director: Sudheer Varma
Genre: Crime comedy
Bottomline: Not a bad attempt, but with a ‘Swamy Ra Ra’ hangover
