The official remake of the Spanish movie Mirage is now out in theatres. Starring Taapsee Pannu in the lead role and directed by Anurag Kashyap, Dobaaraa is a time-travel mystery drama. The second outing of the actor-director duo, Dobaaraa is another exciting film. Stylised as 2:12, the title of the film is a play on its meaning, which is ‘again’, and the time, twelve minutes past two. Does Dobaaraa live up to the expectations set by a strong director and lead actor? Read the review to find out.

A seamless merging of the past and present

The movie switches between the events of 1996 and 2021. In the present day Hinjewadi, Pune, Antara has just moved into a new home with her husband and daughter. As they are settling in, an electric thunderstorm is on the horizon. Termed a geomagnetic storm by experts, it is a repeat of a similar storm that happened 25 years ago on the same day.

On the fated day in 1996, a 12-year-old Anay sees a fight at his neighbour’s house and goes to investigate. He witnesses the murder of his neighbour. While making his escape, he is hit by a fire brigade and dies. In the present day, Antara who is aware of the past events sees Anay on his old television set. Seeing an opportunity to save a life, Antara takes it. But in saving Anay’s life in the past, Antara’s life in the present is overhauled.

From here, the movie switches between the past and the present. By saving Anay, Anatara is no longer married to Vikas nor does she have a daughter, Avanti. In a bid to get her daughter back, Anatara goes to great lengths to set the timeline straight. Despite the constant back and forth between the timelines, you are never confused. It is quite easy to follow the events as they happen in the past and the present. Anurag Kashyap manages to create a seamless connection between the timelines he is working with.

Engaging and thrilling

In its runtime of a little over two hours, the movie never manages to lose the attention of the audience. It keeps you invested and excited to find out how everything will be resolved. The movie stays true to its genre, especially in the first half. I could feel my heart racing while I grabbed the edge of my seat. It gets a bit disturbing at one point, but that just adds to the thrill. The film loses its momentum in the second half, but it’s not too bad. While you don’t feel the same excitement you felt in the first half, post-interval too, the movie keeps you engaged. Dobaaraa is not predictable to the very end, which works in its favour.

Taapsee Pannu lends a sense of sobriety to her character, and despite the implausibility of the events, she never teeters toward crazy. Antara is aware of the absurdity of her situation, but she still asks valid questions. Even if none of the characters has an answer. Taapsee never goes overboard in portraying her character and that lends sanity to Antara. Arrian Sawant, as the 12-year-old Anay, does a fabulous job as well.

Dobaaraa stays true to its roots. It is nowhere close to being a frame-to-frame recreation of Mirage. Rather, Kashyap makes it his own while maintaining the essence of the movie. Dobaaraa has more emotional depth than Mirage and that’s one of the strengths of the movie. It never undermines the audience’s intelligence and stays away from overexplaining events. The obscurities in the movie only add to the suspense and keep you hooked throughout.

Featured Image Source

Related: Raksha Bandhan Review: Casually Misogynistic, Regressive, And An Utter Failure At Every Level