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Indian filmmakers have always been interested in adapting foreign films. Laal Singh Chaddha, starring Aamir Khan, released last week, was a remake of the Hollywood film Forrest Gump, which came about thirty years ago. Now releasing in theatres, Anurag Kashyap directed film Dobara is a remake of Spanish film Miraj released in the year 2018. This is truly a one of its kind ‘time travel’ story.

Here’s What you should know before watching the film

The story is set in the year 1996 in Hinjewadi, Pune. 12-year-old Aney (Pankaj Rajput) is happy to see his father’s video on video amidst predictions of a cyclone. The same night, amidst heavy rain, he sees his neighbor Raja Ghosh (Shashwat Chatterjee) committing murder. As Raja proceeds to catch him, while fleeing, Aney dies after being hit by a speeding fire brigade vehicle. From there the story moves to the year 2021. At the hospital, nurse Antara Awasthi (Taapsee Pannu) shifts with her husband Vikas (Rahul Bhatt) and their six-year-old daughter, who is working in the hotel. They learn that this is the same house where Aney lived. He learns about Aney’s past.

On a stormy night, she single-handedly watches Aney’s old videos by connecting his old TV and the camera on it. At that time it would have happened two twelve times in the night. There is an oddity in it. Aney and Antara talk to each other through TV. Antara stops Aney from going to the neighbourhood, so that his life can be saved. After that, suddenly Antara reaches another world. There everyone addresses him as Dr. Vashisht. He doesn’t understand why everyone is calling him a doctor. She searches for her daughter. Eventually Antara realizes that this world is different? He has changed the past, so his future has changed. There are many mysteries of this world. How does Antara connect the ends of the two worlds? It would be better to see it in the movie.

Will Anurag Kashyap be able to make Profit from this movie?

Director Anurag Kashyap is known for making films out of the league. The concept of Dobara is good, but the story is quite complicated. Many questions also remain unanswered. For example, in time travel, the character often looks closely at his past or future. In the second world, when Antara reaches the other world, then that world is the same as the previous world. The same swimming pool, the same has changed the lives of some characters at home. Her husband is married to someone else. Everyone knows her as Dr. Antara Vashisht, but Dr. Vashisht is not seen till the end? Where did Dr.Vashisht disappear as soon as Antara arrived? On going to the other world there should have been another Antara, as the rest of the characters are part of the world that Antara’s previous world belonged to.

In the middle of a dialogue it is told that Dr. Antara Vashistha has been sent on leave due to drinking problem. But there should have been a glimpse of Antara face to face of both the worlds. In the beginning, it seems that the story is running parallel, then it is understood that it is a story of a different world. In such a situation, you have to put a lot of mind to understand the story. When Antara finally returns to her world, she regains consciousness in the swimming pool, while it is shown in the beginning that she disappears from her room. There the audience will not be able to feel the connection. Whereas that was an important scene to connect the two worlds. In a scene involving a 25-year-old TV connecting via a power plug, the director forgot to connect the camera to the charging point.

A 25-year-old camera running so easily without charging raises questions about the finer points that directors now care a lot about. On the acting front, Taapsee Pannu has got a chance to show many shades of acting in the role of Antara, trapped in a world of unsolved mysteries. From the role of a puzzled mother to a confused human being, she has portrayed accurately the events that take place in her state of mind to find her daughter, especially as she time travels. Pavail Gulati is seen doing justice in the character of a patient police officer. However, there was a lot of potential to make his character exciting.

Rahul Bhatt’s performance in the character of Vikas is remembered. His character has become interesting in both the worlds. Shashwat Chatterjee, who became popular as Bob Vishwas in the film Kahaani, manages to bind with his acting. Pankaj Rajput has done a good job in the character of Aney. Few films have been made on time travel in Hindi cinema. If writer Nihit Bhave had done a little more work on the script again, it could have turned out to be a better film. Sylvester Fonseca’s cinematography and noisy police composers’ background score handle the film’s story at many places.