D for Dopidi: All they want is money

Money defines the character of a person; it makes or mars them. Here it leads to both crime and retribution. In this film it is just not four youth (Sandeep, Varun, Naveen, Rakesh) driven by various motives to rob a bank, there is also a village chief who joins the heist with his cronies. Essentially a comedy it has no other purpose that leads, drives the film. Most films have voiceovers and introductions but none in recent times have been able to capture attention such as this. Nani’s voice helped but his dance at the end of the story doesn’t add to the content. Let’s shift to the scene of the crime after an elaborate character sketch.

Amateurs in handling weapons, the masked men come with a stiff neck, fractured arm, hounded by recovery agents and demanding girlfriends. One person needs the money to restructure his physique too. They all manage to keep the employees in the bank hostage even as they ponder over the next plan of action. The entire film is shot in one location and there are no songs to distract viewers.

Director Deva Katta slips easily into the role of a cop trying to understand the severity of the heist as a Peepli Live situation emerges adding mirth to the cacophony. The runtime is short and the director crams all, from blooming of romance, moral science to sub plots. But the huge drawback is the lack of a strong conflict point that will move you or keep you involved. The scenes inside the bank drag on and while you guess what is in store, the film draws to a close.

The writing is good and the editing tight. The director clearly didn’t work on the climax well enough. The performances are decent and all the artistes have been given enough space. The phone too becomes a character in the story, ringing incessantly.

Tanikella Bharani adds spice to the drama and a pat for all the four young artistes who dished out only what was necessary and worked as a cohesive whole. Siraj Kalla is a director with a great deal of promise. His screenplay and dialogues stand out and remind one of another engaging film Brahmigadi Katha. Despite the plot not being new, D for Dopidi is a good time pass flick and stands out for its screenplay, dialogues and performances.

D FOR DOPIDI

Cast: Sandeep Kishan, Varun Sandesh

Direction: Siraj Kalla

Music: Mahesh Shankar

Plot: Immature youth try to rob a bank.

Genre: Comedy

Bottomline: The guns are fake but the acting isn’t