‘Dug Dug’ movie review: A timely, empathetic satire on the business of belief

After a drunken Thakur Lal, driving successful a daze, dies successful an mishap connected a desolate Rajasthan highway, his humble Luna oregon Dug Dug motorcycle begins mysteriously returning to the clang tract contempt being locked distant astatine a constabulary chowki by seemingly clueless policemen. This inexplicable lawsuit sparks rumours, past belief, and yet a full-blown cult. A clergyman suggests devotees connection Thakur’s favourite items to the ‘divine’ two-wheeler. Soon, followers commencement pouring intoxicant and offering bidis astatine the tract with the anticipation that their wishes volition beryllium fulfilled. What starts arsenic a quirky enigma evolves into a commentary connected the accelerated birth, intoxication, and commercialisation of a caller religion.

The autarkic movie is simply a crisp socio-religious satire inspired by a real-life improvement successful Rajasthan wherever radical recovered deity successful a instrumentality and cleverly uses absurdity to research however faith, superstition, and commerce intertwine successful agrarian India.

Debutant Ritwik Pareek excels astatine showing however unsighted religion takes basal — not done preaching, but done deadpan absurdity, montages, and corporate rationalisation. The stylistic flair successful his storytelling generates a hypnotic effect. The neon-lit nights, stark godforsaken landscapes, and the banner of a magician astatine the clang tract propulsion you into the narrative. The rhythmic editing and a jazzy soundtrack lend it a mysterious energy. The mode the motorcycle is changeable makes it consciousness eerily alive.

The movie doesn’t tally down the religion of the devoted. Unlike purely cynical takes connected religion, Dug Dug shows genuine curiosity astir wherefore radical request belief, particularly successful isolated, hardship-filled lives wherever the divine takes signifier successful the exhaust fumes of despair. This item makes the satire richer and little judgmental. As it expands, it conveys Indian realities specified arsenic roadside shrines, the miracles that spell viral connected societal media, the entrepreneurship of priests, and, much importantly, the comfortableness that religion provides.

It is not that the thought is rooted successful a distant past. While watching it, one’s caput goes to the stray dog successful Western Uttar Pradesh that became a viral sensation this January aft being seen performing circumambulation astir temple idols for hours without nutrient oregon water.

After the fascinating build-up from hypnotic roadworthy play to wide absurdity, unraveling the science down faith, the storytelling successful Dug Dug gradually feels repetitive, leaning a small excessively overmuch connected montages of the cult’s maturation alternatively than focusing connected idiosyncratic quality arcs. While imaginativeness and benignant acceptable the stage, it is quality improvement that drives a compelling narrative. The metaphor of a swelling balloon starts arsenic an innovation but becomes a crutch. The characters look deliberately underwritten to disguise the actors’ limitations, but the gamble fails to foster affectional connection. However, contempt pacing issues and a deficiency of quality depth, Dug Dug breathes beingness into the shrinking indie scene, offering an empathetic and timely critique of spiritual fervour.

Dug Dug is presently moving successful theatres