In a droll season of self-important crime thrillers and soporific family fiestas, ‘Dupahiya’, now streaming on Amazon, is a blessing. And not even in disguise. There is not a single moment of artifice in the entire length and breadth of the series. It is normal to skip portions of lengthy serials, time after all is valuable. If you miss any chunk of this peachy fable of a bride, a wedding, and a missing mo’bike you will do so at your own risk.
Firstly, my compliments to the chef, and the writers Avinash Dwivedi, Chirag Garg, Salona Bains Joshi, and Shubh Shivdasani for the screenplay that simply rocks. For those of us who believe that too many cooks spoil the broth, here is proof to the contrary. Crackling hissing writing, so original and game-changing, I thought I would never get to see it on the Indian OTT platform.
There is no borrowed bone in the series as the writers take us to a village in Bihar’s Dhadakpur where crime never happens….until a precious motorbike goes missing. This, I confess, is the lame summation of a wildly uproarious display of brilliant bedlam that moves from a routine gaon-mein-shadi fare to a ferocious race against time to retrieve the stolen bike.
Besides the two-wheeler, the series brims over with utterly incredible performance: the ever-dependable Gajaraj Rao is bang-on as the bride Roshni’s harried father, as is Shivani Raghuvanshi (why is she not getting more to do?) as the bride. And Bhuvan Arora Roshni’s lovelorn paramour and Avinash Dwivedi (he is also one of the series’ writers) as her pompous groom are infectiously posh. And do pause to applaud Chandan Kumar for playing the “passionate patrakar” with such amusing righteousness.
But the real star of Dupahiya (besides the writing and the two-wheeler) is Sparsh Shrivastava. Playing the bride’s Bollywood-fixated brother, the young actor from Laapataa Ladies swings a clean sixer. His exuberance (watch him perform a drag dance towards the end of the series) and complete surrender to his character are beyond simple entertainment. Comedy for the actors in Dupahiya is not a frivolous matter.
His writing (can’t praise it enough) goes a long way in making every character memorable. Watch out for the subplot about a dark-complexioned girl played by Komal Kushwaha and her besotted Loverboy played by Samarth Mahor, both tugging their characters’ heartstrings far beyond the call of duty.
Sonam Nair’s direction gets it. The ‘Bihari’ dialect may seem a little strained at times (and Renuka Shahane as the Sarpanch’s right-hand woman is too much Neena Gupta from Panchayat without the latter’s naturalness) but Nair nails the mood with unerring acumen. She is the directorial discovery of the year. Dupahiya is the kind of fresh funny and feisty series that restores our faith beyond the tedium of the OTT medium.
Would there be a sequel? Bring it on, please! I am still chuckling. When was the last time when every one of the bustling galleries of characters left a blasting impression?
