Do Dooni Chaar

I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. The storyline is funny, the acting is good and the best part is the movie is not too out there. My biggest pet peeve with most bollywood movies is that everything is too loud and exaggerated.. This thankfully isn't one of those movies.

The story is about a middle-class teacher and nothing is out of the ordinary. No glamorous daughter who hangs out in pubs all night, no over-dramatic wife, no weird spoilt filmy children. As a matter of fact, the attention to detail with which the director has shown a middle class family is just too darn amazing.. There are so many little things you can notice about your average everyday middle-class family that not only make you wonder the amount of effort that was put into researching, but which also make the movie genuinely funny and likable! Like I particularly liked the scene where Rishi kapoor adjusts the wires of his nightlamp to make it work (presumably as it was without a plug), or how neetu singh is washing the verandah in slippers and socks.. such little things! The acting is also very good.. rishi kapoor makes it look effortless.. neetu singh does a convincing role of your everyday housewife.. the kids even though in college thankfully aren't also prancing around singing songs in college either... If you need to see the real Delhi this is the movie you should watch.. really good clean fun!

Was flipping through channels on Sunday night after having nothing better to do and saw this wonderful movie do dooni char. Captured essence of middle class life so succinctly and reminded me of my childhood. Best was ending of movie when narrator (daughter of protagonist) claims that consumerism is not bad. In family's desire to buy a car they could rediscover their dad, started taking pride in their lives and his brother and father came close to each other. Their effort to win lucky draw by opening thousand boxes of detergent reminded me of how dutifully mom was collecting each edition of local newspaper when they had a maruti draw or how I used to try KBC phone religiously in college. Typical middle class dreams and desire to fulfill them. How one has societal pressures of showing one in good position in marriage at one's relatives, how neighbors fight and learn to live together and how old teachers always live in heart of students.

Do Dooni Char is one small episode portraying a middle-class Delhi family struggling through their financial limitations. It is a humorous and enjoyable feature though it is more impressive for its authenticity and realistic feel rather than the story itself. That's where the film scores. The spirit of Delhi and its middle-class families is wonderfully captured. The sets, the costumes and the props are all very simple and thus create an enchanting sense of everyday realism which is very missing in Hindi films. The writing itself is not particularly great, but the film has its moments and it actually deals with problems not usually dealt with in Indian movies, such as the modest salaries professional teachers get paid for their efforts and how this affects their image. This specific issue is conveyed through the main element of the narrative, namely the lack of a car in math teacher Santosh Duggal's family, which also includes his wife and two children. He is forced to use a scooter and at some point this starts saddening him and those who surround him. Quite a lovely way of conveying a concept, and it is generally well done, but at times the movie is way too messy and hard to follow. The film has one more plus and it is the casting, particularly of Rishi Kapoor, who delivers a moving and convincing performance with natural ease. Neetu Singh Kapoor is very good, especially considering the fact that she had not acted for decades. The kids do well and Aditi Vasudev is also good in narrating the film. Do Dooni Chaar is one nice film which is not flawless but is colourful enough to entertain and enlighten.

Thank God, I'm watching lot of good films nowadays!! It is good for mental health!! Do Dooni Chaar is a movie that is excellent in all aspects. Be it the casting, the dialogues, the direction, or anything. Just one word, excellent!! There have been crap movies in the past, there have been movies in which the director attempted to do something good ,but ended up as a failure. I suggest such people watch this movie. This is a textbook for people who want to make simple films with great intentions. Of course, Do Dooni Chaar hits the right target, and that is the success of the director. No wonder, after watching this movie Sachin Tendulkar wanted to act in this director's movie. And one more thing, this movie is produced by Arindam Chaudhury, the famous economist and the founder of IIPM. He has done a good thing to produce such a great movie. So, what's the movie about?? It revolves around the life of Duggal family, consisting of a dad, mom and two children. Real life couple Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh have come up together on screen after so many years, ant the chemistry is extra ordinary. The girl and the boy who acted as their children are equally good. The story is completely natural, simple and refreshing. The movies like Do Dooni Chaar should be made, this is doubtlessly a real gem in Indian cinema, one of the best movies of the recent times!! Habib Faizal, you rock!!

Long after "Khosla ka ghosla" has a good movie with middle class background has come up. I would say the movie is far better than anyone can expect of Habib Faisal.

The movie starts with a very simple layout and continues the simplicity of middle class throughout. Definitely the characters are perfect suited for their roles and the storyline. Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh came out very realistic. This movie has changed the picture of Rishi Kapoor-the rich dad to Rishi Kapoor-a middle class man.

The movie portrays a normal family with mummy like housewife saving a rupee wherever possible; father still using age-old scooter; decent and trying to be a boy daughter; and a ambitious son doing just good with his demanding girlfriend. The best part is there were no Golmaal-type events or songs to make the viewer happy or sad and everything comes out very naturally except for 1-2 scenes. I assure you the climax is not very expected type but you would appreciate the originality and attention to detail.

Basically, the movie contains a great deal of drama, comedy, sentiments and definitely suspense as to what happens of the CAR. If you liked "Khosla ka ghosla-quest for middle class house" this "quest for a car" is your type. No food for thought-just entertainment.