Dobaaraa
2022 · Directed by Anurag Kashyap
Original language: Hindi
- science fiction
- mystery
- thriller
The story
In the 1990s, during a wild thunderstorm night, 12-year-old Anay dies in a road accident shortly after he sees his next-door neighbor committing a crime. Twenty-five years later, in a strange turn of events, on an identical stormy night, Antara finds herself in front of a TV set through which she attempts to save Anay’s life but her good deed causes a disturbing chain of unexpected consequences.
What it’s like
Rain-streaked windows, dim domestic interiors lit by lamps and the cold blue flicker of a television, and the constant percussion of a storm give this film a claustrophobic, wet-night texture. Its camera stays close and restless in tight rooms, with tense, deliberate framing that makes ordinary apartments feel watched. The score and sound design lean on low thrums, rain hammering roofs, and sudden silences that let unease build. The vibe is brooding, anxious and mournful, best suited to a late night alone or a stormy evening with the lights off. Pacing is steady and suspenseful rather than frantic, with the mystery unspooling in slow, escalating steps. The emotional register is grief and guilt, and its two central figures are pulled toward each other across time by a shared attempt to undo a loss, their arcs shaped by the cost of acting on that hope. Violence is present but restrained: a fatal road accident and a crime are shown in brief, sharp bursts, with dread doing most of the work rather than gore, though some scenes are tense and disturbing. It suits viewers who want atmospheric, cerebral Indian thrillers with a melancholy edge and a sci-fi puzzle at their center, not light or gentle viewing.
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