Duplicate
1998 · Directed by Mahesh Bhatt
Original language: Hindi
- action
- comedy
The story
Manu, a criminal, finds his doppelganger in a budding chef, Bablu, and uses this fact to his advantage. Later, Manu tries to kill the chef so that he can take over his life and escape the law.
What it’s like
Bright, glossy 1990s Hindi commercial cinema, with saturated studio colour, mid-range framing built around its star's expressions, and the familiar rhythm of song breaks dropped between tense stretches. Its best pleasure is the double performance: one lead plays a sharp-tongued criminal and a gentle, fumbling would-be chef, and the switch between them carries most of the mood. The tone swings between light comedy, mistaken-identity farce and suspense, with a steady undercurrent of unease as the criminal's scheme tightens. Action and violence are present, including a late attempt on a man's life, but they come in short, sharp bursts rather than lingering gore, and the thriller elements stay closer to caper than to dread. The romance threads are warm and uncomplicated. The arc is about a man who takes another's life and must eventually face what that means, with the comedy easing the darker turns. It suits a lazy afternoon or a comfort rewatch for viewers who enjoy a bit of mischief, playful disguise and star-driven melodrama, and who don't mind a few tense, violent moments along the way.
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