When Hari met Saraswati, it was possibly the most ill-fated day of his life. That’s what we are led to believe in the early portions of Shaneil Deo’s Dacoit.
It’s because of Saraswati (Mrunal Thakur) that Hari (Adivi Sesh) is rotting in prison on charges of rape+murder. Hari is innocent of the first crime, actually sought to be perpetrated on his sister, but guilty of the second, of Saraswati’s brother. Betrayed by Saraswati’s testimony against him, Hari seethes behind bars, bulks up his body and plots revenge against his great love.
He breaks out of prison with the sole purpose of avenging himself, only to find Saraswati in a hot mess. She’s running around trying to fund an expensive heart transplant. Karuna Hospital, run by the corrupt Solomon (Prakash Raj), is giving her the run-around. She’s also married to Bhaskar (Vaibhav Tatwawadi), and has a daughter.
A heist is planned, so shoddily it flops, but it does draw the attention of the film’s best character, a spiritual-minded, sharp-witted police officer (Anurag Kashyap). A second heist ensues minutes later, followed by more events.
The film’s writers – Adivi Sesh and Shanil Deo – have decided to earn every bit of their screenwriting credit. Sesh and Deo are determined to roll out a series of twists, unmindful of how ridiculous they are. At least the dizzying developments do generate giggles in a mostly overwrought movie in which Adivi Sesh glowers endlessly and Mrunal Thakur weeps copiously.
Once the story kicks in, it goes off into bizarre directions. Karuna Hospital is the centre of activity, as though there is no other medical establishment in the district. Hari slips in and out of places despite his face being plastered everywhere. A character who could have cleared up the question of Hari’s innocence is conveniently kept out of view.
The Covid pandemic is written into the 155-minute film, resulting in facial coverings, but that hardly excuses Hari’s ease of movement. Little else does too.
Hari scampers about, possibly in search of the strain of basic logic that might justify his efforts. Anurag Kashyap’s cop bears witness to the tortured Hari-Saraswati dynamic. Kashyap keeps a straight face throughout – hugely admirable, given the enervating goings-on.
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