Do Dooni Char

<p>The Duggals are a family living in a one-bedroom in , . The middle-aged patriarch, Santosh Duggal ( ), is a modest ; his wife Kusum ( ) is a stay-at-home who quit her job at Santosh’s insistence. They have two teenage children: a college-going daughter, Payal ( ), who narrates the film, and a high-schooler son, Sandeep ( ), who is also known as Deepu or Sandy. They lead a hand-to-mouth existence, penny-pinching at every opportunity. Santosh commutes using a dilapidated old , nicknamed “Duggal Express”, from his home to the school and to a centre, where he gains a supplementary . Despite his best efforts to give his children a quality education, he always falls short of their expectations, who wish for a comfortable life despite their situation. One evening, Santosh receives a from his sister Urmi, who informs him that her youngest (sister-in-law) is getting married at their home in that weekend. This throws the children’s plans of buying out the window, as their meagre is now further strained with the burden of travelling to Meerut and buying gifts for the groom’s family. The following night, Urmi turns up at the Duggals’, and entreats the family to arrive at the marriage by at any cost; if they show up on the scooter, she will have to face taunts from her family. Santosh immediately says that this is impossible, since he does not have the finances to borrow a car, let alone to buy one. However, Kusum promises a distraught Urmi that they will go to the marriage in a car, no matter what the . After a fellow teacher at school proposes renting a car to Meerut, but at too high a price, Santosh turns to his jovial neighbour Farooqui, who offers the Duggals his old . Payal drives the family to Meerut without incident. The marriage is a success, and Urmi’s family is pleased to see the Duggals. However, upon returning home, Payal reverses the car into a wall, damaging its rear and . Farooqui is unperturbed by the damage expenses, but his wife Salma loses her temper and challenges the Duggals to buy a car. Despite himself, Santosh takes up the challenge, and vows to buy a new car within fifteen days. Farooqui sympathises with Santosh and advises him to buy only a new car and not a . Santosh visits a car dealership and is offered a with an attractive offer, but he has to buy the car within five days to avail of the offer. Payal is displeased with the choice of car, as she wanted something more modern like her boyfriend’s . She refuses to accompany her family for the Alto’s , and eventually applies for a job at a . Meanwhile, Deepu, who had been money on matches, is shell-shocked when the betting ring is exposed and arrested; he destroys his , to his girlfriend’s consternation. That night, an exuberant Payal tells Santosh about her new job’s offer letter, but he is unhappy with his daughter sacrificing her education for some extra money. In a fit of rage, Payal tears up her offer letter, but then the family learns of the betting ring through a . Payal and Kusum are enraged, but Santosh is calm. He takes Deepu to distribute the betting money among street children. Having been refused a by both a and the coaching centre’s owner, Santosh is at his wits’ end to pay the car’s down payment. In desperation, he buys a thousand packets of 555 Brand , in the hope that he gets to win a car through a lucky found in one of the . The family spends considerable time ripping open , cutting through packets and fishing out coupons, but the grand prize eludes them. Santosh then chances upon an answer paper of one of his students’, wherein the student requests him to award him at least passing marks; in return, for each mark awarded, Santosh will receive one thousand . Santosh and Kusum had seen the paper earlier but had brushed it aside; now Kusum wonders whether they are doing the right thing, but Santosh reassures her that, in a fast-paced, burgeoning Delhi where his students get high-starting salaries, an aging teacher deserves at least a matchbox-sized car. Santosh and Payal proceed to a , where the student’s father has arranged to meet them along with him, his grandfather and his uncle. Meanwhile, Deepu is convinced, through another report on TV, that his father has fallen for a scam, and sets out alone for the restaurant. The men sit across Santosh and Payal. The grandfather asks Santosh to show how many marks were awarded. Santosh is astounded to discover that the boy is his student Aryan. Just as Santosh is about to show the answer-sheet, Zafar Iqbal, an ex-student of his, arrives on the scene with his wife and small daughter, and thanks him for making him a successful person in life and a principled “good boy”. Zafar tells Santosh that he and several other ex-students live in and recount memories of him. After he leaves, Santosh, clearly moved, refuses to take the money, telling Aryan that they will both have failed if he were to undeservedly pass him: Aryan for thinking that money can buy anything, and Santosh for being remembered for dishonesty. He is about to leave, when a furious Payal, on learning that Aryan had lewd messages on Santosh’s scooter, starts an uproarious fight between the Duggals (including Deepu, who has joined the scene) and Aryan’s relatives. Both parties, splattered with , flee the restaurant, with Aryan’s in hot pursuit of the “Duggal Express” as the latter speeds through the roads of Delhi. The Duggals have only just reached home when their pursuers arrive at their street, asking for their address and creating a ruckus. Farooqui informs a nervous Santosh about their presence. The Duggals come down and start apologising to them; Deepu had even been convinced that they were running a sting operation. However, their fears are unfounded: the grandfather introduces himself as Popley, the of Popley Sweets, and offers the Duggals twelve months’ advance to supplement their glaringly inadequate teaching income, which they reluctantly accept. He requests Santosh to teach Aryan to be a morally good boy, unlike his two wastrel sons. Payal and Deepu are now more proud than ever that their father is a teacher. The film ends with the Duggals enjoying their new Maruti Alto; as Payal teaches Santosh to drive it, they lament that they are now stuck in , whereas they would have simply squeezed through them with their scooter; of course, it is a small price for them to pay. Even at the script development stage, Rishi Kapoor had been in the mind of the makers, for the female lead opposite Rishi Kapoor, initially was approached, she, however, refused the role. Although Neetu-Rishi pair had made a brief appearance in the Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone starrer 2009 film , was their first film as a lead pair, after a gap of 30 years as Neetu Singh had retired from film after her marriage to Rishi Kapoor in 1980. Later in an interview Neetu, revealed she had no intentions of signing on the film and agreed to listen to the script at the insistence of her husband, who has already been signed on. Upon hearing the script from the director Habib, she started imaging herself as “Kusum Duggal” and immediately agreed to the part. The film deals with the issue of underpaid teachers, and their issue with their self-worth in the face of growing inflation and demands of their family. The middle-class school teacher who works overtime to support his income and to send his children to good schools ends up in a moral dilemma when it comes to fulfilling the needs of his ever unsatisfied teenage children. As per producer, Arindam Chaudhuri, “The common question the teacher asks when he looks at his student, who is just 25 and owns a car, is why at 55 he is still riding a scooter?” In the end, it is not just the teacher who redeems himself by not succumbing to taking bribes, but also his children who begin to see him in the true light and importance of being a teacher and an honest citizen. Film was shot on locations across Delhi, in places like , Vinobapuri, , , , and . The wedding sequence in the film set in Meerut, was shot in a Chhattarpur farmhouse and later in Nizamuddin area, in early 2009. Coaching class shot in , Mayur vihar phase 3. In August 2010, the film became the first live action Hindi feature film to be produced by and distributed by . The movie premiered at a suburban theatre in Mumbai on 6 October, attended by the cast and Bollywood stars, followed by a nationwide release on 8 October 2010. The film had its North American premiere as the opening night film of the 2011 New York Indian Film Festival on 4 May 2011. The film will be released on , Movie Download, and On Demand on 26 July 2011. The release will be produced in DVD widescreen and include a language track plus English subtitles. of called it, “a film with grace” and commended the film for its “inherent niceness and decency”. Pratim D. Gupta of gave two thumbs up to the film calling it “an irresistible trip to the movies” that “makes you feel good about yourself”. Mayank Shekhar of giving 4/5 stars said, “Full on paisa vasool! Dig into the Duggals” while Sudhish Kamath of called it “One of the most important films of our times. A celebration of the great Indian middle class. A landmark in indian film making!” of also liked the movie saying “Do Dooni… is simple but lovable.” Similarly veteran critic of called it a “A little gem that should not be missed!” Vinayak Chakravorty of Mail Today gave it three stars, writing: “Debutant Habib Faisal’s direction works for the way he underplays routine ironies of life.” also praised the film, saying, “Though the film carries underlying messages of honesty and respect for the noble profession of teaching, it does not sound preachy or demand sympathy for the protagonist family.” rated it 3 out of 5 and claimed it Sweet, simplistic and sensitive. The film collected (US$530,000) in its theatrical run. [Do Duni Char]</p>