R Madhavan-Aparshakti’s Film Betrays Expectations With Its Dull Writing

Story

Dhokha:
Round
D
Corner
gives
us
a
little
peek
into
newlyweds
Yathaarth
(R
Madhavan)
and
Sanchi
(Khushalii
Kumar)’s
love
story
through
a
series
of
candid
and
celebratory
moments
in
a
song
before
it
ventures
into
the
‘not-so-happy’
zone
where
the
latter
asks
for
a
divorce.

Post
the
heated
argument,
Yathaarth
heads
towards
his
office
where
he
turns
down
an
offer
to
travel
overseas
for
work
purpose.
When
he
steps
out
of
his
boss’
cubicle,
his
eyes
fall
on
the
TV
screen
which
has
news
blaring
about
a
terrorist
Hak
Gul
(Aparshakti
Khurana)
who
has
escaped
from
police
custody
and
seeked
refuge
at
a
building.

All
hell
breaks
loose
when
Yathaarth
realises
that
the
building
in
question
is
his
house
and
that
Gul
has
held
his
wife
Saanchi
as
a
hostage.
Inspector
Harichandar
Malik
(Darshan
Kumaar)
steps
in
to
get
a
hold
over
this
crisis.
While
Yathaarth
and
Malik
hustle
and
bustle
worrying
about
Sanchi’s
safety,
the
latter
who
has
been
held
hostage
by
Gul,
has
some
other
plans
on
her
mind.

As
the
narrative
moves
ahead,
every
character
lends
a
different
‘perspective’
to
their
present
situation
which
makes
you
question
what’s
‘dhokha’
and
‘what’s
the
truth.

Direction

On
paper,
the
concept
of

Dhokha:
Round
D
Corner
sounds
terrific.
However,
it
falls
short
of
being
an
engaging
claustrophobic
trailer
because
of
its
screenplay
which
is
dreary
and
stretched
at
places.
There
are
a
few
scenes
which
appear
a
tad
repetitive
and
that
kills
some
of
the
fun.

A
film
like

Dhoka:
Round
D
Corner
needs
to
keep
you
on
your
toes
with
the
tension
in
the
air.
Sadly,
that
doesn’t
happen
here.

Kookie
tries
to
tie
the
loose
ends
of
the
film
by
lifting
the
curtains
from
the
multiple
perspectives
to
lie
bare
some
‘dhokas’
revolving
around
the
characters
in
the
film.
The
revelations
are
dripped
in
deceit
and
bring
in
the
shock
element
in
the
storytelling.
But
by
them,
too
many
yawns
have
been
induced
to
care
any
longer.
The
caricature-like
portrayal
of
media
does
no
good
either.
Some
of
the
dialogues
are
frivolous.

Performances

R
Madhavan
puts
in
sincere
efforts
for
his
clumsily-written
role.
However,
it
still
feels
that
he
has
been
underutilized
in
the
film.
Aparshakti
Khurrana
as
the
terrorist
Haq
Gul,
holds
on
to
the
authenticity
of
his
character
till
the
last
frame
even
when
the
writing
fails
him.

Debutante
Khushalii
Kumar
pulls
off
a
decent
act
as
she
struggles
to
juggle
between
being
seductive
and
devious.
But
the
actress
still
has
a
long
way
when
it
comes
to
facial
expressions
and
body
language.
Darshan
Kumaar
finds
himself
in
another
over-dramatic
role
that
hardly
does
any
justice
to
his
acting
chops.

Technical
Aspects

Amit
Roy’s
introductory
shots
bring
in
some
thrills
which
ultimately
fizzles
out
once
the
plot
is
established.
The
painfully
slow
pace
of
the
film
in
certain
portions
seems
to
have
escaped
the
editor’s
eye.

Music

Jubin
Nautinyal’s
‘Tu
Banke
Hawa’
which
plays
during
the
opening
credits,
is
the
only
track
which
makes
a
mark.
The
rest
including
the
revamped
version
of
the
popular
number
of
‘Zooby
Zooby’
are
passable.

Verdict

“I
need
some
drama
and
action
in
this
f*cking
story,”
a
news
editor
barks
at
his
staff
in
order
to
boost
the
TRP
ratings
of
his
channel
after
Sanchi
is
held
hostage
by
Gul.
You
find
yourself
echoing
the
same
sentiment
as
banal
characters
pop
on
screen
and
mouth
ludicrous
dialogues
after
a
certain
point
in
the
film.