Film Review: Dhai Aakhar

SUYASH PACHAURI
Sep 6
2 min read

Banner

Kabir Communications, Aakriti Productions Pvt. Ltd., S.K. Jain Jamai & J.P. Agarwal

Cast

Mrinal Kulkarni, Harish Khanna, Prasanna Bisht, Rohit Kokate, Chandan Anand, Neer Rao, Smriti Mishra, Aadya Agrawal

Director

Praveen Arora

Story & Screenplay

Dhai Aakhar (UA) is based on Amrik Singh Deep’s novel Tirthatan Ke Baad. It narrates the journey of Harshita (Mrinal Kulkarni), a widow in Lakhanpur village of Uttar Pradesh, who struggles to heal from the scars of an abusive marriage after her husband’s (Rohit Kokate) death.

While trying to rediscover herself, Harshita finds solace in a book by Sridhar (Harish Khanna), whose story mirrors her own life. Their correspondence leads to an emotional bond, and when she eventually meets him in Varanasi, she stays with him briefly. However, upon returning home, her sons discover Sridhar’s letters and refuse to accept her, even barring her entry into her own house. Only her younger daughter-in-law, Bela (Prasanna Bisht), shows compassion. The film then explores Harshita’s fight for dignity and acceptance.

Asghar Wajahat’s adapted screenplay, much like the source material, caters to a niche, elite audience. The lack of mainstream cinematic elements and an abrupt ending make the drama heavy and dull at several points. Dialogues by Asghar Wajahat are adequate but not impactful.

Performances

Mrinal Kulkarni is strong and convincing as Harshita, carrying the film on her shoulders.
Harish Khanna is satisfactory as Sridhar, the author.
Prasanna Bisht is fair as Bela, the empathetic younger daughter-in-law.
Rohit Kokate is average in a short role as Harshita’s abusive husband.
Chandan Anand (Ranjit, elder son) and Neer Rao (Vineet, younger son) give ordinary performances.
Smriti Mishra (Sushma, elder daughter-in-law) is average.
Aadya Agrawal is okay as granddaughter Kanti.

Technical Aspects

Direction: Praveen Arora’s execution is weak and fails to lift the material.
Music: Anupam Roy’s songs are functional; lyrics by Irshad Kamil are thoughtful but do not enhance the narrative.
Background Score: Anupam Roy – decent but unremarkable.
Cinematography: Sandeep Gn Yadav – fair.
Art Direction: Asad Khan – below average.
Editing: V.S. Kannan & Rahul Jaiswal – leaves much to be desired, adding to the sluggish pace.

Verdict

Dhai Aakhar is a niche, slow-paced drama that may appeal only to a limited segment of the audience familiar with or inclined towards literary adaptations. Weak direction and dull storytelling make it a film with very limited commercial appeal.

⭐ Rating: 1.5/5