Abhishek Bachchan is A+, but the film struggles for a passing score

Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it... this quite appropriately sums up the thought that Abhishek Bachchan-starrer Dasvi builds on. The political satire tries to shed some light on the importance of education, especially for our politicians. But despite its good intentions to entertain and educate the audience, the film falls prey to its own chaos and confusion.

Dasvi traces the life of a brash, illiterate and corrupt chief minister Ganga Ram Chaudhary (Bachchan), who, for his criminal records, including an educational scam, is sent to judicial custody. While he’s imprisoned, his docile and timid wife Bimla Devi (Nimrat Kaur) takes over the chief minister’s chair in fictional Harit Pradesh, and soon begins to love the power it brings. Meanwhile, Chaudhary is taken to task inside the jail when a strict and lawful cop, Jyoti Deswal (Yami Gautam Dhar) is appointed as the new superintendent.

It’s after an altercation between these two — during which Deswal calls Chaudhary “anpadh gawaar” — that he takes up the challenge of completing his Class 10 examination. Chaudhary needs to pass the test to retain his position — both inside the jail and outside, where his wife has become quite intent on keeping the chair he asked her to fill for him.

Director Tushar Jalota has mixed too many elements to convey one simple message, and in the process, ends up with inconsistent storytelling and a half-baked final product. The fantastic first half is laced with a lot of socio-political satire and comic punches that trigger genuine laughter. But it falls flat in the second half that turns preachy and appears a tad dragged.

With clever references to Taare Zameen Par (learning disability), Rang De Basanti (recalling tales of freedom fighters) and Lage Raho Munna Bhai (seeing characters come alive when you read about them in books), Dasvi tries hard to engage you, but falters often. The characters are given such a caricature-like look that no matter how hard you try, you don’t believe them for what they are doing.

Writers Suresh Nair and Ritesh Shah don’t really bring any magic with their dialogues or story. At one point, you actually wonder how a politician so addicted to a life of crime can have a change of heart overnight. But, the makers don’t take the pain of delving into that transformation or bother to make the story believable. The only thing that remains consistent throughout the film is the on-point Haryanvi dialect that the actors have picked up. It doesn’t look forced or awkward at any point. The scene in which Kaur takes oath as chief minister is particularly hilarious.

Bachchan as the pagdi-clad chief minister is impressive and owns the screen, but only to an extent because his character arc is not backed by great writing. It’s loaded with all the stereotypes of how you would expect an Indian politician to be. That leaves very little scope for him to shine even when he is capable of doing so.

As a housewife-turnedpolitician who has now tasted power and fame, Kaur nails the part and wins you over. The way her style undergoes a hasty transformation might be a bit much to digest, but she lights up the screen with her wit and convincing portrayal. In the role of a fiery and strict jailor, Dhar delivers an earnest performance. She’s tough and loud in some scenes and restrained in others.

Another thing that doesn’t quite take off on screen is the chemistry between Bachchan and Kaur’s characters. It remains superficial for most of the 130 minute-long runtime. And while there are some heartwarming scenes between Dhar and Bachchan, they fizzle out even before you realise.

Even though Dasvi has a strong subject at hand and has its heart in the right place, its average writing, silly treatment of characters and tedious execution become its fatal flaws.