By K N Gupta
Eye TV India Bureau
Cast: Manoj Bajpayee, Aarti Chhabria, Dilip Prabahvalkar, Siddharth Makkar
Director: Ajoy
'Dus Tola' is a very simple story told in a simple way and possibly directed and made in yet simpler way. The 21st century audience has no taste just for a moral; they look forward for entertainment and with usual masala. However, the title of the movie is ever relevant - love for gold - rather it's growing these days when the value of other commodities, including equities and property, has been nose-diving because of worldwide economic slump.
Eye TV India Bureau
Cast: Manoj Bajpayee, Aarti Chhabria, Dilip Prabahvalkar, Siddharth Makkar
Director: Ajoy
'Dus Tola' is a very simple story told in a simple way and possibly directed and made in yet simpler way. The 21st century audience has no taste just for a moral; they look forward for entertainment and with usual masala. However, the title of the movie is ever relevant - love for gold - rather it's growing these days when the value of other commodities, including equities and property, has been nose-diving because of worldwide economic slump.
The story isn't bad though but no longer relevant in this age. In the movie, Shankar played by Manoj Bajpai is a poor goldsmith living in a small town of Sonapur. He falls in love with his neighbor Suvarna played by pretty Aarti Chhabria. She is daughter of a shrewd astrologer named Shastri played by Dilip Prabahvalkar. However, the girl's father is opposed to Sahankar-Suvarna relationship because he is looking for a rich guy for his daughter. But, on Suvarna's persuasion, Shankar anyhow manages a gold necklace of dus tola (weighing more than 100 grams), to convince her father of his intensity of love for his daughter. But, Suvarna and her father go back on their promise; father marries the girl with Ravi played by Siddharth Makkar.
Ravi has just returned to India from Dubai, but after being confined to two months' jail there. As the luck has it Shankar now owns a jewelry shop, and meets another girl, Geeta, played by Pallavi Sharda. She is a dance teacher. Both love each other. However, the destiny doesn't let Shankar live happily. Incidentally, Ravi comes to Shankar's shop to sell Suvarna's gold necklace. Realizing that it's the same necklace he had once offered to Suvarna, Shankar reveals the secret behind it to Ravi. When asked by Ravi, Suvarna admits the fact. Now, Shankar gets his necklace back and also his second love Geeta. The moral of the story is okay, but who cares for it, these days.
As said earlier, the story isn't relevant to time; t's too simple to appreciate by today's complex audience. However, the cast leaves no stone unturned to play it as well as possible. It's another matter that Manoj Bajpai has little scope to do justice to himself. Siddharth Makkar fares well and so also Dilip Prabhavalkar, in an otherwise dull story. Overall, a film that hit theaters and disappeared.