Such
a
collection
of
amiable
characters
were
last
seen
in
Panchayat.
There
are
greedy
dowry
seekers,
criminals,
misogynists
and
the
like,
but
the
collective
goodness
of
the
others
keep
violence
and
male
chauvinism
in
check,
notes
Deepa
Gahlot.
If
the
quaintly
titled
Dupahiya
(two
wheeler)
gives
off
Panchayat
and
Laapata
Ladies
vibes,
it
is
because
the
enjoyable
series
(on
Amazon
Prime
Video)
is
set
in
the
same
rural
universe,
which
is
realistic
but
also
scrubbed
of
any
unsavoury
aspects
of
Indian
village
life.
Set
in
the
fictional
Dhadakpur,
called
Belgium
of
Bihar
by
locals,
because
for
the
last
25
years
there
has
been
no
crime
in
this
village.
A
female
panch
Pushpalata
(Renuka
Shahane),
is
looking
forward
to
a
trophy
for
the
feat,
a
ticket
to
be
elected
sarpanch,
and
a
borewell
that
would
supply
the
village
with
clean
water.
Elsewhere
in
Dhadakpur,
Roshni
(Shivani
Raghuvanshi)
chooses
the
younger
brother
of
the
suitor
who
has
come
to
see
her,
because
he
lives
in
Mumbai,
and
she
wants
to
get
out
of
a
stultifying
village
existence.
Turns
out
the
swaggering
Kuber
(Avinash
Dwivedi)
is
given
more
importance
than
his
ordinary-looking
older
brother
Durlabh
(Godaan
Kumar),
by
their
father
(Aaloak
Kapoor)
because
he
is
better
placed
in
life.
Kuber
is
more
‘valuable’
so
instead
of
a
scooter,
Roshni’s
father
Banwari
(Gajraj
Rao)
has
to
promise
to
buy
a
high-end
motorbike
for
the
potential
son-in-law.
Roshni’s
younger
brother
Bhugol
(Sparsh
Srivastava)
dreams
of
getting
to
Mumbai
with
her,
and
becoming
a
‘superstar’.
For
a
change,
in
this
household
it
is
not
the
female
child
who
is
discriminated
against,
but
the
male!
To
fuel
his
ambition,
Bhugol
keeps
making
reels,
and
sneaks
out
the
safely
stored
bike
to
get
his
buddy
Teepu
(Samarth
Mahor)
to
shoot
a
video.
To
his
horror
the
bike
gets
stolen,
which
spells
disaster
for
the
family,
and
the
possible
end
of
Roshni’s
match.
They
have
to
hide
the
theft
because
reporting
it
would
ruin
the
crime-free
record
of
the
village,
and
they
also
have
to
save
face
with
the
future
in-laws.
This
subterfuge
leads
to
the
most
absurdly
hilarious
episodes.
Roshni’s
ex-boyfriend
Amavas
(Bhuvan
Arora)
had
been
banished
from
the
village
by
Pushpalata
for
petty
theft,
but
he
still
holds
a
torch
for
her,
and
gets
involved
in
the
tangles
that
follow,
as
does
Pushpalata’s
daughter
Nirmal
(Komal
Kushwaha)
who
has
an
inferiority
complex
due
to
her
dark
skin.
The
lazy
cop
Mithilesh
(Yashpal
Sharma),
with
nothing
to
do
in
a
crime-free
area,
spends
his
time
reading
pulp
novels
and
ordering
about
his
assistant.
Amavas
is
the
first
suspect
in
the
theft
of
the
bike,
but
proved
to
be
innocent,
he
still
offers
to
acquire
a
replacement,
for
which
he
and
Bhugol
(the
name,
meaning
geography,
always
evokes
a
smile),
set
out
on
their
own
adventure,
that
involves
the
birthday
celebration
of
an
owl
called
Dollar.
Sonam
Nair
and
her
writers
(Chirag
Garg
and
Avinash
Dwivedi),
keep
the
gags
coming
at
a
brisk
trot,
and
pull
back
the
reins,
just
when
it
looks
like
the
episode
is
going
to
tip
over
the
top
and
crash.
So,
while
there
are
bits
that
slow
down
the
plot,
there
is
always
a
new
character
to
pick
up
the
slack
like
the
aspiring
reporter
Madan
(Chandan
Kumar),
or
the
chop
shop
thug
(Pranjal
Pateriya),
who
is
also
a
finicky
choreographer
of
the
region’s
launda
naach
(male
dancers
in
drag).
And
can
there
be
a
hinterland
show
without
the
redoubtable
Brijendra
Kala,
playing
the
editor
of
a
local
rag
called
Khabar
Falana.
Such
a
collection
of
amiable
characters
were
last
seen
in
Panchayat.
There
are
greedy
dowry
seekers
(don’t
they
demand
cars,
these
days?),
criminals,
misogynists
and
the
like,
but
the
collective
goodness
of
the
others
keep
violence
and
male
chauvinism
in
check.
The
messages
about
dowry
eradication
or
bias
against
dark
complexioned
girls
are
gently
eased
in.
Actors
like
Gajraj
Rao,
Yashpal
Sharma,
Renuka
Shahane,
Bhuvan
Arora
and
Sparsh
Srivastava
make
Dupahiya
watchable,
but
the
lesser
known
actors
fit
right
in
too.
The
colloquial
dialogue
is
sharp,
piquant
and
funny
—
the
English
subtitles
cannot
do
the
lines
justice.
Dupahiya
streams
on
Amazon
Prime
Video.
Dupahiya Review
Rediff
Rating:
