Dhokha Round D Corner is a 2022 Bollywood thriller directed by Karan V Grover in his directorial debut, starring Raghav Juyal, Niki Walia, and Kritika Kamra in pivotal roles. The film dives deep into the world of conspiracy, deception, and domestic suspense—a plot where the truth is murky, and every character harbors secrets.

In a genre crowded with predictable twists and recycled narratives, Dhokha Round D Corner attempts to stand out with a sleek screenplay involving multiple betrayals within the familial space. The film highlights trust issues in intimate relationships and explores how appearances can be misleading.

This review offers an all-inclusive look at the film’s storyline, performances, technical merits, thematic resonance, and overall execution.

Plot Overview: Unfolding Layers of Deceit

The story revolves around Uttara Singh (Niki Walia) and her son Rishi (Raghav Juyal). The film opens with Uttara living alone in an upscale apartment after her husband Vijay (Zuber K. Khan) leaves for work.

The Initial Conflict

Uttara’s calm is disturbed when a handsome, enigmatic man named Rohit (Zain Imam) appears at her door claiming to be her husband’s friend. His visit seems innocent at first, but soon, strange noises and mysterious occurrences escalate tension.

Rishi’s Secret and Family Fractures

Rishi, a young man battling his own issues with addiction and employment, returns home amid the chaos. The fractured mother-son relationship adds emotional depth and suspicion in the narrative.

A Web of Lies and Threats

Rohit’s ambiguity deepens—his motives and background unknown. Suspense mounts with confrontations, hiding secrets related to Vijay’s dealings and past transgressions.

The film is punctuated with flashbacks and revelations, unveiling betrayals, lies, and double-crosses.

Climax and Twists

Each twist peels away layers of trust and deception, culminating in an unexpected showdown where true identities and intentions are revealed. The audience is taken through a whodunit maze, mixing familial drama with thriller elements.

Performances: Casting Strengths and Limitations

Raghav Juyal as Rishi Singh

Best known for his dance and television work, Raghav Juyal brings an earnest yet sometimes inconsistent energy to Rishi. His portrayal of a troubled young man in emotional turmoil adds a layer of vulnerability, though at times the role demands more intense drama that he only partially delivers.

Niki Walia as Uttara Singh

Veteran actress Niki Walia embodies the anxious, protective mother with conviction. She successfully captures the emotional strain of fear and betrayal, managing a balanced performance of distress and pragmatism.

Kritika Kamra and Zain Imam

Both actors support the narrative within their limited screen time, with Kritika offering a grounded presence and Zain pitching a mysterious, menacing character. However, their roles occasionally feel underdeveloped relative to the thriller’s ambitions.

Direction and Screenplay

Karan V Grover’s Debut Direction

As a first-time director, Grover’s vision leans into creating claustrophobic tension suited for a domestic thriller. His control over pace maintains viewer engagement, though certain scenes linger without contributing to narrative progress.

The use of the confined apartment as the primary setting adds to the suspense but also restricts visual dynamism.

Screenplay and Writing

The screenplay attempts a complex, multi-layered mystery focusing on trust violations in family dynamics. It incorporates several clichés of the thriller genre but also tries to weave in social commentary on dysfunctional relationships and urban alienation.

Dialogues are functional but occasionally lack sharpness required to elevate the tension.

Technical Aspects

Cinematography

Shashaant Pradhan’s cinematography effectively utilizes limited space, enhancing the film’s tense atmosphere via shadow play and tight framing. The apartment’s interiors become a character themselves, symbolizing isolation.

Editing

The editing by Vinay Pandey manages the multiple time shifts and flashbacks with clarity, though there are moments where pacing dips.

Music and Sound Design

Music by Sanchit Bajpai and sound design create subtle layers of anxiety and anticipation. However, background scores sometimes overpower the scenes instead of complementing them.

Themes and Symbolism

Trust and Betrayal

The film explores how broken trust in intimate spaces can lead to devastating consequences, focusing on family relationships fractured by deception.

Domestic Isolation

It portrays the emotional loneliness of urban living, especially among nuclear families and individuals estranged from their partners.

Secrets and Human Nature

The narrative delves into how secrets hoarded for protection or selfish reasons lead to destructive cycles.

Strengths of the Film

• Effective use of a confined setting to create tension

• Solid performance by Niki Walia

• Engaging premise with multiple twists

• Social themes relevant to contemporary audiences

• Claustrophobic and atmospheric cinematography

Weaknesses and Criticisms

• Uneven performances by the leads

• Predictability in some plot twists

• Underdeveloped secondary characters

• Occasional pacing issues

• Dialogue lacks edge and memorability

Reception and Audience Response

The film garnered mixed reviews, praised for its ambition and atmosphere but criticized for execution flaws. It found a modest audience among thriller enthusiasts seeking urban stories of deceit and psychological suspense.

FAQs: Key Questions About Dhokha Round D Corner

Q1. What is Dhokha Round D Corner about?

It is a domestic thriller revolving around a mother-son duo trapped in deception, secrets, and danger after a stranger disrupts their lives.

Q2. Who plays the lead roles?

Niki Walia as Uttara Singh and Raghav Juyal as Rishi Singh.

Q3. Is it a typical Bollywood thriller?

While it contains familiar twists, it attempts a fresh approach by focusing on intimate family drama and psychological tension.

Q4. Who directed the film?

Karan V Grover.

Q5. How is the film’s pace?

Generally engaging but with occasional slow moments.

Q6. Is the film suitable for family viewing?

It is oriented more towards adult audiences due to suspenseful content and themes of deception.

Q7. How was the film received critically?

Mixed reviews—praised for setting and some performances but critiqued on screenplay and acting.

Q8. Where was the film primarily set?

In a modern upscale apartment in an urban city setting.

Q9. What genre does the film belong to

Thriller, suspense, psychological drama.

Q10. Should I watch the film?

Recommended for fans of suspenseful domestic thrillers with social undertones.

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Conclusion

Dhokha Round D Corner is an ambitious psychological thriller emphasizing the fragility of trust and human emotions within a confined domestic space. Though imperfect, it offers gripping moments, a worthy premise, and social relevance to urban Indian narratives.

For viewers craving suspense with a mix of family drama and contemporary issues, this film invites you to test your perceptions of truth and deception—reminding us that often, the greatest betrayals come from those closest.