Dagabaz, Ashiq: Why watch this relic?

Is it worth the time?

Honestly, only if you have a soft spot for grainy, high-stakes emotional chaos. If you need your movies to be sleek, fast, or even remotely logical, stay away. You’ll be bored to tears within twenty minutes.

But if you like seeing Prithviraj Kapoor chew up the scenery like it’s his last meal? Keep reading. It’s got that specific, clunky charm that makes you wonder how these things ever got finished in the first place. 📽️

That specific vibe

There’s a scene where the characters just… stare at each other. For a long time. It’s not a tense silence; it’s a 'did the film strip get stuck?' silence. You can practically hear the camera gears grinding away in the background.

The pacing here feels like a bus that keeps stopping at every single driveway even when nobody is getting off. Sometimes it’s exhausting. Other times, it’s strangely hypnotic.

The little things

Did anyone else notice the way the light hits the sets? It looks like they were shooting in a basement with one flickering bulb. It’s not artistic, it’s just budget limitations, but it gives the whole thing a weirdly intimate, dusty feeling. Like you found this tape in a box that’s been under a bed since 1950.

Also, the music choices are… a lot. Sometimes it swells during a mundane conversation about tea. Why? Who knows. Maybe the composer was just guessing.

Compared to the rest

Watching this made me think about The Struggle Everlasting. They share that same weird, desperate energy where everyone is yelling but nobody is really listening. It’s a recurring theme in these older flicks, like they’re all terrified the audience will fall asleep if someone isn't crying or shouting.

It’s a bit like watching a car crash in slow motion. You know exactly what’s going to happen—the betrayal, the tearful apology, the inevitable reconciliation—but you can’t look away because of how messy it gets. It’s not great, but it’s there. And sometimes, that’s all you really need for a rainy Tuesday night.

• The dialogue sounds like it was written on a napkin.
• The wardrobe changes are so fast it’s basically a magic trick.
• I’m still not sure what the title actually refers to.