A still from ‘Dug Dug’
| Photo Credit: Flip Films
After a drunken Thakur Lal, driving in a daze, dies in an accident on a desolate Rajasthan highway, his modest Luna or Dug Dug bike begins mysteriously returning to the crash site despite being locked away at a police chowki by seemingly clueless policemen. This inexplicable event sparks rumours, then belief, and eventually a full-blown cult. A priest suggests devotees offer Thakur’s favourite items to the ‘divine’ two-wheeler. Soon, followers start pouring alcohol and offering bidis at the site with the hope that their wishes will be fulfilled. What starts as a quirky mystery evolves into a commentary on the rapid birth, intoxication, and commercialisation of a new religion.The independent film is a sharp socio-religious satire inspired by a real-life phenomenon in Rajasthan where people found god in a machine and cleverly uses absurdity to explore how faith, superstition, and commerce intertwine in rural India.‘Dug Dug’: Ritwik Pareek’s film starts streaming after successful festival runDebutant Ritwik Pareek excels at showing how blind faith takes root — not through preaching, but through deadpan absurdity, montages, and collective rationalisation. The stylistic flair in his storytelling generates a hypnotic effect. The neon-lit nights, stark desert landscapes, and the banner of a magician at the crash site pull you into the narrative. The rhythmic editing and a jazzy soundtrack lend it a mysterious energy. The way the bike is shot makes it feel eerily alive.
