Pankan Tripathi in ‘Ohh My Dog’
| Photo Credit: Babulal Bioscope/YouTube
At a time when man’s best friend is caught between systemic neglect and empty sentimentality, writer-director Amit Rai eschews melodrama to craft an absorbing thriller with a moral spine. Somewhere in Assam, young Apu’s attention-seeking dog, Momo (Oscar) goes missing. The local policeman, who looks well-meaning, tells him and his mother that their pet would have become a delicacy by now. Around the same time, deep in Bihar, Prince, a young construction worker, goes missing. There too, the ‘helpful’ custodian of law shows little interest in following the missing boy’s footprints. But the tech-savvy Apu doesn’t give up hope, nor does Oscar (Bruno), Prince’s street friend. In different timelines, as they launch their search-and-rescue missions, we get an engrossing tale with a message ensconced deep within.The twin tracks act as a vehicle to expose the terrifying realities of organ and dog trafficking networks across state borders and, along the way, tell us how vulnerable children and defenseless animals are frequently exploited by the underground networks that remain under the radar of a complicit system. As the committed footprints of Oscar match with the digital keystrokes of Apu, we realise the bond between humans and animals is as much about sharp intelligence as it is about heart.Ohh My Dog (Hindi)Director: Amit RaiDuration: 150 minutesCast: Maahi Rai, Bruno, Pankaj Tripathi, Pawan Malhotra, Rajesh Kumar, Geeta Agarwal SharmaSynopsis: When Apu loses his beloved canine Momo, he refuses to sit back and teams up with a kind-hearted educator to hunt down an animal-trafficking racket.Known to translate harsh social truths into a mainstream lexicon, here Amit reminds us that desi dogs play a role in safeguarding our national interests as well. Beneath the emotional exterior lies a sharp social commentary which is tightly knit into the story. While most pet dramas lean heavily on a single canine hero, Amit scales the stakes up to an entire community, turning a desperate search for a missing friend into a powerful, 250-strong pack rebellion against exploitation.
