Dhumketu Review – A Decade in Waiting, Does It Finally Shine?
Among the two biggies that clashed at the Box Office this Independence Day, a regional film released only in West Bengal, is creating riptides and smashing records! Yes, I am talking about the Bengali film Dhumketu, but is it worth the hype? Or a pure overhyped fan service for DeSu? Let’s find out.
The much-loved Tollywood pair Dev and Subhashree, once celebrated as the industry’s last successful on-screen couple, have both risen to become megastars in their own right. Over the years, they’ve delivered countless blockbusters — yet they’ve always called this movie their most special project. After being caught in a decade-long tangle of delays and setbacks, this long-awaited film finally saw the light of day in 2025, thanks to the relentless vision of director Kaushik Ganguly and the determination of its producers.
Now, let’s get into the review.
Pros -
Performance
National award-winning director Kaushik Ganguly’s style of filmmaking is much different from what DeSu is known for. His movies are highly performance-heavy with a strong emotional quotient. His latest film also keeps these things the same. The film is mostly a drama and needed a strong performance.
But the best performance of this film comes from Rudranil Ghosh. His character, Jogesh, will make you laugh and cry at the same time. Not just facial acting, Ghosh does great physical acting, too. Dev did a great job, and this can be said that this is his best performance to date. Subhashree shines in her limited screen time. Her de-glam look looks so pleasant. The other secondary cast also did a great job.
Music
The music of this film feels so fresh and soothing. It will never feel like a decade-old. My favourite being “Gaane Gaane”, is playing on loop. Anupam Roy did a fantastic job with the music, while Indradip Dasgupta kept the emotional tone of the movie intact with his BGM.
Cinematography
During the promotions, Dev promised everyone that while watching Dhumketu, it would never feel like a ten-year-old film. Well, he was right. The scenes are very colourful and fresh as needed. I don’t remember if I have seen any other Kaushik Ganguly film as colourful as this one. The film is shot in Nainital and North Bengal, and the DOP has done a great job. There’s a dream sequence featuring an avalanche, it’s shot so beautifully that it will be hard to believe that it’s from a 10-year-old movie.
Dialogues
The movie is emotional and dialogue-heavy. It needed dialogue to make you feel about the characters, their hardships, and pain. Fortunately, the dialogues do deliver. There are some dry humours amongst the pain, and the dialogues will deliver those points too.
Makeup
The prosthetic makeup of Dev is done by National Award winner Vikram Gaikwad. Yes, this man also did the makeup of Ranbir Kapoor in Sanju. He has done a tremendous job. Dev looks unrecognisable with the makeup on.
Cons -
Story
Revealing anything about the story will be a spoiler. The story is decent, but in the climax, it leaves you craving for several unanswered questions. You will be clueless by the end, but there’s a hope for a sequel. The director mentions in the end. But despite this, the film needed some more depth. Reasons for a man choosing the path of extremism should have been explored more. His final mission was also just mentioned and not fully explained. I hope the director will explain this in a sequel.
Climax
As I mentioned earlier, the climax feels abrupt, just like many other Kaushik Ganguly movies. But being a drama thriller, this film needed to answer a few. I was disappointed with the ending, honestly.
Pacing
The film flips between past and present a lot of times in the first half. It was working nicely. But in the second half, this flip becomes less and the pace drops, which may bore you. I think the second half should have been edited better.
Final Words
Dhumketu is a great attempt by Dev, Subhashree, and, of course, Kaushik Ganguly. All three of them went beyond their formulaic paths and tried something different, and they delivered. It may not be the best film of the director, but definitely the best of DeSu. It is giving a heavy competition to War 2 and Coolie, with almost 300 shows housefull daily in this long weekend. It is shattering box office records by earning 2.5cr on average each day. If you are a fan of either of the three or just tired of the over-the-top action flicks, then you should catch this film in a theatre near you.
Rating:
Avik
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