Gungun, Bajrang and Kapil are three schoolboys who keep failing their exams and believe only magic can save them. After sneaking off to watch their favourite magician Surya Samrat perform, they write to him begging for a trick to pass, and to their shock he replies with a parcel and a bobblehead doll they must teach. As they take turns tutoring the doll, their marks climb and the boys slowly discover the real lesson was in the effort all along.
Dhh is the rare children's film that treats childhood as a subject worth taking seriously rather than a backdrop for cuteness. Manish Saini, a Haryanvi director who chose to work in Gujarati, builds the story around three boys stranded at the bottom of their class who decide that a magician is the only way out of their exam misery. The film premiered at the International Children's Film Festival India in 2017 and reached a wider Indian release in September 2018, by which point it had already won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Gujarati.
What lifts it above a simple moral fable is the texture of the classroom. Writing for American Kahani, Monita Soni described being plunged back into the magic of childhood, and the film earns that reaction through small true details: the dread of a report card that needs a parent's signature, the slow raising of hands to dodge a teacher's eye, the loyalty of a trio who fail together and study together. Naseeruddin Shah gives the magician Surya Samrat a warm gravity, and the young leads carry the film without slipping into stage-school polish. The band Meghdhanush scores it with a light, folk-tinged touch.
The twist, that the magic doll is really a device to make the boys teach themselves, is gentle rather than surprising, and adults will see the ending coming long before the children on screen do. But the film is honest about how tired methods of instruction fail bright kids, and it never lectures. An IMDb rating near 7.6, a place at the Toronto festival's kids programme and an audience award in the UK all point the same way. It is a small, sincere film that trusts its young audience.
Verdict
A sincere, award-winning children's film that respects its young audience and quietly earns its charm.
What works
- National Award winning children's film with real craft
- Naseeruddin Shah anchors it with warmth
- Authentic, lived-in classroom detail
- Natural performances from the child leads
What holds it back
- The moral resolution is predictable
- Adults will guess the twist early
- Pacing is gentle to a fault
- Thin material for viewers wanting plot
Cast & crew
Writers: Manish Saini, Aditya Vikram Sengupta
Music: Meghdhanush
Cast: Naseeruddin Shah (Surya Samrat (Magician)), Kahaan (Gungun), Kuldeep Sodha (Bajrang), Karan Patel (Kapil), Brijendra Kala (Hindi Teacher), Archan Trivedi (Dadaji)
Producers: Amruta Parande, Manish Saini, Rajan Saini, Santosh Sharma
Watch the trailer
Play the official trailer on YouTubeMore from Manish Saini
More Drama Gujarati films
Frequently asked
Is Dhh worth watching?
A sincere, award-winning children's film that respects its young audience and quietly earns its charm. Kevu Che rates it 4 out of 5.
What is Dhh about?
Gungun, Bajrang and Kapil are three schoolboys who keep failing their exams and believe only magic can save them. After sneaking off to watch their favourite magician Surya Samrat perform, they write to him begging for a trick to pass, and to their shock he replies with a parcel and a bobblehead doll they must teach. As they take turns tutoring the doll, their marks climb and the boys slowly discover the real lesson was in the effort all along.
What is the IMDb rating of Dhh?
Dhh (2018) holds an IMDb rating of 7.6 out of 10.