Dobaaraa, alternatively stylized as 2:12, is a Hindi-language science-fiction mystery thriller directed by Anurag Kashyap. The film features Taapsee Pannu, Pavail Gulati, and Rahul Bhat in leading roles. Taapsee Pannu’s performance was also highly appreciated by critics.
Dobaara is an official remake of the 2018 Spanish film Mirage. Dobaaraa premiered at the London Indian Film Festival 2022 before its theatrical release on August 19, 2022. While Kashyap’s films are often associated with thrill and intensity, Dobaaraa surprises by diverging from his usual themes of violence and raw emotion. This departure, however, doesn’t diminish the impact of the storytelling; instead, it showcases Kashyap’s versatility and ability to adapt.
How did young Anay die?
Dobaaraa opens in Pune in 1996, where young Anay cycles around Hinjewadi. He lives with his mother, who plans a hospital named Bluecross. During a stormy night, he watches old recordings of his father and hears noise from his neighbor Raja Ghosh’s house. Investigating alone, he discovers a dead body but meets a tragic end. He is accidentally run over by a fire brigade; his demise is marked at 2:12 am.
Twenty-five years later, on the same stormy day, nurse Antara Awasthi, employed at the Bluecross hospital, moved into the house where Anay once resided with his mother. Exploring old tapes with her daughter, they stumble upon recordings made in the very room they now occupy. During a dinner with new neighbors, Abhishek and Sheela, Antara’s husband, Vikash, share the discovery of these tapes. This leads to revelations about Anay’s tragic fate and the murder at Raja Ghosh’s residence.
Later that night, Antara experiences a peculiar phenomenon. She communicates with Anay through the television and camera, revealing her identity and futuristic origins. Urging Anay to avoid Raja Ghosh’s house, Antara provides evidence of his impending demise. Despite initial disbelief, Anay narrowly escapes death at 2:12 am, validating Antara’s warnings.
Why does Antara suffer with an identity crisis?
The following day, Antara awakens to a bewildering reality. Struggling with an altered appearance and profession, she grapples with an identity crisis exacerbated by the disbelief of those around her. Only the DCP lends credence to her story despite skepticism from others, including her own husband. As Antara navigates this surreal new existence, she confronts unresolved trauma and questions the nature of reality itself.
As events unfolded, Antara aided the police in discovering the body of Rujuta, Raja Ghosh’s wife. In this altered reality, Raja Ghosh had remarried Sheela, leading a contented life. When confronted by the police, Raja Ghosh was revealed to be the DCP, who recounted past events, revealing himself as the boy Antara had saved 25 years ago: Anay.
Meanwhile, Abhishek enlightened Antara about Anay’s story, detailed in a book titled 2:12, authored by a psychiatrist who conversed with Anay. Anay had shared his belief in Antara’s time-traveling intervention, though met with disbelief and ridicule, prompting his family’s departure from the neighborhood. Filled with guilt over Anay’s ordeal, Antara was determined to restore her reality as a nurse.
In this new reality, Antara uncovered Vikash’s deceitful behavior, leading her to question his involvement with the house’s previous owner, Shikha Vats. This revelation made her realize that the DCP was indeed Anay, with whom she shared a deeper connection.
What did Anay do to restore Antara to life?
Confronting Anay, Antara realized his intent to prevent her from returning to her desired reality. Anay had waited years for Antara in front of the Bluecross Hospital, ultimately leading to her tragic demise. To restore her to life, Anay needed to ensure his younger self did not wait for Antara, preserving her original reality.
In the end, Antara was restored to life and reunited with her daughter Avanti, finding solace and happiness. However, when she reencountered Anay, she discovered he had no memory of her or perhaps chose to forget.
In one timeline, Anay tragically succumbs to his fate, while Antara, a nurse, inherits his home 25 years later. In another, Anay survives and embarks on a quest to find Antara, who had communicated with him from the future, ultimately saving his life. Their relationship blossoms, yet the events of the stormy night in 1996 remain unspoken.
Then, a third timeline materializes, where Anay’s memory of Antara and the events of 25 years ago fade into oblivion. Here, Antara’s life mirrors that of the first timeline, albeit with a pivotal difference: Raja Ghosh is alive and content with Sheela, echoing the harmony of the second timeline. Nevertheless, Antara’s involvement in uncovering Rujuta’s body persists, leading to her initial interaction with Anay.
Dobaaraa ending: Did Anay recognise Antara?
In the first timeline, where Anay tragically perishes, Raja Ghosh meets his downfall swiftly. Anay’s demise draws attention to the locality, leading to the discovery of Rujuta’s body in his home, facilitating his arrest. Tragically, he takes his own life while in custody.
In the second timeline, where Anay patiently awaits Antara’s return, Raja Ghosh finds solace with Sheela, the woman he previously had an affair with. However, Antara, aided by Anay, unveils evidence of Raja Ghosh’s guilt, proving his involvement in Rujuta’s murder. Despite Anay’s failed attempt to expose him initially, Antara’s determination ensures justice is served.
In the third timeline, where Antara takes the initiative, Raja Ghosh’s incarceration is not a foregone conclusion. Here, Antara regains her reality from the first timeline, while other events mirror those of the second. Although Raja Ghosh and Sheela are in a relationship due to Anay’s inability to convict him in the second timeline, Antara’s intervention alters the course of events. Witnessing Raja Ghosh’s suspicious behavior, Antara resolves to aid Anay. By locating Rujuta’s body and informing the authorities, she sets the chain of events that will lead to Raja Ghosh’s downfall.
As Anay arrives at the scene, he begins to recollect his past upon seeing Antara, though his future self’s instruction to forget her complicates matters. Antara introduces herself as Antara Vashist, the woman Anay loved in the second timeline, prompting memories to resurface. Through Antara’s unwavering determination, justice prevails once more, as Raja Ghosh’s crimes are exposed, offering closure to the tumultuous saga across the timelines.
