Series Review: Dupahiya [Two-Wheeler]

This comedy series streaming on Amazon Prime Video piques the interest with its rustic look and a line-up of talented actors, seen in several recent Indian cinema successes.

Roshni Jha (Raghuvanshi) takes the bold step of rejecting her chosen groom in an arranged marriage in favour of his younger, more ambitious brother. While her decision comes as a bit of a shocker to her conservative father Banwari Jha (Rao), he is quickly cajoled into going along with this marital switch despite a much higher dowry tag attached to the more eligible bachelor.

Roshni’s younger brother Bhugol (Shrivastava), excited at the prospect of relocating to Mumbai where his brother-in-law-to-be is based to fulfil his dream of becoming a Bollywood actor, is charged with collecting the ‘Dupahiya’ motorcycle demanded in dowry. This purchase sets tongues wagging not only in their little village of Dhadakpur, the “Belgium of Bihar” due to its enviable zero-crime record, but further afield as it messes up the set “rate card” for grooms.

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Village chief Pushplata Yadav (Shahane) mock admonishes Banwari on this new higher dowry bar but can barely hide her underlying pride at this added distinction for a crime-free Dhadakpur and a boost to her own political ambitions. As the villagers get swept up in the excitement of catching a glimpse of the brand-new Royal Enfield Bullet ride in ahead of the wedding, there are other dubious powers at play that eventually result in the motorbike being stolen just days ahead of Roshni’s wedding.

The immediate finger of blame points to Amavas (Arora), Roshni’s notorious kleptomaniac former lover, but he vehemently denies the charge and offers to hunt down the thief instead.  Will the Jha family retrieve the missing two-wheeler before the wedding clock counts down to Roshini’s big day or is Dhadakpur destined to lose its cherished crime-free tag?

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This quirky and witty series has all the elements that go into creating an engaging comedy – strong performances, clever plot and light-hearted storytelling. This is a good one for the watchlist over a lazy weekend as it draws in audiences with its simple yet effective approach to depicting some serious issues of dowry, casteism and colourism.