Dohchay 2015

Two masked bandits hijack a local bank in a tense, take-over style robbery, forcing the premises to surrender ₹2 crore (US$240,000) at gunpoint. Yet, once the dust settles, the two thieves lock horns over what to do with the loot: share it with their boss or run away with it for themselves. The standoff ends with both keepers of the money staring each other down, a moment that frames the film’s blend of chaos and misplaced loyalties.

Chandu, Naga Chaitanya Akkineni, is a small-time conman with a big heart who uses clever schemes to educate his sister and help her chase her dream of becoming a doctor. He operates with a rough edge and a keen sense for opportunity, even as he exists in the shadow of a corrupt cop, CI Richard, who always expects a cut in every scheme they pull off Ravi Babu. Chandu’s sister wants to study medicine, and he scrambles to fund her education while keeping the money away from the authorities. In the process, they cross paths with Meera, a bright fellow student at the same college, and what begins as friendship slowly grows into love Kriti Sanon.

Chandu’s family situation adds urgency to his schemes: his father, a taxi driver, is imprisoned because of circumstances tied to a larger past, and his health takes a fatal turn that requires costly hospital care. To pay for the operation, Chandu hatches a risky plan that involves conning a drug dealer, a move that draws the attention of Richard, who grows increasingly suspicious of Chandu’s movements. The plan to secure his father’s treatment tightens the net around him, and Chandu’s world expands to include a new target—Bullet Babu, a once-well-known actor who is desperate for a hit and is drawn into a bigger web of deception.

The plot thickens when a fragile thread of deceit enlarges into a full-scale con. Chandu enlists Meera in a ruse involving land rights that supposedly belong to a powerful family, demanding a processing fee of ₹4 crore (US$470,000). Bullet Babu buys into the farce, drawn by the lure of a quick fortune and a chance to salvage his career. Richard, still watching, convinces Bullet Babu that he can trap Chandu—but the plan backfires when Bullet Babu reveals that he has been playing Richard all along, sharing the payoff with Chandu rather than turning him over to the cops. A dramatic car chase ensues, and the truth about Richard’s manipulation comes to light, leading to Richard’s suspension after a damning video Meera records shows him scheming to trap her.

Meanwhile, the trail leads to Manikyam, the gang’s boss, who reappears as a menacing force in Chandu’s life. Manikyam tracks down Chandu and his sister, seizing the opportunity to reclaim the money by kidnapping their father and sister and demanding the two crores. With no money left, Chandu devises an audacious plan to recover what he needs. He stages a high-stakes con using Bullet Babu as the bait, with Bullet Babu portrayed as an ally rather than an adversary. The film also features a show-stopping item number by Nyra Banerjee.

As the scam unfolds, Chandu’s past and present collide in a dramatic exchange of wits. The plan relies on an elaborate cat-and-mouse sequence that tests everyone’s trust, culminating in a tense showdown where the supposed “police” are revealed to be actors and the courtroom is a stage set for one final confession. Chandu engineers a fake police station and a fake court so that Manikyam can admit to his crimes under the illusion of facing real justice. In the end, Manikyam is taken to a real court, where the admission of guilt leads to a conviction, and the family—with Meera by his side—walks free from the courthouse, their bonds reinforced by the night’s hard lessons.

Throughout the film, the ensemble cast threads the suspense with moments of humor, heart, and peril. The instability of loyalty is tested as each character pursues their own version of survival, love, and redemption. The relationship between Chandu and Meera offers a quiet counterpoint to the loud, high-stakes cons, grounding the story in a genuine emotional core. The film keeps the tension tight with clever twists, propulsive chases, and a finale that folds truth, deception, and justice into one decisive, morally complex conclusion.

• Nyra Banerjee’s item number adds a pop of stylistic flair and entertainment value in a film that otherwise thrives on quick thinking and rapid changes in fortune.

• The core dynamic between Chandu and the people who orbit his world—Meera, Bullet Babu, Richard, and Manikyam—drives a narrative that balances suspense with character-driven moments, delivering a story that remains faithful to its themes while expanding on them with several strategic set pieces.