The two sides of Jehad. Review on Dhoka

In a strikingly realistic manner, Dhokha seeks to portray the stark reality of being a muslim in India. It treads the sensitive path with great care. ACP Zayed is a happily married teetotaller . His wife goes on a holiday for 2 days to her friend at Pune. A suicide bomber  blasts a club party leaving 20 dead and the Mumbai Police on their toes. To his surprise, his wife is dead and turns out to be the suicide bomber. He loves her and believes in her to find himself questioned by the Anti Terrorist Squad Chief Gulshan Grover  and after a few days left free and declared innocent. But the world view has changed and he is being viewed by his department as a  traitor just because he is a Muslim.

The only chance of his proving himself a true Indian would be to get hold of the people behind the bombing. And in the process he finds out that his wife was really the suicide bomber and it was beacuse she had been sexually harassed by the police in front of her father and brother that she seeks vengeance and becomes a part of the terror network. His chase takes him to the mean streets of Mumbai and to the doors of the hardcore jehadis and their leader. And he finds that his brother in law is also on the verge of making a suicide attack on VT Station. With the help of Gulshan Grover he averts the attack.

The end is the beginning because he makes sure that the errant policemen are brought to book. This shows that nobody is above law. Dhokha is a balanced view of seeing a Muslim citizen in India. The atrocities of the police are the cornerstone for people getting to the terror network so if the corrupt policemen are not let off the hook then it would seem to the victims that justice prevails hence they would not turn into terrorists. On the pther hand the role of hardcore jehadis and religious fanatics in promoting terrorism and the role of upright officers of any religion in curbing terrorism is also brought to light.

All in all Pooja Bhatt puts together the Gujarat and Maharashtra terror incidents together to weave a good movie. Her husband in real life plays the role of the Religious Fanatic. The hero Muzammil is honest in his portrayal. Gulshan Grover makes a good sober effort and is refreshing getaway from the loud bad man. Ashutosh Rana is mean in his small role as a corrupt police officer. The music by MM Kreem soothes the nerves and plays with the narrative.