The 2015-2020 period in the Nepali film industry was all about anthemic songs. Filmmakers spent a substantial chunk of the whole budget on one song and its music video, which would then go on to be bigger hits than the films themselves. Songs like “Purba Paschim Rail” from Chakka Panja, “Ye Daju Nasamau” from Chhakka Panja 2, “Parkha Parkha Mayalu” from Mangalam, “Thamel Bazar” from Loot 2, and many others became instant hits with millions of views on YouTube and thousands of airplay on radio and television.

The 2017 movie “Dui Rupaiyan” met with a similar fate. The movie’s OST “Kutu Ma Kutu”—with music by Rajan Raj Shiwakoti, and sung by Shiwakoti himself along with Melina Rai and Rajan Ishan—featuring actor Swastima Khadka, created history as one of the highest played Nepali music videos, with YouTube views crossing 150 million. The film, however, got the opposite response and blew cold.

Directed by Asim Shah of G21 Production, Dui Rupaiyan is an action-comedy that follows two friends Jureli (Nischal Basnet) and Dari (Asif Shah) and their adventures with a two-rupee note. The small-time crooks take up a smuggling job from Boss (Tika Pahari) who hands them a marked two-rupee bill which they are to exchange with illegal gold on the India-Nepal border.

On their way to the mission, the duo stops by for lunch at a local restaurant where Dari indulges in a chance tête-à-tête with the owner Maya (Menuka Pradhan). Unfortunately, their encounter is interrupted by Maya’s husband Bom Bahadur Tamang (Buddhi Tamang), a sub-inspector of police. They do manage to escape from the strict policeman and reach the rendezvous point on the Indo-Nepal border only to realize they have lost the two-rupee note and cannot get the goods in exchange. The duo then find themselves in deep mess with ASI Bom Bahadur on their tail and the Boss’s trusted aide Juddha (Prateek Raj Neupane) also looking for them, seeking blood. How Jureli and Dari manage to get themselves out of trouble makes up the rest of the film.

Dui Rupaiyan is a film full of goofball moments, unexpected conflicts and witty escapades. The fast-paced film races through and is fairly enjoyable through its 1hr 52mins run-time. But the fast pace that works in the film’s favor also works against it, not allowing the audience to grasp the crux of the story. Nor do they get to understand their characters in-depth and empathize with them when needed. This might be one reason the film failed to get much audience in the theaters when it was released.

Still, there is more to like about the film than not. Co-writer and actor Asif Shah seems to have put every effort in trying to make the lead characters memorable. Both Shah and Basnet, in the lead roles, fit the storyline like it was tailor-made for them. Only if the writers had been able to give them some more identifiable quirks and traits and a convincing backstory, both Jureli and Dari would have become sequel-worthy characters.

The film’s background score is another noteworthy accomplishment. Rohit Shakya and Shailesh Shrestha use multiple genres in the background to match the energy of the characters on- screen. The soundscapes they use add to the film’s visuals and make the mediocre cinematography more enjoyable. Another OST of the film, eponymously titled “Dui Rupaiyan,” featuring Aid Ray and Laure rapping to Shakya’s music, is hard and gives the climax, as well as the end, credits the necessary weight. 

Who should watch it?

“Dui Rupaiyan” is a movie you watch, enjoy and forget. The film did have an opportunity to create memorable moments but besides “Kutu Ma Kutu,” there is little to remember. Still, in its entirety, the film is entertaining for anyone who loves light-hearted action comedies. Also, compared to most films released between 2015 and 2020, Dui Rupaiyan fares too well to not watch.

Rating: 3 stars
Genre: Comedy/drama
Actors: Asif Shah, Nischal Basnet, Menuka Pradhan
Director: Asim Shah
Run time: 1hr 52mins