OTTplay Awards 2022 - Know Your Winners: Dasvi wins Best Web Original Film (Jury)

At the first edition of the OTTplay Awards, the Best Web Original Film (Jury) was awarded to Dasvi. It's a social comedy film that was produced by Dinesh Vijan's Maddock Films, Jio Studios, Shobhna Yadav and Sandeep Leyzell's Bake My Cake Films and directed by debutant Tushar Jalota. Starring in it are Abhishek A. Bachchan, Nimrat Kaur, and Yami Gautam.

Gautam plays an IPS officer, and Bachchan plays an illiterate politician. On April 7, 2022, the movie had its Netflix and JioCinema premiere.

The story of the film is by Ram Bajpai, while Ritesh Shah, Suresh Nair, and Sandeep Leyzell have penned the screenplay.

Dr. Kumar Vishwas, a well-known poet and politician, provided advice on the dialogue and script. The movie got mixed reviews, with some praising the plot, humour, acting, and social message, while others criticised the inconsistent screenplay.

The charming and haughty Chief Minister of the made-up state of Harit Pradesh, Ganga Ram Chaudhary (Abhishek Bachchan), has been charged with fraud and is being held in custody. Until he can post bail, he names his wife, Bimla Devi "Bimmo" Chaudhary (Nimrat Kaur), as acting chief minister. Initially timid and servile, Bimmo quickly picks up the skills necessary to become a successful politician and transforms her appearance in the process. In the meantime, Chaudhary has a following in jail thanks to his notoriety and street smarts, and he is given special treatment. Chaudhary's life changes when Jyoti Deswal (Yami Gautam), the new superintendent, shows up at the jail. Chaudhary's perks are taken away by the unflappable and direct Jyoti, who also treats him like any other prisoner. Ineffective attempts to buy off the court result in Chaudhary's urgent bail plea being turned down.

With the help of Jyoti, Ganga keeps on learning with a lot of struggles, whereas Bimmo continues ruling the state as CM. She even makes sure that her husband doesn't get out of jail smoothly and also that his exam papers are tough to crack.

After a lot of fights, Ganga Ram passes with flying colours, and it becomes a battle between the husband and wife. A touch of an emotional moment reunites them happily, and a new swearing-in ceremony is held. He makes a point of thanking Jyoti and the other prisoners who helped him pass the exams.

Tushar Jalota made his directorial debut with Dasvi this year. He has been an associate director in several films, including Judgementall Hai Kya (2019), Padmaavat (2018), Lekar Hum Deewana Dil (2014), and Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela (2013). He was the assistant director on the sets of Barfi! (2012), Jannat 2 (2012), Kalyug (2005), Zeher (2005), and Murder (2004).

Interestingly, Jalota also made his acting debut with the 2007 release, titled Showbiz.

In his winning speech, Jalota, who took the award, said on the stage, "God's been extremely kind. I'm truly honoured and humbled to be winning this. So thanks to OTTplay awards for this. My parents for being so supportive throughout all of this—my family, my sister, who was an inspiration for making this film for me. She is a teacher, so it kind of stemmed from there. My beautiful wife, who's been my support, she's right there in the audience. My writers and my producers, Sandeep and Dino, were absolutely fantastic. They backed me, believed in me, and gave me my first break as a director. So thank you so much. Like most films that have been released over the past two years, we also had restrictions, limitations, and just following so many protocols, and we shot in a real jail. But this entire process was actually very smooth."

On his Instagram post, the debutant director wrote, "This wouldn’t have been made possible without my friends, brothers, and who also happened to be my producers, Dinoo and Sandeep, who believed in me, gave me this opportunity, and backed me to tell the story I wanted to tell. For giving me a stellar star cast that I absolutely loved collaborating with @bachchan, @yamigautam, and @nimratofficial, along with every other member of the cast and crew. We did it. Thank you, OTTplay Awards, for bestowing us with this honour. I am truly humbled and grateful."

On the other hand, Nimrat Kaur won Best Debut Female (Film) at the OTTplay Awards 2022.