Synopsis :
Fundamental Films and Dream Boat Entertainment P. Ltd.'s DHOOP has all the ingredients for a perfect recipe of meaningful and sensible cinema – a director who has won the National Award in his debut film LAADO, immensely talented actors Om Puri and Revathi and former Miss India – Universe Gul Panag and an incident that's straight out of life.

Om Puri is a professor, while his wife Revathi is a librarian. Their only son, Sanjay Suri, is a captain in the Indian army.

While the couple goes about as usual with their routine chores, the niggling worry of their son fighting at the border in Kargil is always playing on their minds. Gul Panag is the love interest of Sanjay.

In an unfortunate turn of events, comes the news of Sanjay being killed while fighting in Kargil. The world collapses for the trio. As the family is engulfed in sorrow comes a letter from the Home Ministry informing that the government has allotted a petrol pump as an acknowledgement for the services of their son.

Revathi rejects the offer outright. However, some cajoling from Om Puri wins her over and the couple decides to keep their son's memory alive through this petrol pump.

Nonetheless, what follows is a long and exhausting struggle against the corrupt system to get the petrol pump started. Right from the allocation of land to obtaining no-objection certificates from various government departments, the journey is full of obstacles, which refuses to move aside unless they get their monetary considerations fulfilled.

However, the couple's perseverance pays off and they get their due eventually.

Based on a real-life incident, DHOOP tackles a genre that is entirely and purely performance-based. Director Ashwini Chaudhary narrates a subject that is beyond the norms and dictates of commercial cinema. He is focussed all throughout in his approach on portraying the incidents that take place after the battle is over, very much evident from the fact that not once does the narrative divert towards the battlefield. Also, he executes the various emotional scenes with aplomb and expertise, which are the very essence of this concept. Must say, the human element is very strong!