Dada Review (2023)

Dada has one of the most beautiful and intimate opening shots of the film that I have seen this year, and it is far beyond Viduthalai’s celebrated 9 min long take.

The couple, Mani and Sindhu, played brilliantly well by Kavin and Aparna das, are sleeping together. What happens next is something that immediately registers to you about the relationship between them. Director and Writer Ganesh K Babu is able to dish out scene after scene of naturalness. All of the conflicts that the leads face, due to their unexpected pregnancy during their final year in college, comes across as extremely naturalistic and well placed. Take the issue of a boy beating Mani’ son Adithya, played by the boy Arjunan who is absolutely adorable. The comic flavour of the film which is mostly sustained phenomenally well throughout the film, works in this scene and it leads to Mani insulting the boy’s dad played by VTV Ganesh. When the latter goes to the police station to complain, something that Adithya does changes his stance and withdraws his complaint. Ganesh is able to write some beautifully tender scenes like this which works so well and they also are able to add to the characterisation of VTV Ganesh’s character, as a father himself.

The camera too is unobtrusive and rather is like a peek in the life of Mani and Adithya. There are no “drawing attention to myself “moments. The framing is also beautiful. When something happens to Mani that he hasn’t felt before, the camera itself turns 180 degree. Or the fact that we regularly keep seeing Mani and Sindhu In the same frame in the beginning of the film.

But the portions in the office involving a man’s suicide or the song track in the resort (though it beautifully segues in Mani and Sindhu’s college life) feel clichéd and uncharacteristic for a film so natural and realistic. The film never really goes overboard in its emotion and the music always lets the image establish the mood and situation before itself coming in to the frame and though the film may be about how Mani parents Adithya as a single dad, Mani’s own growth is the important arc of the film. When Mani’s family comes to meet him after 4 years and his brother is shocked that he is cooking, Mani simply says: “Thaniya iru, Vazhkaiye Theriyum”. But then again, we also get the commercial “Beating up the man who creates problems for my gf” fight which I didn’t expect in such a film. Nor the fact that Mani is easily able to get a job in 2 consecutive scenes. But the fact that Mani’s sister recommends him for a job and herself prevents him from getting that when he gets a higher salary than her is absolutely brilliant.

Both Kavin and Arjunan share such beautiful chemistry as father and son, and they help us sail through the misgivings of the second half. Even when the screen is devoid of Adithya, Mani stands with us as he also does with Adithya.