First things first. Daddy is like no other gangster flick ever made in Bollywood. While I dont think I have watched all of them, but I have watched a significant number of them to arrive at this conclusion.
With that out of the way, its time to figure out whether the film is actually worth it? And the answer to that is a big ’YES’. The film isnt high on entertainment per se but the narrative structure that the director Ashim Ahluwalia adopts is quite novel. As the film zig zags through past and present, you seem to start enjoying the non linear narrative. Simply because this isnt Gawli by Gawli, it is Gawli by the people who knew Gawli.
If you are one of those who already know a significant lot about Gawli and are expecting to know things which are not in the public realm, then this is not that film. Its a film that charts Arun Gawli’s rise from a mill worker’s son to a dreaded gangster to a politician to a convict.
For once a criminal is not romanticised and there are no sides taken. This is no sugercoated gangsta tale ala Raees, this is as raw as it gets. And that is why Ashim Ahluwalia was taken on board. And the man delivers and how! His ’Miss Lovely’ gave us enough indication of his brilliance & with Daddy he goes several notches higher.
Arjun Rampal as Arun Gawli is a sight to behold. Wooden as ever in most of his roles, this is his career defining role. It seems he was born to play Gawli. The act, the mannerisms, the gait.its all perfect. Never did I imagine that I would say this.but he is bloody damn good. And the rest of the cast is no less. Rajesh Shringarpore as Rama is Gawli’s friend and gang member & their chemistry rocks. Anand Ingle as Babu has a relatively smaller role but he nails it to perfection. Purna Nand as the fourth member of the gang is terrific in some of the scenes. His simmering intensity is raw and real. And what do I say about Aishwariya Rajesh. She is solid as Gawli’s wife in the limited opportunities that she gets to showcase her skills. Shrikant Mohan Yadav as Gawli’s henchman shines in a limited role. He is an actor to watch out for. Nishikant Kamat revels in the role of Gawli’s bete noire. He looks so convincing as a cop that you really start imagining the famous Gawli Salaskar cat & mouse equation here. Its only Farhan Akhtar as Maqsood aka Dawood who looks miscast here. Somehow he doesnt look the part.
But that takes nothing away from the film. Daddy is as relentless as it gets. Shot at actual locations, Ashim leaves out all the commercial elements that make up the usual gangsta film and serves you just what you had ordered.
Daddy is a must watch, just so that you know how good a gangster film can be.if done right!
Rating-4/5