Dada (2023 film)
Dada (also known as Dada the Appa : FATHER) is a 2023 Indian Tamil-language coming-of-age romantic comedy drama film written and directed by Ganesh K. Babu in his directorial debut.[3] It stars Kavin, Aparna Das, VTV Ganesh and K. Bhagyaraj.
Dada | |
---|---|
Directed by | Ganesh K. Babu |
Written by | Ganesh K. Babu |
Produced by | S. Ambeth Kumar |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Ezhil Arasu K. |
Edited by | Kathiresh Alagesan |
Music by | Jen Martin |
Production company | Olympia Movies |
Distributed by | Red Giant Movies |
Release date |
|
Running time | 135 minutes |
Country | India |
Language | Tamil |
Budget | est. 4 crore[1] |
Box office | est. ₹20.9 crore[2] |
Dada was released by theatrically on 10 February 2023 and received positive reviews from critics and became a commercial success at the box office.
Plot
Manikandan and Sindhu are final-year college students and are in a relationship. However, Sindhu becomes pregnant and their lives change. Manikandan asks Sindhu for an abortion, but she refuses and they both rent a house. Due to Manikandan's drinking problem, he mistreats Sindhu by not paying attention to her and not caring about her. After Sindhu gives birth, Manikandan reaches the hospital to see and Sindhu missing leaving the baby behind. It came to his attention that she had run away somewhere far. Thus, caring for the baby, Manikandan names his child as Aditya and raises him to be a gentleman.
After a few years, Manikandan searches for a new job, where he finally lands a job and meets Sindhu in the same company; knowing that she is the manager of the company. He was very scared to work at the office at first, but later starts to feel good about going to the office. One day, Manikandan brings Aditya to his office. When Sindhu meets Aditya, he tells her that Manikandan is his father, which meant that Aditya was her son. After realizing this, Sindhu converses with Manikandan. When Manikandan asks Sindhu about leaving the baby despite his insistences for to abortion, Sindhu reveals that her parents had lied that the baby had died and she thought it was due to Manikandan's irresponsible behavior and left him. After clearing the misunderstanding, Aditya, Sindhu and Manikandhan live together as a family.
Cast
- Kavin as Manikandan
- Aparna Das as Sindhu Manikandan
- K. Bhagyaraj as Manikandan's father
- Aishwariyaa Bhaskaran as Manikandan's mother
- VTV Ganesh as Gokul
- Pradeep Antony as Saravanan
- Harish K. as Amith
- Fouzee as Shadana
- Kamaldeep
- Arvind Ezhilarasan as Manikandan's brother
- Master Ilan Arjunan as Aditya Manikandan
- Baby Nalan Premkumar as an infant Aditya
- Master Arav
- Master Bedal Sanjay
Production
The project was announced by debutant filmmaker Ganesh K. Babu, and also marked Aparna Das's debut as the lead actress in Tamil after previously making her debut in a small role in Nelson's directorial venture Beast (2022).[4]
The principal photography of the film began in March 2022 and the film was predominantly shot and set in Chennai.[5] The shooting of the film was wrapped up in September 2022.[6]
Themes
Dada focuses on the life of a young man, who later adores the role of fatherhood and as a single parent. It sends out a stronger message indicating that parenthood is gender neutral. It is also loosely based on true events of director Ganesh K. Babu's friend's life.[7][8]
Release
Theatrical
The film was released in over 400 theatres across Tamil Nadu.[9] The Tamil theatrical release for the film was acquired by Red Giant Movies and overseas rights bagged by Ayngaran International.[4]
Home media
The digital streaming rights of the film has been bagged by Amazon Prime Video while the satellite rights has sold to Kalaignar TV. The film was made available on the streaming platform from 10 March 2023.[10]
Reception
Critic response
Logesh Balachandran of The Times of India gave 3.5 stars out of 5 stars and wrote "Director Ganesh K. Babu's writing is effective enough to pull the audience into the world of Manikandan, a single parent, who gets into that redemption phase."[11] Navein Darshan of Cinema Express gave 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "The film is emotional but is equally fun with a strong undercurrent of tasteful humour."[12] Janani K from India Today gave 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "DaDa is a heartwarming film that talks about parenting and relationship woes."[13] Haricharan Pudipeddi of Hindustan Times wrote "The most refreshing aspect of DaDa is that it sends out a very important message loud and clear – parenthood is gender neutral"[14] Bhuvanesh Chandar of The Hindu wrote "The writing, on the other hand, only solidifies. There are some really enjoyable, heart-melting touches in the second act"[15]
References
- "Dada Box Collection". Sacnilk.
- "Dada Box Office Collection". Sacnilk.
- Chandar, Bhuvanesh (2023-02-10). "'DaDa' movie review: Kavin, Aparna Das impress in this emotional rollercoaster". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
- "Kavin's Dada to release in this month". CinemaExpress. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
- "Kavin's Dada to release on November 18?". CinemaExpress. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
- "Kavin & Aparna Das' 'Dada' teaser". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
- "DaDa review: Enjoyable coming-of-age drama about accidental parenthood". Hindustan Times. 2023-02-10. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
- "'Our film will break stereotypes about parents': Actors Kavin and Aparna Das - The New Indian Express". www.newindianexpress.com. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
- "Kavin's 'Dada' to release on over 400 screens in Tamil Nadu". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
- "Kavin starrer Dada gets OTT release date". The Indian Express. 7 March 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-07.
- "Dada Movie Review : Kavin excels in this well-written feel-good emotional drama". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
- "Dada Movie Review: A well-written drama made with plenty of heart". Cinema Express. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
- "DaDa Movie Review: Kavin, Aparna Das' film is thoughtful and effective". India Today. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
- "DaDa review: Enjoyable coming-of-age drama about accidental parenthood". Hindustan Times. 2023-02-10. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
- Chandar, Bhuvanesh (2023-02-10). "'DaDa' movie review: Kavin, Aparna Das impress in this emotional rollercoaster". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2023-03-17.