Dada (2023 film)
| Dada | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Theatrical Release Poster | |
| 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 (transl. Father) is a 2023 Indian Tamil-language coming-of-age romantic comedy drama film directed by Ganesh K. Babu in his directorial debut and produced by S. Ambeth Kumar. It stars Kavin and Aparna Das in the lead roles, while K. Bhagyaraj, Aishwariyaa Bhaskaran and VTV Ganesh play supporting roles. The music was composed by Jen Martin, while K. Ezhil Arasu and Kathiresh Alagesan handled the cinematography and editing respectively.
Dada was released theatrically on 10 February 2023 to positive reviews from critics and became a commercial success at the box office.
Plot[edit]
Manikandan and Sindhu are final-year college students and are in a relationship, but Sindhu becomes pregnant and their lives change. Mani asks Sindhu for an abortion, but she refuses and they both rent a house. Due to alcoholism, Mani mistreats Sindhu by not paying attention to her and not caring about her. After Sindhu gives birth, Mani reaches the hospital to see Sindhu missing and leaving the baby behind. Caring for the baby, Mani names his child as Aditya and raises him to be a gentleman.
After a few years, Mani searches for a new job and finally lands a job, where he meets Sindhu in the same company. Knowing that she is the manager of the company, Mani feels scared to work at the office at first, but later starts to feel good about going to the office. One day, Mani brings Aditya to his office. Sindhu meets him; when Aditya tells her his name (Aditya was the name Sindhu chose) and his father is Mani, Sindhu realizes he's her son.
After realizing this, Sindhu converses with Mani, who asks Sindhu about leaving the baby despite his insistences for an abortion, Sindhu reveals that her parents had lied that the baby had died and she thought it was due to Mani's irresponsible behavior and left him. After clearing the misunderstanding, Aditya, Sindhu and Mani reunite as a family.
Cast[edit]
- Kavin as Manikandan "Mani"
- Aparna Das as Sindhu Manikandan
- Master Ilan Arjunan as Aditya Manikandan
- Baby Nalan Premkumar as an infant Aditya
- K. Bhagyaraj as Mani's father
- Aishwariyaa Bhaskaran as Mani's mother
- VTV Ganesh as Gokul
- Pradeep Antony as Saravanan
- Fouzee Hidayah as Shadhana
- Arvind Ezhilarasan as Manikandan's brother
- K. Harish as Amith
- Kamaldeep
- Master Arav
- Master Bedal Sanjay
Production[edit]
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).[3]
The principal photography of the film began in March 2022 and the film was predominantly shot and set in Chennai.[4] The shooting of the film was wrapped up in September 2022.[5]
Themes[edit]
Dada is loosely based on true events of Ganesh K. Babu's friend's life and focuses on a young man's journey of adoring the role of fatherhood and a single parent. It sends out a stronger message indicating that parenthood is gender neutral.[6][7]
Release[edit]
Theatrical[edit]
The film was released in over 400 theatres across Tamil Nadu.[8] The Tamil theatrical release for the film was acquired by Red Giant Movies and overseas rights bagged by Ayngaran International.[3]
Home media[edit]
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.[9]
Reception[edit]
Critical response[edit]
Logesh Balachandran of The Times of India gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "Dada is a well-written drama with the right mix of comedy, emotion and love."[10] Navein Darshan of The New Indian Express gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "The film is emotional, but is equally fun with a strong undercurrent of tasteful humour."[11]
Thinkal Menon of OTTplay gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "Dada's target seems to be young audience, but the right packaging of emotions and instantly likeable characters are adequate enough to attract all sections of audience."[12] Janani K from India Today gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Dada is a heartwarming film that talks about parenting and relationship woes."[13]
Haricharan Pudipeddi of Hindustan Times wrote "Kavin and Aparna Das-starrer rises above mainstream movies and sends out a strong message on parenthood."[14] Bhuvanesh Chandar of The Hindu wrote "Thanks to ample support from its lead actors, debutant director Ganesh K Babu’s film about a single father and a fractured relationship turns out to be a wholesome entertainer despite few missteps."[15]
References[edit]
- ^ "Dada Box Collection". Sacnilk. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
- ^ "Dada Box Office Collection". Sacnilk. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
- ^ a b R, Chandhini (2 January 2023). "Kavin's Dada to release in this month". CinemaExpress. Archived from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ^ "Kavin's Dada to release on November 18?". CinemaExpress. 17 October 2022. Archived from the original on 11 February 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ "Kavin & Aparna Das' 'Dada' teaser". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 11 February 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ "DaDa review: Enjoyable coming-of-age drama about accidental parenthood". Hindustan Times. 10 February 2023. Archived from the original on 11 February 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ "'Our film will break stereotypes about parents': Actors Kavin and Aparna Das". The New Indian Express. 9 February 2023. Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ "Kavin's 'Dada' to release on over 400 screens in Tamil Nadu". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 11 February 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ "Kavin starrer Dada gets OTT release date". The Indian Express. 7 March 2023. Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
- ^ "Dada Movie Review : Kavin excels in this well-written feel-good emotional drama". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 15 March 2023. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ "Dada Movie Review: A well-written drama made with plenty of heart". The New Indian Express. 11 February 2023.
- ^ "Dada review: Kavin, Aparna Das stand out in this rollicking emotional drama filled with heartfelt moments". OTTplay.
- ^ "DaDa Movie Review: Kavin, Aparna Das' film is thoughtful and effective". India Today. Archived from the original on 18 March 2023. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ "DaDa review: Enjoyable coming-of-age drama about accidental parenthood". Hindustan Times. 10 February 2023. Archived from the original on 16 March 2023. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ Chandar, Bhuvanesh (10 February 2023). "'DaDa' movie review: Kavin, Aparna Das impress in this emotional rollercoaster". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 15 March 2023. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
