Opening Doorz

By Martin D’Souza | Opening Doorz Editorial | September 08, 2017

Rating: 2 / 5

The essence: Full marks to Arjun Rampal for making this an engaging fare. As an actor, he has performed to the ‘T’. As a writer and producer though, he could have picked on a subject that would have made an impact in the theatres.

Daddy, a biopic on gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli who made Dagdi Chawl his fortress is a gangster flick, which illustrates the underworld tussle and gang wars of the early eighties.

Having said that, the plot is not as riveting, as the execution of an era gone by is arresting! It is only the period that is brought alive on screen with its set and costume design that helps you sit through the film, which at time gets tedious.

There’s also Arjun Rampal who portrays gangster Gawli. These three elements make the film watchable.

The film traces Gawli’s reluctant steps into the world of crime and his meteoric rise and ultimate sweeping of the elections in his constituency.

What sets the film apart is the painstaking manner in which the art director Parul Sondh has painted Bombay of the years gone by. The action sequences by Sham Kaushal, too, matches the mood of the era. Anand Ingle who plays Babu Reshim and Rajesh Shringapore who plays Rama Naik pitch in with performances that are on par with the other actors. Only Farhan Akhtar who plays Masood, a character based on Dawood Ibrahim falls flat. He is shown with neither the belly for a fight nor a purpose for his criminal activities. Bombay Police apparently eat out of his hands. His is a character woven out of thin air, which also vanishes just like that!

Full marks to Rampal for making this an engaging fare. As an actor, he has performed to the ‘T’. As a writer and producer though, he could have picked on a subject that would have made an impact in the theatres.

A biopic of a celebrated personality does stand a chance in the theatres like Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Paan Singh Tomar and Mary Kom did.

But glorifying a gangster?

CREDITS
Producer: Arjun Rampal
Director: Ashim Ahluwalia
Star Cast: Arjun Rampal, Rajesh Shringapore, Anand Ingle, Nishikant Kamat, Aishwarya Rajesh