DADA Review - A Wholesome Emotional Entertainer!

Ashwin Ram

DADA is a life-drama starring Kavin and Aparna Das in the lead roles. It is directed by debutant Ganesh K Babu and the project is bankrolled by Olympia Movies.

Premise

Kavin and Aparna Das are in a relationship, there happens to be an accidental pregnancy when they are in their early 20s. After a series of struggles, a baby boy is born but the mother goes missing. What happens in their lives after that forms the remaining story.

Writing/ Direction

The film starts on a promising note with a very natural lengthy conversation between the leads, more of a proper establishment for both the characters . But then it’s followed with a few incomplete scenes, despite the situations being vital. We eventually get to connect with their lives as we get to see more of them. There is a crucial breaking point after the baby is born and we are left with tears. The writing is very meticulous and meaningful, either we see an emotional stretch or an entertaining one. The way things have been brought on-screen is also beautiful and works commercially at the same time. There are several heart touching scenes in the movie as the subject and the people in it are relatably presented. It is hard to specify the arc of the story within a boundary as it is life, one thing is that the engagement is very much alive throughout the film. There are no big dull moments till the halfway mark, especially the interval point is a terrific theatre moment. The second half is enjoyable as well, but the flow has a few not-so-necessary angles that are conveyed which occupies quite some time. The latter is still very decently made, but can’t deny the fact that it could have been crisper. Also, I wish it could’ve concentrated more on the lead pair and their conflicts rather than going wider. The incompleteness which was there in the initial portions of the film exist here too. Nevertheless the director is aware of the audience pulse and has created plenty of trendy office backdrop moments. There is a simple yet convincing justification which is revealed towards the end, paving way for the heartfelt climax. Soulful and clap-worthy dialogues are present all over the film which make it more lively.

Performances

Kavin has the potential to be the next big thing in Kollywood. He can emote nicely, be effortlessly natural on-screen and he has delivered a mature performance by understanding the thick of his character. Importantly, here he plays the role of a youngster with whom one can easily relate to, which makes him very likable. Aparna Das is decent as well, she is subtle and has given what is required for her role. Some of the supporting characters have also done well, with newbies doing the trick with the comedy quotient. VTV Ganesh’s counters click and he too gets a delicately made moving moment. The scene with K Bhagyaraj and Aishwariyaa Bhaskaran is so deep, justifying their presence in the subject. The kid is so cute, he has a bunch of sensible and sweet moments which helps the audience to fall in love with him.

Technicalities

The songs are very good, just at the first listen. The lyrics are excellently written, helping us to understand the situations deeper which the director has attempted to convey musically. Lovely background score, every single scene is improved to several notches better through soul-stirring music. Great camera work in and out, absolutely nothing to complain about, especially some tight close up shots add so much value and make the scenes more impactful. Neatly edited too, yes the second half could have been trimmed a bit, the presentation is overall admirable.

Bottomline

There are a few incomplete sequences in the first hour and the latter being a bit lengthy. Otherwise,  It’s a solidly written soulful film and full of life. A thoroughly gripping tale with an ample amount of heart touching and fun filled scenes.

Rating - 3.25/ 5