Mahesh Bhatt's 'Daddy' (1989)- A heart warming film

Last night I was watching Mahesh Bhatt’s 'Daddy' and I realized why it is considered to be such an important film in career of those involved in it; esp. Director Mahesh Bhatt, actor Pooja Bhatt and Anupam Kher.

It’s quite a touching and moving film. I have always had a special liking for stories that have interesting narrative. I'm a fan of movement between past and present. That movement keeps the story interesting and narrative more intriguing for me.

The story is about an estranged father and daughter and their journey to get to know each other, to reconcile the differences between them. It is a story of a daughter who longs to get to know her father and to bring him out of his ghosts of past and alcoholism. It is her way to bring her father back into the society out of the shield of obscurity that he has formed around him.

The most important part in the film is played by music. Music as a plot and well Music as in the background score and the songs. Music becomes a bonding factor of relations in the film, and also something that brings out acute emotions in the characters. Music not only builds in the pathos of the characters in the film, but is also a very much part of it.

I also love the music of the film. The songs are beautiful and so full of emotions. And that is how it should be for a film that has music at its center. I esp. Love the last song of the film 'Aina phir se mujhse woh pheli si soorat mange....' It’s such a beautiful song. Also the song ‘Kabhi khwaab mein kabhi khayal mein….’

The songs are well placed and add a lot to the narrative structure of the film on the whole.

The acting is superb. Not only the main characters but even the side cast seems so well casted in their respective roles. No character or actors seems to be wasted in the film. Daddy is Pooja Bhatt’s first film as an actor, and her performance in the film shows how much of an evolved actor she was since the beginning. I particularly love Anupam Kher’s performance as a drunk father, who is trapped in his past but has a longing of getting over his addictions and getting to know his daughter. No doubt in his winning the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance in 1991. I would like to make special mention to Manohar Singh, in the role of the protective grandfather who doesn't wishes his granddaughter to be hurt by the hands of the man who took his daughter away from him.

At times when words become scarce in appreciating something really good, I believe I should best leave it to emotions. And trust me watch the film and it will certainly not only engross you but will move you to emotions of sympathy and empathy at the pathos of its characters.

The movie is a typical Mahesh Bhatt style, which involves deep psychological pathos of it’s characters with real emotions, and camera angles and shots that don’t make anything ‘larger-than-life’ or grand or unreal. It all appears real and arises out of real human emotions that is why the magic of Mahesh Bhatt films has always worked; wether it is Arth, Saraansh, Sadak, etc.

It is actually true that real human emotions are presented in these films, as Mahesh Bhatt has himself claimed that Arth, Zakhm and Daddy were inspired by embarrassing personal experiences.

"What people are ashamed of usually makes a good story… I was ashamed of cheating on my wife, of being a child born out of wedlock, of being an alcoholic. These emotions created Arth, Zakhm and Daddy," the filmmaker had posted on Twitter in 2010.

Just one thing I was initially confused about is the year of release of the film. Going by Wiki and IMDB which state it as 1898, while many online sources state it as 1991. So that's one confusion I faced. No problem..it is actually 1989.

I guess I'm seeing this film again after ages. Approx I guess 7-8 years. Seeing it again after so long makes it so fresh for me.
My mom often hates my habit of watching films on TV late in night. But well she is sitting next to me and watching this film and engrossed as well, is what I believe a good enough achievement for the film. Sorry won't divulge into details of this as no one would understand the understanding me and my mom share on such things. It’s just a mom-daughter bond thing.

Daddy (1989)

Dir: Mahesh Bhatt

Starring: Anupam Kher, Pooja Bhatt, Manohar Singh, Soni Razdan,  Nath Zutshi, Avtar Gill, Satish Kaushik, Suhas Joshi, Sulbha Arya, Pramod Moutho, Himanshu, Neena Gupta, Akash Khurana, Sakshi Bhatt, Shaheen Bhatt.

Producer: Mukesh Bhatt

Writer: Suraj Sanim

Music by Rajesh Roshan

Playback Singers: Talat Aziz, Arun Ingle, Dilraj Kaur, Suresh Wadkar

Favorite songs: Kabhi khawab mein....; Aina mujhse mere....