In the end, there’s a lot to appreciate in Daddy, yet sadly it’s not enough. The craft is admirable and the big denouement is thought provoking, but pacing issues cripple the film to the extent that you’re exhausted by the time the lights come back on.

The Arjun Rampal starrer has a thickly-populated circuitous plot, which goes back and forth in time, which comes in the way of a solid crime thriller cum study of the making of a gangster.

he film romanticises the hero (Arjun Rampal as Arun Gawli) and then serves the usual formula gangster fare. Where it fails, however, is keeping it all coherent.

If you like slow and dark crime dramas then Daddy is certainly for you but if you seeking a pacy period thriller, then you will be highly disappointed. Daddy is nothing but one of the boring chapters of a history book.

While actor Arjun Rampal’s portrayal of gangster Arun Gawli in Daddy is gutsy, producer-writer Arjun Rampal pushes the audience to discover more plot holes than Mumbai citizens encountered this monsoon

If you like crime drama, Daddy is bound to fuel your imagination. Gawli is a part of India’s crime-history. And this is the closest you will come to ‘encountering’ him.

What distinguishes “Daddy” from the many campy gangster films Bollywood has produced is that it at least attempts to try something different within the genre. But scratch the surface, and it is yet another film that romanticizes a gangster and attempts to redeem him.

Technically, Daddy is one of the best films to come out this year with an applause worthy performance by Arjun Rampal, however, it fails to leave an impression on you with its weak narrative and sluggish pace.

If you are a die-hard fan of Arjun Rampal or such genre of films, then, the film Daddy is a must watch for you. And for the rest of you, except for Arjun Rampal and the production values in the form of the recreation of the era gone by, there is hardly anything to boast about in the film

Daddy isn’t lionizing or demonizing its hero but in its neutral stance it is also does not do a credible job of making him compelling for the audience. As Gawli makes a plea for an opportunity to redeem himself by doing public service one wonders if the Shiva devotee knows that karma’s a bitch and it always catches up with you. Audiences won’t cheer nor be mesmerised by Daddy and it’s this detachment from the leading man that is Daddy’s biggest pitfall.

A well crafted frame, searching for a perfect picture.

It’s a risk to not follow Bollywood’s tried-and-tested formula. While it does win Rampal brownie points, this will not be enough to turn the film into a success at the box office. It can’t exactly be termed as Gawli’s biopic, because so much of his life is missing from the film. Nor can one say that it is entertaining as it offers nothing new. Watch it to see Rampal in one of his best performances till date, for a story without frills and only if you have a penchant for crime dramas.

I would call  it a tour de force but for the abject absence of flamboyance in the presentation.

Daddy demands patient viewing as it sets out to explore a new story delivery style while tackling the ever-popular gangster genre. As it walks the fine line between judgement and glorification, Daddy often feels like a bunch of headlines stitched together with fine handwriting managing to suck you back into a time that has shaped modern Mumbai.

Daddy is like a docu-feature which will not hold interest for the audience. It may appeal to a tiny section of the audience in Maharashtra due to its Maharashtrian flavour but in the rest of India, it will flop miserably.

The biopic of the reluctant gangster Arun Gulab Gawli is brilliantly shot, the film gives us a great insight into the gangs that ruled Bombay during the seventies and eighties. A decent watch.

Daddy is complete cinema engaging various aspects of film-making with finesse. However, the story might not resonate with the masses due to the low emotional quotient. Watch it for the good performances and stunning look into Mumbai’s bygone eras. And it will be more enjoyable if you read up a bit on Arun Gawli and head to the theatres…

Through Daddy’s 130 minutes, Gawli remains elusive, his story obscured by multiple timelines and narrators, and his own reticence. Daddy reminded me of Paolo Sorrentino’s Il Divo, another film about a sphinx-like public figure situated at the intersection of politics and crime.

I would call it a tour de force but for the abject absence of flamboyance in the presentation.

Daddy, comes across as an earnest defense for one of the most feared men of his times. I lived in Mumbai during those times. I don’t remember hearing of any of his Robinhood deeds. Maybe they were deliberately kept under wraps. If this film was made to invoke sympathy for a man who might wrongfully be in prison today, it didn’t really do much in that direction. Lacking balance, it just might have pushed the audience, that can be bothered to care, even further in the other direction.

Watch it for Arjun Rampal for he delivers one of his finest performances till date. And also if you like gangster movies sans any blood, gore and action.

A slicker second half and more insight into Gawli’s transition would have made Daddy a more engaging watch. However Daddy is a realistic movie, watch it if you are a big Arjun Rampal fan.