In a surprise move, I headed to a theatre nearby to watch the Gujarati film Dear Father. The film is in its second week and has been in the news for Paresh Rawal returning to Gujarati Cinema after 40 years. So it was a spectacle worth witnessing. I did not watch its trailer nor did I know what to expect from the film. But the moment the first scene unfolded, the film reminded me of the Marathi film Aapla Maanus which is currentky streaming on Netflix. And my heart just sank! A remake, another remake! I just hoped the rest of the film was good or remotely did not resemble the Marathi film. So then is Dear Father worth your time, stay tuned.
An official adaptation of a Gujarati Play and an unofficial adaptation of the Marathi film Aapla Maanus(which is also adapted from a play), Dear Father follows the story of an elderly man who meets with an accident. Is it actually an accident or a suicide or even murder? For those who have watched the play or even the Marathi film, would know the beats of the drama. But the story is indeed preachy and much ado about nothing.
I do get the fact that there are morals or teachings which are given through the course of the film but they are literally done by drilling the message in your head instead of creating instances which will sympathize with the protagonist. In fact, by resorting to this method not only did it dilute its eventual message but also created a sense of disconnect. I had watched Aapla Maanus and there was a sense of grip to its story telling although it suffered with a similar fate while being preachy.
But here there is no grip on the narrative. The scenes are lengthy and somehow are left to the proven performers to save the day. The first half is a bit of a slog. While things are marginally better in the second half due to the mystery element(which I was aware of), you couldn’t help but think that the screenplay was meandering in circles instead of getting to the point quicker. The comic elements are decent but at times stretched too far. The end is again a preachy one which sums up the screenplay which is at best average.