Dear dad’ lacks depth but is innocent

Marking the comeback of Arvind Swamy after 12 years, this coming of age story revolves around a father-son relationship where, Nitin (Arvind Swamy) decides to come out of the closet and unburden himself to his adolescent son Shivam (Himanshu Sharma) on a road trip to his boarding school. 

Depicting a bold theme like homosexuality, sans the stereotypical mannerisms, flowered shirts and slapstick comedy the movie keeps the characters real and believable. Arvind, plays the role with unmatched ease and élan at a point where the audience can feel his dilemma, confusion, anger and helplessness without much dialogues and drama. 

The background score subtly guides you through the plot, which flows as effortlessly as the picturesque rivers and mountains captured through beautiful pan shots.

The characters are convincing and each actor is comfortable in the skin of it. Shivam (Himanshu Sharma) is a kid who, fancies looking at adult magazine and has a crush on a girl, is shattered when he discovers the truth about his dad and the reason behind his parent’s divorce. Underlying the main plot, issues like generation gap—where a son is more interested in his video games than talking to his father, and the fallacy of fast-paced urban life with no place for the elderly, are also addressed.

The movie is not flawless as it lacks a certain depth and understanding of the human nature. In an attempt to make it completely devoid of drama, the director fails to bring out certain necessary aspects such as the reaction of Nitin’s wife over his sexual identity.

 He fails to build up curiosity and somewhere around the middle, the movie drags on for a while. Himanshu’s meltdown seems more of a tantrum and the sudden comrade between the father-son post the revelation appears abrupt and immature. 

Though not flawless, ‘Dear Dad’ is a simple, enchanting and profound story which has certain cinematographic brilliance and a very innocent appeal.