An elderly man named Manu Mankad falls from the balcony of his flat one night, and his lawyer son Ajay and daughter-in-law Alka rush him to hospital. A police investigation into the fall slowly closes in on the couple, peeling back the calm surface of an ordinary middle-class household. What emerges is a chamber thriller of secrets, guilt and shifting sympathies built around Manu himself.
Dear Father marked Paresh Rawal's return to Gujarati cinema after roughly forty years, and the film is built almost entirely around him. Adapted from Dr. Vivek Bele's Marathi play Katkon Trikon, it opens with an elderly man, Manu Mankad, falling from the balcony of his flat one night. His lawyer son Ajay and daughter-in-law Alka rush him to hospital, but the how and why of that fall refuse to settle, and a quiet middle-class household turns into the scene of a slow investigation.
This is a chamber piece, and it knows it. Director Umang Vyas keeps the frame tight and lets the writing do the work, which suits a story that is really about who Manu is and what the people around him are willing to admit. Sonal Pandya, reviewing for Cinestaan, called it an emotional family drama that is Rawal's show all the way, one that will especially land with older viewers who see themselves in Manu. Manasi Parekh and Chetan Dhanani hold their own, but the gravity is Rawal's, and he plays a man you are meant to judge and then quietly forgive.
The film is not flawless. Cinestaan flagged repetitive portions that a firmer edit should have trimmed, and the staged, talky origins occasionally show. Writing in Firstpost, Subhash K. Jha went further, arguing the moral tone bends too easily, asking us to dislike Manu and then like him for the same qualities. Those wobbles are real, yet the core holds. As a performance showcase and a tense domestic drama, Dear Father earns its 7.6 on IMDb and rewards anyone who likes their thrillers built on character rather than spectacle.
Verdict
A tense, play-rooted family thriller that lives on Paresh Rawal's return to Gujarati cinema, flawed in its pacing but rich in character.
What works
- Paresh Rawal's commanding lead performance
- Tight, play-rooted chamber thriller structure
- Grounded support from Manasi Parekh and Chetan Dhanani
- Morally slippery, unpredictable character writing
What holds it back
- Repetitive stretches a firmer edit should have trimmed
- Stagey, talky feel carried over from the play
- Moral tone bends too easily in places
- Pace sags through the middle
Cast & crew
Writers: Dr. Vivek Bele, Uttam Gada, Aditya Rawal
Cast: Paresh Rawal (Manu Mankad), Manasi Parekh (Alka), Chetan Dhanani (Ajay)
Producers: Ratan Jain, Ganesh Jain
Watch the trailer
Play the official trailer on YouTubeMore from Umang Vyas
More Thriller Gujarati films
Frequently asked
Is Dear Father worth watching?
A tense, play-rooted family thriller that lives on Paresh Rawal's return to Gujarati cinema, flawed in its pacing but rich in character. Kevu Che rates it 3.5 out of 5.
What is Dear Father about?
An elderly man named Manu Mankad falls from the balcony of his flat one night, and his lawyer son Ajay and daughter-in-law Alka rush him to hospital. A police investigation into the fall slowly closes in on the couple, peeling back the calm surface of an ordinary middle-class household. What emerges is a chamber thriller of secrets, guilt and shifting sympathies built around Manu himself.
What is the IMDb rating of Dear Father?
Dear Father (2022) holds an IMDb rating of 7.6 out of 10.