Plot: A veteran Bollywood writer is in for a surprise when his daughter, whom he had walked out on, returns to his life and dreams of becoming an actress.
Review: Director Bharat Dabholkar is back with his comedy play That’s My Girl, where he explores the relationship between a father and daughter in a fun yet moving way. The set-up is the home of a veteran Bollywood film writer Anil Desai (Ananth Mahadevan). Being a writer of movies that centre around relationships, Anil is a walking contradiction, given the fact that he cannot maintain a successful relationship. He left his children in Surat and moved to Mumbai and ended up becoming a film writer. It’s refreshing then, when one fine day, Anil wakes up to find that his teenage daughter Aishwarya (Shweta Rohira) is back, sixteen years later, with a burning ambition to become an actress. While he is taken aback at first, he slowly adjusts to the fact that his daughter is here to stay. A confident, cheerful girl, Aishwarya slowly works at establishing a bond with her father, as Anil, very late in life, realises what it means to be a dad.
The best moments of the play are the ones that happen between the father and the daughter. To see an exasperated Anil struggle with fatherhood and see how Aishwarya copes with life in the big city show how both of them struggle in their new roles. Anil’s girlfriend Anuradha (Ananya Dutta) is the one who acts as a bridge between the two and shows both characters the error of their ways. Ananth Mahadevan as the father does a fantastic job of portraying a frustrated, ageing writer who suddenly has to adapt being a father, and also handle his daughter’s teenage angst. Even though you may not agree with the way his character turns out — a bit too emotional for someone who is averse to relationships — you still enjoy the performances. Ananya, too, is cast well and does a good job as the mediator. It’s Shweta Rohira though who is the surprise package here. Cast perfectly, she does a credible job of acting alongside a veteran like Ananth. There are moments when her performance falters, but she soon finds the groove and delivers a splendid performance in her debut.
So, if you’re looking to catch a fun, light play with an emotional connect that you can watch with your family, That’s My Girl is definitely a good choice.
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