Review: Sumair must not only tackle the criminals but also officers on his tail within the narcotics bureau, to get to his son. His son’s abduction makes the high-functioning alcoholic rogue cop move like an assassin who can destroy anything that stands in his way.
Farzi and now Bloody Daddy… Shahid Kapoor is on a roll. No commercial Hindi film hero is having more fun than Shahid on the OTT. It’s evident that the actor has let go of his apprehensions or his standing in the industry to unleash his wild side that’s allowing him the freedom to let loose. You can almost hear Kabir Singh’s ‘Wada wao wao wada wao wao’ track in the head as Sumair walks in donning a John Wick like black blazer with an intention to kill. The actor has nailed the alpha male eccentric character and watching him have fun with it is deeply satisfying. Despite his relatively petite frame or the good-looking boy next door image, he owns every bit of his outrageously witty yet violent character.
Adapted from the French film Nuit Blanche (Sleepless Night, 2011), Ali Abbas Zafar’s neo-noir action thriller is a trippy ride from beginning to end. Shot during covid in an Abu Dhabi hotel (portrayed as Gurugram), the entire film revolves around a duffel bag containing drugs and its delivery. Monitoring Sumair’s actions and on their own mission are two other cops (Diana Penty and Rajeev Khandelwal). The unknowing hotel staff and guests get embroiled in this cops vs cops, cops vs criminals and criminals vs criminals web of madness. Who is corrupt and who is playing the bigger game, forms the story.
You will like Bloody Daddy for the same reason you may have liked Brad Pitt’s action comedy ‘Bullet Train’ or the Coen brothers’ distinctive dark comedies. It’s daft, deranged, dramatic and hilarious. The camera work and well-choreographed stylised action (knives, guns, fistfights, et al) keep you glued to your seat and make you wonder why this isn’t a theatrical release. The unintentional humour works well given the covid setting and adds to the pace. The second half however feels a tad static as action overshadows humour. The plot is quite predictable as well.
Bloody Daddy doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s an absurdly funny, unpretentious action- crime thriller that’s brutal and brave.
