Daddy (1989) is a television film made for Doordarshan. Directed by Mahesh Bhatt, this film marked the acting debut of his daughter Pooja Bhatt. The film boasts spectacular performances by its lead actors Anupam Kher and Manohar Singh. It features a famous ghazal "Aaina mujhse meri pehli si surat maange" sung by Talat Aziz.
Synopsis
Film begins with an image of star, Anand Sarin. Slowly as the story progresses, more facts about the reason for his alcoholism come to light, and he is able to overcome them eventually with the help of Pooja's love and her support.
Cast
Anupam Kher as Anand
Manohar Singh as Kantaprasad
Pooja Bhatt as Pooja
Soni Razdan as Priya
Sulbha Arya as Tarabai
Neena Gupta as Vimla
Avtar Gill
Suhas Joshi as Mrs. Kantaprasad
Raj Zutshi as Nikhil
Pramod Moutho
Production
Mahesh Bhatt changed the climax of the film just a day before it was shot. Bhatt himself was struggling with alcoholism while shooting this well-received film.
A theatrical adaptation of Daddy, directed by Dinesh Gautam, was first staged in 2015 with Imran Zahid in the lead role. It was a rare Indian production staged at an international theatre festival in Pakistan in 2015, although the staging was delayed because of visa hassles.
Awards
1991 - Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance: Anupam Kher
1991 - Filmfare Best Dialogue Award: Surah Sanim
1991 - Filmfare Award for Lux New Face of the Year: Pooja Bhatt
1989 - National Film Award - Special Jury Award: Anupam Kher.