PremiumDaveed movie review: Antony Varghese packs a punch but movie loses steam in latter rounds
Daveed movie review: Antony Varghese-starrer loses steam in the second half, as it forgets to revisit the father-daughter relationship, which made it endearing in the first place.
Last Updated: 02.07 PM, Feb 14, 2025
Daveed story: Ashiq Abu is a carefree husband and father who mostly lives on his wife's salary. Every now and then, he takes up a gig as a bouncer but only for celebs. During one such assignment, he is asked to provide security for undefeated Turkish boxer Sainul Akhmadov. But the gig goes horribly wrong when Ashiq lands a knockout blow on his client, leading the latter to challenge the Malayali for a fight. But Ashiq has to first confront his past.
Daveed review: The USP of Daveed, which its debutant director Govind Vishnu and lead actor Antony Varghese had pitched pre-release, was that it's a sports drama but told through the emotional relationship of a father and a daughter. Nani’s Telugu film Jersey would be the closest to such a plot in recent times, where the emotions stemming from a father wanting to prove to his child that he is not a loser, added an extra layer of relatability to the film. In Daveed too, the central theme stems from that, but the makers don't quite bring this home and that's why you could end blowing hot and cold about this film.
The writers, Deepu Rajeevan and director Govind, does a great job setting up the conflict in the first half – which makes its indolent protagonist Ashiq Abu (Antony Varghese), who lives in a slum with his wife and daughter but is selective about the kind of jobs he takes up, go up against a world champion boxer, Sainul Akhmadov (played brilliantly by Egyptian actor Mo Ismail). The circumstances set up for some great events to follow, but sadly it doesn't live up to the promise.
Most of it is squandered by the protagonist’s past, which doesn't quite paint him as a hero and also leaves a bitter aftertaste. Whatever empathy that the makers had hoped to gain for Ashiq is lost here. The training sequences have its charm but don't give you the thrills that usual sports dramas do, this despite Justin Varghese’s thumping music that has a mix of grunge and Middle Eastern elements.
The movie also loses steam in the second half, as it forgets to revisit the father-daughter relationship, which made it endearing in the first place. Jess Kukku and Lijomol are brilliant in their roles as daughter and wife to Antony's Ashiq. The Angamaly Diaries’ actor shines in the action sequences, which are crisply edited, and the makers don't play up his body transformation - giving it the natural transition the movie’s setting required.
Saiju Kurup, Mo Ismail and Vijayaraghavan do their parts well, but Aju Varghese's character felt unnecessary, stemming the flow of events, just to induce forced humour. Credit should be given to the makers for the grand staging of the boxing matches though. But given the exposure that the audience today has of boxing films, even this felt short in terms of action in the ring.
Daveed verdict: Antony Varghese’s sports drama almost feels like a squandered opportunity as the makers seem to hold back on the punches - neither going all out for a boxing movie, nor driving the emotional drama all the way.