Star Cast: Aditya Roy Kapur, Katrina Kaif, Tabu
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Director: Abhishek Kapoor
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What’s Bad: What pulls the film down is its pace. Not many can endure a love story that stretches for this long.
Loo Break: Second half would have a good chance!
Watch or Not?: Consider this as your holy grail and remember that if you are not a person who enjoys larger than life romances which have an artsy feel, you certainly cannot watch it. For me, the film struck a nerve somewhere. This is like another Lootera for me, love the raw, simplistic nature of love in it.
User Rating:
Noor (Aditya Roy Kapur) is a young Shikara boy from Kashmir who lives with his elder sister and her husband. The innocent lad is born artist who sketches and soon finds his perfect muse in Firdaus (Katrina Kaif). She is beautiful enough to be a heartbreaker and it takes no time for little Noor to fall in love with her.
Little does Noor know what his love will cost him but Firdaus’ mother Begum Hazrat (Tabu) surely knows the price. Herself being a victim of love’s flipside, she plays with Noor and Firdaus’ emotions as though seeking a revenge for her own lost love.
After creating a bond between the duo, Begum sends her daughter to London for further studies while Noor’s love remains still strong. After years, Noor becomes art sensation in Delhi and it is there that he has a rendezvous with Firdaus for the first time as adults.
They soon fall in love back again but will Begum let this love blossom?
While we knew it right from start that Fitoor is an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations, we were obviously expecting some twists in the tale. With respect to the book, the writers keep their focus only on the three main characters, they have played with a few instances in their lives but the characteristics remain the same. Choosing the setting as Kashmir is a good move since it gives the already, partly sad story an icy, gloomy touch at the same time a lush red of the Chinar leaves when it comes to love.
As mentioned earlier, what pulls this film down is its pace. I don’t have a problem that it is slow, the point is that it hurries up towards the end, exactly where it was not required. The script has loopholes and they are quite evidently visible especially in the second half. I honestly feel, there could have been a deeper analysis of the lead characters and that could have given a stronger script. The story is emotional and filled with innocence but it is now on the audiences to look beyond its flaws. The dialogues are something that I truly loved and I have to say can be enjoyed only when one actually attempts to understand their deeper meaning. One of my favorite would be ‘Khud Se Azaadi Toh Sirf Maut Hi Dila Sakti Hai Ya Phir Ishq’.
Those of who have read the book will find the film heading in a cliched manner and missing the essence of Pip and Estella’s characters. Fitoor becomes more like coming of age love story that has many layers and somehow they all don’t fit well.
Clarity of some crucial things easily gets lost in the second half and many may find the story confusing towards the end.
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Aditya Roy Kapur as Noor Nizami gives quite a layered performance. His nervous instincts around Begum’s character or his lovesick behavior, all make up for a good act. Except in certain scenes where he is given a drink, he reminds us of Aashiqui 2 and they are his weakest scenes in the film.
Katrina Kaif as Firdaus looks stunning. But when it comes to her act, she does not exactly give us anything great to marvel on or remember. In fact even the director mostly places her in scenes with minimum dialogues.
Tabu as Begum Hazrat is clearly the show-stealer of the film. She owns the character of Miss Havisham and one truly feels the pain behind those dark circled eyes that have cried a thousand rivers. She is exceptional in the film with her attitude and her arrogant yet heart-broken tone.
Rahul Bhat is seen in a supporting role as Bilal, Firdaus’ fiancé and he does a good job.
Ajay Devgn has a cameo in the film and well he will surprise the hell out of you. I don’t think I need to say more on that!
Aditi Rao Hydari looks stunning as the young Begum.
Abhishek Kapoor is the real Noor of Fitoor. The film is like his canvas and he paints it so beautifully that the entire first half you sit marveling the beauty of Kashmir. True to the song ‘Haminastu’, Kashmir truly looks heavenly. What is special about this film is that because it looks so good, at some point, you feel like giving all the flaws a miss and just watch. If only, Kapoor had the backing of a strong script, the film could’ve been a masterpiece. I am a believer of slow paced romantic stories and hence Fitoor did not feel as bad but for the rest, it may be like the time stood still.
What Kapoor does best is capture the rawness of this love story with his camera. The innocent young love and its portrayal is brilliantly depicted when Noor handcrafts a horse for Firdaus after one of her own horses is sold.
Also the volatility of life in Kashmir is captured in a horrific scene where Noor’s sister dies. The scene of the bomb blast seems so real and comes so sudden that it will surely give you a jerk.
Clearly, the music of Fitoor is the soul of the film and also will be one of the driving forces for the audience. The song placement is bang on and none of the songs are played complete which is a good thing as the story continues.
Fitoor is a film that looks magical, has impressive performances, yet lacks ‘wow’ factor. This love story is not everyone’s cup of tea and hence those with artsy tastes may like it. I am going with a 2.5/5 for the film.
Fitoor releases on 12th February, 2016.
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