With Finding Fanny, Homi Adajania has proved that you don’t need naach-gaana, over-the-top melodrama or a lavishly shot film to impress a movie buff. A good script coupled with brilliant casting can do the trick as well…
What’s it about?
Finding Fanny is all about love, life and of course Fanny! Five people who are like cheese and chalk go on a road trip to find Fanny. Ferdie (Naseerudin Shah), who is a postman in a quaint Goan village – Pokolim, is shattered when he gets back his love letter unopened after 46 years. His best friend is Angie (Deepika Padukone) who stays with her mother-in-law Madame Rosalina (Dimple Kapadia) but sadly these two pretty ladies are widows. Angie decides to help Ferdie in finding the love of his life and that’s fanny. The trio along with Savio Da Gama (Arjun Kapoor) Angie’s ex-boyfriend and Don Pedro (Pankaj Kapur), a talented painter who is fascinated with all things big, set out to find Ferdie’s ladylove. But do they succeed? Well, you have to watch the film yourself to find that out. But I’ll tell you this: By the end of the road trip four them truly understand the meaning of love and even find it!
What’s hot?
The way Homi Adajania has presented the story of five oddballs and their journey to find Fanny is beautiful till the last frame. Each and every character has been well-defined and they all manage to shine in the film. Deepika not only looks angelic but she plays her part very well. Dimple Kapadia as an obnoxious widow is simply brilliant. And so are Pankaj Kapur and Naseerudin Shah. While the former has been given the most hilarious and wicked dialogues, the latter is more like the Indian version of Mr Bean. But the surprise package amongst all was Arjun Kapoor who is an arrogant mechanic and is hopelessly in love with Deepika. But has no courage to express his feelings until Ms Padukone makes the move. Lastly, cinematographer Anil Mehta deserves a special mention coz the way he has captured Goa is breathtaking. I never knew there was more to Goa than just parties and beaches. Though all the actors do complete justice to their wacky characters, I personally loved Don Pedro courtesy Mr Kapur. He is one actor who can make a dirty dialogue sound delicious. Guess that says a lot about his caliber as an actor.
What’s not?
Though the film isn’t too stretched, its a bit slow and that may not work in its favour especially with the audience who love typical Bollywood films. Also, the story is predictable after a point. And lastly, its a niche film which won’t appeal to all. People who are accustomed to watching masala entertainers may find this film boring. But then there are people who genuinely love cinema. So if you’re one of them, you won’t be disappointed.
Verdict
Very rare a film comes which isn’t Hindi, has no melodrama, is off-beat, has established actors and has a simple yet meaningful script. Finding Fanny is one of them. Like me, if you love watching movies no matter what the genre is, then do catch this film. But not with your parents!