Fitoor review: Aditya Roy Kapoor’s film, Katrina Kaif spares no one, not Kashmir, not Delhi
‘Inspiration’ Charles is only the very first casualty. Fitoor saves poor Pakistan, which finds its way into this story basically about love traversing societal divides, and not even no one, not Kashmir, not Delhi, not London, not artists.
Meanwhile, having determined that in a movie where all of Aditya Roy Kapoor’s hair is bunched upon his head, and all of Katrina’s is plunged in a Chinaresque crimson, in the hope maybe that you just do not see their clean faces underneath, Tabu takes it upon herself to play for the whole movie. Her overladen, overdressed, overwrought Begum has done a hop, skip and leap (should that even be possible) from Haider and Vishal Bhardwaj to Fitoor and Abhishek Kapoor.
There’s a Ms. Havisham in there, but you must look for it the flowing hair, past all this and those elaborate clothing
Noor doesn’t think which, as we understand from Great Expectations, establishes one chapter in his life.
The other gets started when Noor and his brother-in-law get called to fix her mansion (‘Anjuman’, no less), by Begum. A sight of her red cheeks and lips, and Noor is besotted. By turns encourages and snubs, and Begum notices Noor in his growing fascination for Firdaus
To date, Abhishek Kapoor, who gave us a rather remarkable and middle-class Kai Po Che, seems to know what he’s doing. The boy cast as Noor talks with an unmistakable Kashmiri accent, his sister that is beautiful and gentle walks with a mysterious limp that always halts Noor in his tracks, as well as the brother in law is unobtrusive and encouraging. Tabu is still getting into the act.
It is when the sister expires, in a blast, the limp never described, Firdaus goes away, Noor gets larger and bulkier (Aditya Kapoor never remains in clothing, top or lower for too long) and properties in Delhi that Fitoor enters from the epoch of belief to the epoch of incredulity (the Charles Dickens line the movie is fond of repeating, though never reaching this unique component). Funded by a mysterious benefactor, ‘the son from Dal’ gets plonked from phiran on the lake to an artfully open studio in the midst of could-be Lodhi Garden.
There’s a Delhi out there where strangers open their hearts, celebrations, purse strings, as well as letterheads giving their address as Sujan Singh Park, to fit artists that are growing among monuments that are luminous, just you might not have seen it. An amazing variety of foreigners keeps flitting about. However, what do we understand?
Instant success, and a by now flirty Firdaus (Katrina Kaif), with ‘a degree from London School of Design’, follow (she smokes, does not she?).
There’s more where that came from, directed in the Pakistani Minister Firdaus is supposed to wed, but it is at least ignored by him with the backward-look despite it deserves. Lara Dutta may be only an art dealer, and consequently inconsequential to this narrative, but she gets to say that which we’ve been dying to: “Itna aasan nahin hota yahaan tak aana. Joote ghis jaate hain.” Obviously, do not look down at theirs.
Director: Abhishek Kapoor
Star cast of Fitoor: Aditya Roy Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Tabu, Ajay Devgn, Aditi Rao Hydari, Lara Dutta
