Fitoor helmed by Abhishek Kapoor is a well packaged film which moves at a languid pace with mesmeric visuals, melodious music but its meandering story with too many loose ends spoil the fun. First things first, Abhishek Kapoor along with his cinematographer Anay Goswami has captured the spell binding beauty of Kashmir like never before. I mean, the movie is literally a visual treat. The stunning visuals of the movie capture your imagination right from the beginning. Fitoor is an adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic 'Great Expectations' and hence it primarily revolves around its three principle characters 'Noor' played by Aditya Roy Kapoor, 'Firdaus" played by Katrina and 'Begum Hazrat' essayed by Tabu. Though, the makers have tried their level best to paint the canvas at its magnificent best but what the film lacks is an intense love story. Several sequences in the movie seem artificial and illogical ; like Noor becoming a big artiste in such a short span of time and buying a second hand Mercedes-Benz or Firdaus rubbing away the lovelorn Noor and than eventually coming back to him. The movie has too many loose ends which the director tries to tie up towards the climax but they come up as hurried. As a result, the movie which was moving at a languid pace suddenly becomes pacy towards the climax which acts as a deterrent. The choice of using Kashmir as a backdrop for the story is a masterstroke by Abhishek as on one hand it gives the partly sad story a pristine icy, heartless look and on the other hand the lush red chinar leaves lend an aura of love. If the writers had invested more in the script, Fitoor could have turned out to be a winner, all the way. Despite of enchanting visuals, earnest performances, Fitoor fails to tug your heartstrings emotionally.
The adaptation of Dickens classic has been penned down by Abhishek Kapoor along with Supratik Sen. Together, they have ably crafted the milieu of present day Kashmir. Some of the dialogues of the movie have been penned down meticulously and make the desired impact like ' Khud se azaadi to sirf maut hi dila sakti hai ya ishq'. In this Dickens adaptation, Noor (Aditya Roy Kapoor) is orphan Pip, Estelle is Firdaus (Katrina Kaif) and mercurial Miss Havisham is Begum Hazrat (Tabu). The film begins with Noor (Aditya Roy Kapoor) mouthing "Qayamat Bhi Kya Cheez hai" and we are taken back in time when young Noor met young Firdaus (Katrina Kaif). Young Noor is a Shikara boy from Kashmir who lives with her elder sister and her husband. One day, he along with his brother-in-law are called to Begum Hazrat's haweli to run some errands. It is there that Noor sees Firdaus for the first time and is be-smitten by her. Noor falls madly in love with her unaware of the consequences. But, Begum Hazrat is well versed with the pain associated with love as she herself has been a victim of the same. So, after developing a bond between Noor & Firdaus, she sends Firdaus to London for studies. Later on, it seems as if Begum was playing with the emotions of both as though seeking a revenge for her lost love. Coming back to the story, Noor is a born artiste who sketches very well. Years pass on and Noor makes it big thanks to a mysterious benefactor who gets him enrolled in a big art gallery in Delhi. The art works created by Noor are auctioned at hefty amounts and he becomes a big name in art world. It is in Delhi that Noor has his first rendezvous with Firdaus as Adult. Noor confesses his love for Firdaus but she says she is about to get engaged to a Pakistani politician Bilal (Rahul Bhatt). Will Noor let go Firdaus who is the love of his life or Will Firdaus leave Bilal and come back to Noor is what forms the rest of the story.
Aditya Roy Kapoor gives a Rock-Solid performance as Noor Kazmi in Fitoor. His character in the movie is layered and he has performed it with full conviction. Whether be it love smitten Noor or lovelorn Noor, Aditya has simply nailed it with his performance. Watch out for Aditya in the scenes where he shares the screen space with Tabu as those scenes bring out his nervous knack around Tabu's character. Aditya seems to have invested a lot in this character which is visible from his eyes in the movie.
Katrina Kaif not only looks bewitching but has also portrayed her character to the TEE in Fitoor. She has portrayed her character of being indifferent, steely heart breaker to pitch perfection. She seems to have imbibed the finer nuances of her character and essayed them on-screen efficaciously. Her graph as an actress is on an upsurge with every subsequent film of hers.
Tabu is truly the scene-stealer of Fitoor as Begum Hazrat. Her portrayal of the mercurial Begum, translating the turbulent character's moderate declivity into lunacy is worth applauding. She has literally made Dickens character of Miss Havisham come alive on-screen.
Rahul Bhatt shines while portraying the character of Bilal who has no qualms about the past of his fiancee but wants a firm hold on her future. To his credit, Rahul Bhatt has played the character with effortless ease.
Amongst the ensemble starcast noticeable performances have been delivered by Aditi Rao Hydari, Akshay Oberoi, Lara Dutta and Talat Aziz.
The soundtrack of the movie that has been composed by Amit Trivedi is quite melodious and the best part is that the songs arrive at the opportune moments maximizing their impact. The cinematographer of the movie is Anay Goswami who has done astounding job behind the lens and definitely deserves all the praise for the same. Anay definitely knows, recognizes, acknowledges and records beauty in every form, right from the devastating charm of Kashmir to stunning Katrina Kaif. The film has been edited by Deepa Bhatia who has kept the run-time of the movie to 131 minutes. Some people might have a problem with the pace of the movie as it moves at a languid pace. As a director, Abhishek Kapoor has painted the canvas so beautifully that it truly mesmerizes you. Abhishek has ably captured the rawness of this love story on celluloid but he is let down by a weak storyline. Had the writers invested more on the screenplay, it could have taken Fitoor several notches higher.
Despite having visual deftness (overwhelming beauty of Kashmir) in its frames, earnest performances and soulful music, Fitoor on the whole struggles to make a mark because of its incoherent narration.
ROHIT SHARMA.
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