Jun 16, 2013 11:12 AM
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Good for nothing guys taking a shortcut to earn pots of money and ending up in a major panga with goons and cops is a premise tackled in lots and lots of films. Add Fukrey to the list. But this particular film stands out. To begin with, the characters and their conversations are straight out of life and hilarious to the core. The execution keeps one glued and the Delhi flavor is an icing on the cake. Sadly, blemishes are present but those are minor roadblocks in the otherwise enjoyable ride!
The story of the movie: Hunny (Pulkit Samrat) and Choocha (Varun Sharma) are in their final year in school and can’t wait to get into college and romance girls. Sadly, their marks are terrible and thus the possibility of passing is remote. They soon find a way for which they need a huge amount of money. On the other hand, Zafar (Ali Fazal) and Lali (Manjot Singh) too urgently require money and they team up with Hunny and Choocha. Hunny comes up with an idea – he will decode Choocha’s dreams and find a number out of it. Everytime they buy a lottery in the series of that number, they win…every single time. Now the fukras need someone who can invest in their weird but money-making scheme. Enter Bholi Punjaban (Richa Chadda), a 30-something who is anything but bholi and not to be messed with. She decides to back the plan of the fukras. All hell breaks loose when things don’t go as planned.
It’s always a pleasure to see films based in Delhi and dealing with relatable people with relatable problems. Many films have successfully entertained viewers and Fukrey is also in the same league. The writing is superb, with enough doses of humour throughout the film. The movie is more or less a clean entertainer. The girls are beautifully presented with not a hint of vulgarity. The first half is more or less a joyride with the intermission point being a terrific portion of the film. Things go well in the second half too though it gets a bit dragging and bland. The makers could have done away with ‘Beda Paar’ song (those visual effects were headache-inducing). Also, the entire sequence where Pulkit and Varun come dressed as lion and peacock was dragging, though it was definitely funny. The love stories were unconvincing but Priya Anand’s portions were very cute. The ‘thrill’ element is missing from the film, except in few scenes. The climax has a twist, which everyone will know that it’s coming. But the dialogues, performances and swift narrative keeps one entertained thankfully.
It’s difficult to pinpoint an actor as the best performer as everyone has given their best. Pulkit Samrat looks unrecognizable as compared with his Bittoo Boss look. Performance wise, he leaves a mark and is bound to get more roles. Manjot Singh for the first time gets to play a lead and is terrific. Ali Fazal has quite a serious image and comes up with a sober and honest performance. Newcomer Varun Sharma scores a sixer with his terrific performance. He makes sure he doesn’t go overboard and raises tons of laughs. Richa Chadda as expected gives a bravura performance. The film goes on a high the moment she enters the narrative. Pankaj Tripathi (Panditji) steals the show. Vishakha Singh (Neetu) is just perfect. An actor that definitely deserves to be seen more! Priya Anand (Priya) looks stunning and plays her part well. Ashraf Ul Haq (drug addict) stands out. Majinder Singh P. Kareer (Billa Halwai), Sukhwinder Chahal (passerby), Divya Phadnis (Shalu), Anurag Arora (narcotics officer), Raj Sharma (music composer), Jatinder Bakshi (jagraata singer) and others lend able support.
Ram Sampath’s music is in sync with the mood of the film and is neatly woven in the narrative, except Beda Paar. The title song, shot lavishly, is missing. Ambasariya is undoubtedly the best song of the lot. Sampath’s background score is lively. Mohanan’s cinematography deserves special mention…it’s just outstanding! Action is great and sets are exceptionally real. Every attempt is made to ensure that the sets look as real and convincing as possible. Vipul Vig and Mrigdeep Singh Lamba’s story and screenplay is impressive. With a story about a foursome investing on a dumb aspiring college student’s dream, it wasn’t an easy task at all. But the duo manages to make the whole idea seem convincing. On top of that, Vipul’s dialogues are hilarious. Mrigdeep Singh Lamba’s direction too is praiseworthy although he could have kept the pace uniform in the second half. Also, the love story needed a bit of finishing. But he compensates with some terrific scenes that he manage to direct. For instance, the manner in which Hunny sends Priya a message on a kite and then explains the idea of a ‘french kiss’. Or, the way Bholi gives a hint that she knows Billa Halwai. Or the intermission point. And not to forget – the best scene of the film – when Laali and Zafar land up at Neetu’s house, and many more scenes prove Mrigdeep’s worth!
Some of the best scenes:
Choocha explains his elephant dream to Hunny
Choocha, Varun, Laali take a college tour
The fukras team up
Bholi Punjaban’s entry and her first meet with fukras
The intermission point
All scenes of Hunny and Priya
Choocha narrates his stories to Bholi
Laali and Zafar land up at Neetu’s place
Choocha, Laali and Hunny’s last chance
On the whole, Fukrey is a fairly entertaining ride. The ‘thrill’ element is missing and the narrative drags at places but the film compensates with the superb writing, brilliant performance, lively music score and the very lovable Delhi flavor. Giving this film a try would definitely be no harm. Sadly, the film failed to create enough buzz. Moreover, the budget of the film is quite high for a film that lacks star value. Hopefully, the film will grow through positive word of mouth. After all, it has loads of entertainment and maddening moments. Go for it!
My rating-* * * ½
