This week's Bollywood offering to the perpetually consumeristic audience, Fitoor, attempts to explore the complexities of love, time and distance between the lover and the loved one. There's not much to tell about the story; Noor, (Aditiya Roy Kapoor) a poor yet talented boy falls for Firdaus, (Katrina Kaif) the beautiful and charismatic daughter of Begum, (Tabu) one of the richest women in town. Begum plots to have the two broken up for reasons later revealed in the movie. It should be noted that I have not read the book and the following review shall be in light of the film in itself, not in relation to the book.
Fitoor is a movie heavy in mood and symbolism. It gives the impression of having a lot to say but it seems to have no words to articulate what it wants. The narration and uneven pacing of the movie are murky and the movie blindly progresses into a world where everything is done without consequence. It seems to be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of exposition in the second half of the film and nothing is as clearly defined as it should have been, blurring what could have been a perfectly adequate narrative into an irregular sequence of events which seem to have no substantial consequences or side effects whatsoever. Love suddenly seems easier when convenience has a bigger role in the film than Lara Dutta's character.
This may not seem to have a large impact but for a film whose main purpose was to show the struggle of two star-crossed lovers torn apart by class difference and circumstance, I had a hard time buying what it was selling; events manufactured specifically to drive the plot further, a selfless best friend who knows all and forgives all and of course, the fiancé who is not entirely a nice man making the audience supportive of the blooming romance and averse to any sort of sympathy for himself. Cliché's are displayed more often in this film than Noor's unrealistically sexy peasant/artist body.
Regardless of the lack of an even narrative, the film does a brilliant job of showcasing the wonder of love through visual effects. What it cannot seem to articulate, it still seems to beautifully capture in artistic shots involving gorgeous sets, stunning scenery and intricate costumes. Metaphors also feature heavily in the movie, quite cleverly might I add. Details concerning Begum's penchant for collecting jewelry is a touch I'm grateful the filmmakers decided to add. Speaking of, Tabu gives an absolutely striking performance as the deranged and downright frightening Begum. She steals the show from Aditiya Roy Kapoor, also a delight to watch and Katrina Kaif, who suited the role well and gave one of her best performances (doesn't really say much, to be fair). While they don't much surpass average, they do have chemistry and for that, I'm grateful. The music is wonderful on its own but played during scenes featuring Mother Nature's finest creations, you can't help but fall a little bit in love as well.
Lastly, the question of whether self-identity can be found through love is one which Noor ponders over. He begs the question of whether love is self-destruction and impulsive passionate actions or an answer to an identity crisis. Is love for another human being possible without answering the crucial question, "who am I?" Fitoor explores the dynamics of this question but not wholly satisfactorily for my taste nor with the sort of script which is original or innovative.
Conclusively, I cannot deny that for some audiences, the film will seem stale and boring. That's because there isn't much to see that we haven't seen before. But if one manages to pick up on some of the more subtle themes (which granted are not as deeply explored as they should have been) and have respect for good cinematography, then they may be able to forgive the weak direction and script and watch a film which is a pretty decent effort at a book-to-movie adaptation.
Fitoor is a movie heavy in mood and symbolism. It gives the impression of having a lot to say but it seems to have no words to articulate what it wants. The narration and uneven pacing of the movie are murky and the movie blindly progresses into a world where everything is done without consequence. It seems to be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of exposition in the second half of the film and nothing is as clearly defined as it should have been, blurring what could have been a perfectly adequate narrative into an irregular sequence of events which seem to have no substantial consequences or side effects whatsoever. Love suddenly seems easier when convenience has a bigger role in the film than Lara Dutta's character.
This may not seem to have a large impact but for a film whose main purpose was to show the struggle of two star-crossed lovers torn apart by class difference and circumstance, I had a hard time buying what it was selling; events manufactured specifically to drive the plot further, a selfless best friend who knows all and forgives all and of course, the fiancé who is not entirely a nice man making the audience supportive of the blooming romance and averse to any sort of sympathy for himself. Cliché's are displayed more often in this film than Noor's unrealistically sexy peasant/artist body.
Regardless of the lack of an even narrative, the film does a brilliant job of showcasing the wonder of love through visual effects. What it cannot seem to articulate, it still seems to beautifully capture in artistic shots involving gorgeous sets, stunning scenery and intricate costumes. Metaphors also feature heavily in the movie, quite cleverly might I add. Details concerning Begum's penchant for collecting jewelry is a touch I'm grateful the filmmakers decided to add. Speaking of, Tabu gives an absolutely striking performance as the deranged and downright frightening Begum. She steals the show from Aditiya Roy Kapoor, also a delight to watch and Katrina Kaif, who suited the role well and gave one of her best performances (doesn't really say much, to be fair). While they don't much surpass average, they do have chemistry and for that, I'm grateful. The music is wonderful on its own but played during scenes featuring Mother Nature's finest creations, you can't help but fall a little bit in love as well.
Lastly, the question of whether self-identity can be found through love is one which Noor ponders over. He begs the question of whether love is self-destruction and impulsive passionate actions or an answer to an identity crisis. Is love for another human being possible without answering the crucial question, "who am I?" Fitoor explores the dynamics of this question but not wholly satisfactorily for my taste nor with the sort of script which is original or innovative.
Conclusively, I cannot deny that for some audiences, the film will seem stale and boring. That's because there isn't much to see that we haven't seen before. But if one manages to pick up on some of the more subtle themes (which granted are not as deeply explored as they should have been) and have respect for good cinematography, then they may be able to forgive the weak direction and script and watch a film which is a pretty decent effort at a book-to-movie adaptation.