DRAMATIC IN PARTS
Expectations are great from this movie. Not only because it is romantic thriller as it is being touted, but because of the lead actors in it. With Shahid Kapur and Kareena Kapoor in the news for being the hottest pair in tinsel town, and the aggressive campaigning of the movie, scores are looking FIDA forward to as ’’THE NEXT BIG THING ON CELLULOID.’’ While the stylishly picturised film does not let one down in the acting department, it is far from reality where the content is concerned. However, one can enjoy the movie if one doesn’t starts delving too much in detail about the theme and the if’s why’s and but’s associated with FIDA.
The movie opens with someone hacking a bank’s site and transferring a sum of Rs. 550 crores and from a Mumbai’s Don Anna’s (Akhilendra Mishra) account into his own account. Anna is livid and wants the hacker to be brought before him. The police are working overtime to net the Internet robber.
Cut to Jai (Shahid Kapoor), who is a happy-go-lucky orphan, he lives in a designer pad, vrooms on a designer bike, and dons designer apparel and jigs with gals clad in designer clothes. However, he is waiting for the girl of dreams. One day he spots her. His heart goes boom boom and he finds himself falling heads over heels in over with Neha (Kareena). He woos her, sings for her and is ready to die for her. The lovely lass is impressed and profess her love to him.
Everything is hunky dory till Neha finds herself in trouble with some goons and spills the truth. She tells jai that she is the daughter of criminal who had taken money from the underworld. Now even though her father is no more, the gang is harassing her for the money she has been given an ultimatum - return the amount in six days or face the consequences. The sum involved is huge - 6 crores and try as they might, they are unable to raise it.
Jai decides to rob a bank, Neha is aghast at the very thought. He backs out, but then decides to loot the money from Vikram who has withdrawn 7 crores in cash from the bank and has kept the money in his home. Shahid is caught. After narrating to Vikram why he wants the money, Vikram agrees to lend him the amount. But in return Jai is to take the rap - he is to surrender to the police and tell them that he is the computer hacker, who store Anna’s money. Jai agrees and surrenders. But when he is being taken to the court, there is a shootout with Anna’s men wanting to take Jai in their custody. In the melee, Jai escapes and goes to Neha’s House. What he sees there turns his life upside down. He is shocked, devastated and finds himself on the run - trying to save his own skin.
If I divulge anymore, it would be criminal on my part. The producers kept the surprise element under wraps, I wouldn’t want to spoil it.
Ken Ghosh, the director has done a wonderful job with the lead actors Kareena & Shahid. Kareena has never looked lovelier. She has come out of her Poo image and has given a stellar performance. Watch her just before the intermission and you will be surprised at the versatility of her performance. Shahid is the cute guy on the block. He emotes well, dances well; the fault lies with his dialogue delivery. He really needs to work on it. Most of the time he hurries through his dialogues with the result the impact is lost. The fantastic chemistry that Kareena and Shahid share deserves a special mention. Both are at total ease with each other. And it shows on the screen.
Fardeen Khan is his usual stylish suave self. His character lacks depth ? where both Shahid and Kareena have author backed roles, Fardeen?s role is very sketchy. The Khan charm, however, carries him through the role smoothly.
The story reeks of being preposterous. Replete with loopholes, it borders on being too far fetched. Even though the entire package is stylish and swanky, somewhere down the line of feeling of ?ye kuch jama nahi? surfaces. The revenge Saga ? i.e. the post interval bit has been handled with a hurried hand. The tracking down of the ones who wronged him, how the retaliation is planned is too quick to leave a lasting impact. In fact ?Humraaz? with a similar theme was a mature movie in terms of content.
The climax, which should have been handled with delicate gloves for the movie to hit hard, is lame ? there is no punch. And this is where the movie falters.
Visually the package is breathtaking ? great actors, great locations, sharp editing, foot-tapping music, to top it the saga gets over in two hours flat ? yet the loose script lets it down.
The right ingredients are there, the extra punch is missing ? despite this FIDA is worth a DEKHO once, for it is dramatic in parts and has its thrilling moments.
Review by ? ?NIRAJ?