It’s not everyday that we find a Bollywood film with a storyline beyond the clichéd poor girl-rich guy falling in love, marital conflicts that get resolved after a tedious 3 hrs, semi-nude ladies prancing in next to nothing, wacky comedies, family tearjerkers, or mindless and poorly directed actions! I’d rather watch a flawed film with a novel storyline than a film that belongs to any of the above categories! Fida is one such film. It’s not flawless; but it’s refreshing, fast-paced, and replete with good performances supported by a splendid screenplay and melodious music.
Synopsis
Jai (Shahid Kapoor) is always dreaming of the perfect girl he loves. Suddenly, this girl materializes in front of him in the form of Neha (Kareena Kapoor), and he loses his heart instantly. Jai pursues her with a dogged determination until she relents. He is extremely obsessed with Neha and is willing to even give up his life to eliminate the problems of her life. But does Neha truly love him or is she thoughtlessly using his madness?
Enters Vikram (Fardeen Khan). A slick looking, smart, selfish guy, he is running from the law because he is responsible for stealing the money from a Don’s bank account. Soon, the paths of Jai and Vikram cross, and the former finds himself trapped by the latter. Why does Vikram trap him? And what is the hidden reality of Neha? Does Jai find out the truth? What does happen to Jai, Vikram, and Neha evantually?
Performances
Fardeen Khan as Vikram
Stylish villains are becoming commonplace in Bollywood. Recall Saif Ali Khan in Ek Haseena Thi; Ajay Devgan in Khakee; John Abraham in Dhoom. Vikram falls under this category, and Fardeen fits this bill perfectly.
Vikram is a man of contrasts. While he is a cheat by profession, he is profusely loyal in his personal life, which is quite unlike traditional villains who are heartless personally and professionally. Although Fardeen’s performance is definitely not as fluent as Saif’s or Ajay’s he has given it his all in Fida. Fardeen especially excels towards the end of the film when his hatred towards Jai is mixed with his helplessness over his lover’s fate. Moreover, he does a better job than Shahid in the climax.
I think it’s fair to declare that Fardeen is improving as a performer. If he continues to choose off-beat subjects like Dev and Fida he will soon be counted as a reliable actor. His handsome looks don’t hurt either!
A decent performance – 7/10
Shahid Kapur as Jai
Jai traverses a journey from the head-over-heels-lover to the jilted lover to the avenging guy. And Shahid does a splendid job in almost every frame of the film. Here is an actor who has the potential to be a superstar! Shahid possesses terrific screen presence, good dancing skills, and good dialogue delivery skills.
He is adorable as the faithful doglike lover who would sacrifice his everything to wipe one tear out of Neha’s eyes. His expressions when he learns Neha’s truth and finds himself powerless are heart-rending, and the fire in his eyes when he seeks revenge is wonderfully portrayed. Especially poignant is the scene when he kidnaps Neha and breaks down. However, I wasn’t happy with his performance in the climax. It wasn’t powerful, unlike his acting in the rest of the film. But I can forgive Shahid, considering that this is just his second film! He acts like a pro in a role, which navigates through a gamut of emotions, and is tough even for the most experienced actors.
Way to go Kapur – 9/10!
Kareena Kapoor as Neha
Neha is a self-centered woman who uses a man’s love insensitively. But she also loyally loves another man with all her heart. Do we call her immoral for cheating on one guy? Or do we call her mad-in-love who cheats on one guy for another guy? Neha loves nice things. Nevertheless, her whole world revolves around one man, for whom she can live in the dungeon and even hurt others. Overall, Neha is one of the most unusual heroines I have watched in recent times, and lots of parallels can be drawn between Neha in Fida and Mahalaxmi in Khakhee.
2004 was a great year for Bebo! Beginning with Chameli, where she played a streetwalker, she portrayed a deglamorized, determined Muslim in Dev, a breezy, but practical minded girl in Yuva, a lawyer who fights for her husband in Aitraaz, and a fun-loving student who falls in love with her family’s enemy in Hulchul.
Keeping up her versatility, Bebo portrays a vamp in Fidaa and she does a fantastic job. She downplays Neha’s character beautifully in the first half, has superbly enacted a heartless woman during the pre-intermission scene, and impresses as the avaricious woman hassled by her past in the second half. Special mention to her evil wink and smile that emotes more than villainous dialogues can, and her performance in the climax and post-intermission scenes.
Many people criticized Bebo for looking bad in the second half. Well, do you expect a woman to wear the best of clothes and hairstyles when she is pursued by a man who is hell-bent on revenge? I don’t think so. Bebo looked believably shabby and unkempt in the pre-climax and climax scenes of the film because her character was in trouble! However, she looks gorgeous wearing colorful outfits in the first half and the short-hair definitely frames her face beautifully.
Good job girl – 9/10!
Supporting Starcast
Kim Sharma is passable. She sheds more clothes than emotions! The man who portrayed the DON is bad.
Quite frankly, there are not many supporting characters in this film. The story is based on the three lead characters and the director remains focussed throughout.
Songs and Choreography
Aaja Ve Mahi, although an upbeat number that showcases Shahid’s dancing prowess, is not required.
Nazar Nazar was a fine way of introducing Jai’s character and his dreams. Shahid has danced brilliantly and he looks good with Kim.
Dil Mere Na was also nicely picturized. Bebo and Shahid look damn cute together, and the locales are pretty too.
But the piece-de-resistance has to be Maine Jisko Chaha, which is choreographed BRILLIANTLY! Fardeen and Kareena look super-sensuous. The locales are stunning.
When I said Fida is not flawless....
.....I meant it has some negatives. Firstly, as mentioned above, Aaja Ve Mahi stood out like a sore thumb in the film. Secondly, the sequences involving the DON were utterly nonsensical and unintentionally hilarious! But, most importantly, the climax is a huge letdown. While Ken Ghosh has managed to keep the tempo racy and fast-paced until the very end, he resorts to cliches and a long drawn climax that fails to keep the audience encaptivated. Nonetheless, the performances in the climax salvage it to a great extent, and prevent the viewers from falling asleep completely!!!!!!!!
Final Verdict
Fida is a gutsy second attempt by director Ken Ghosh! Filled with exciting moments, powerful dialogues, beautiful locales, nice music, and good performances, this film is definitely worth a watch.
8/10 - Very Good