How a fumbling introvert falls in love with an unsuitable girl, and the things that happen thereafter: this one-line premise, which must have been how millions of movies take birth, is fleshed out with a very Mumbai-Parsi detailing in ‘Freddy’. Dental surgeon Freddy Ginwala (Kartik Aaryan) takes one look at the lovely Kainaaz Irani (Alaya F), and is smitten. But the lady is not his to conquer. What happens next takes up two hours of screen time, filled with ambitious women, foolish men, wisdom teeth that belong to the not-very-wise, and dollops of nasty twists.
What’s nice is that the Parsi-ness is not exaggerated, except perhaps one scene in which ‘dhansak’, and ‘lagan nu custard’ and other Parsi delicacies are placed on the table pointedly. In the rest, the Rustoms and Raymonds come and go, setting the table for the main course consisting of near-fatal allergies, accidents, cold-blooded murders and revenge.
Aaryan wields the dentist’s tools well enough. As the young charmer who knows how to reel her fish in, Alaya is to the manner born. The initial attraction between the two feels credible: with Freddy slowly shedding his shyness, and Kainaaz cuddling and confiding in him, they feel right.
Watch Freddy movie traile here:
But this is not a film where all will end well, and you know this at the half-way mark, when things start acquiring a noir-ish hue. Aaryan is getting better in roles where both he, and we, are required to take him seriously, and there are a couple of instances when he does give us the chills. But he can’t get rid of his wholesomeness: his Freddy is not Kruger enough, even while he is playing with sharp implements and perfect teeth and no anaesthesia. It is Alaya who is better at her Janus-faced character, in which she says one thing, and means another.
And once the dark secret of a principal character is out, ‘Freddy’ becomes predictable, and makes us feel each minute of the too-stretched plot.
Freddy movie cast: Kartik Aaryan, Alaya F, Karan A Pandit, Sajjad Delafrooz, Naresh Kumar
Freddy movie director: Shashanka Ghosh
Freddy movie rating: 2 stars
