STORY
Freddy has lived a disturbed life after witnessing the horrible deaths of his parents. He is a popular dentist in his society but socially a very shy individual who is seeking a soulmate but failing. He finally finds one, Kainaaz, but is married to an alcoholic and violent husband Rustom. Freddy plans to free her from him but in doing so, he meets shocking consequences.
REVIEW
Freddy is a psychological thriller by Shashanka Ghosh. This has to be his first serious film since Waisa Bhi Hota Hai Part II and I must say that the gritty element of Freddy is quite impressive. I like the aesthetics and the way the film settles the plot and continues to grow. I felt I was watching a very different Hindi film that opposes Bollywood’s usual method of stereotypical storytelling. The background score is not distracting, no lame comedy, and the songs are utilized at the right time.
The way the story kept developing and making it look interesting, the direction was on Sriram Raghavan‘s level. Plus Kartik Aaryan and Alaya F gave splendid performances. Kartik’s body language of a socially awkward man was sublime. This surely has to be Karthik’s best performance of his career. Alaya’s character switching to an utmost shock shows that she holds a lot of promise in the coming years if she picks the right roles. The whole facial and mental performance changed after the revelation.
The director successfully develops the characters and the plot’s purpose at the half. I wanted the same spark in the second half. The thrill was there, but I felt that somewhere the writing faded while trying to reach a conclusion. I am saying this because I was getting bored in the second half with a series of acts of revenge over each other on repeat mode. There was nothing left to show us besides that.
Although the film looks so impressive, Freddy carries massive problems in writing. There are so many plotholes that raise a lot of questions that make the story inaccurate and question the continuity. In the beginning, Freddy does surgery on Kainaaz and tries to kiss her in the operation theatre. The scene meets with no disciplinary issue on Freddy and I wonder if there is no camera monitoring such a sensitive situation in the room.
Freddy goes to Kainaaz’s restaurant. Her friend Raymond, the restaurant’s chef, spits in his drink and smacks him. He could have closed the restaurant over these multiple acts by registering the case against him.
When Raymond beats Freddy at Kainaaz’s residence, the police show up and take both Raymond and Kainaaz. The police notice Freddy in blood and stand there listening to Kainaaz. In such cases, the police immediately rescue while sensing physical violence and perhaps calls an ambulance. Instead, the police are asking Freddy if he wants to complain and advise him to call if they cause any trouble. What rubbish?
Kainaaz’s husband is murdered and Raymond immediately begins to live with her. How could the police not suspect that they can be responsible for the crime? How can Kainaaz and Raymond begin to live together so soon in the first place?
I am confused by a scene when Freddy buries a turtle box. When did Freddy get his turtle when it was already taken from his residence?
CLOSING REMARKS
Freddy at least ends on a better note but during the series of acts of revenge, I felt that the police investigation missed many important scenes. The film lifts by its aesthetics, direction, Kartik, and Alaya. I must admit that I enjoyed the whole development no matter how many plotholes messed up the story. Freddy must have been better in the second half.
RATING: 6.5/10
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Sami Naik | Film Critic 