What happens when a fumbling introvert in his late 20s, a seemingly naive loner who's been through a tragic childhood, turns spiteful and shockingly revengeful? It results in a gripping and immersive crime thriller, the sort that keeps you hooked right till the end. That's what Freddy, helmed by Kartik Aaryan and Alaya F, is all about.
Out on Disney+Hotstar, at the heart of this film is a successful dentist, Dr Freddy Ginwala (essayed by Aryan) and his deep desire to seek companionship. He is demure, diffident and full of self-doubt when it comes to interacting in social company or asking a woman out but commands a good reputation in the community as an approachable and affable doctor who runs his own clinic. The only three things he does when he's not attending to patients is to check on his aunt, converse with his pet turtle, 'hardy' and paint miniature planes.
One evening at a certain gathering he falls head over heels for Kainaaz Irani (Alaya F, Pooja Bedi's daughter), a married woman who's stuck in an unhappy and abusive relationship. That's when the film takes on the first twist. The film changes gears and moves from a slow and steady pace to a faster rhythmic one. All along till here, both Aryan and Alaya keep one engaged via a crisp but suspenseful storyline. The dialogues throughout the movie are sharp, meaningful and relevant. Background music adds to the drama.
Now, while the two are shown to be desirous of each other, with passionate lovemaking and the works, it turns out that Freddy gets short-changed. With the intention of seeing himself with Kainaaz in their happily ever after, Freddy decides to kill her husband Rustom and he does with immaculate planning. And then when he visits her with the 'good news,' he finds her happily chilling with her boyfriend. Freddy feels used, betrayed, humiliated and shattered. That's when the otherwise, socially awkward and seemingly pigeon-hearted Freddy turns into a witty, intelligent and daring revenger who tricks and traps the duo and eventually murders them both, in cold blood.
This film is very similar to Fida, which was released in 2004, starring Fardeen Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Shahid Kapoor. In Fida too, a seemingly naive and affable Jai (Shahid) falls in love with Neha (Kareena Kapoor), unaware of her and her boyfriend Vikram's (Fardeen) evil intentions. He easily gets trapped in their conspiracy but decides to exact revenge while being on the run from the police.
Yet, Freddy is different in the characterisation of Aryan, and the eventual climax in the story. Aaryan's character seems to have been meticulously fleshed out and the actor has done justice to his role, in every frame. Alaya has nothing much to add in terms of acting, her emotionless stone-cold face remains the same throughout the film. But her character arc develops beautifully. The film is a good one-time watch.
Film: Freddy
Director: Shashanka Ghosh
Cast: Kartik Aaryan, Alaya F, Karan Pandit, Sajjad Delfrooz
Rating: 3.5/5
