Finding Fanny

Every week, the very awesome Kiva Ashby gives us her expert take on Bollywood movies.

Finding Fanny
September 2014
Director: Homi Adajania
Starring: Deepika Padukone, Arjun Kapoor and Naseeruddin Shah
Length: 1hr 46min

I took a leap of faith with this movie because it kept showing up in my Netflix queue. It stars Deepika Padukone, Arjun Kapoor and Naseeruddin Shah, all actors that I really have respect for. I was actually avoiding the film because it looked too American but I gave it a shot and I was pleasantly surprised.

The storyline is quite simple on the surface but harbors heavier themes underneath. An over the hill postmaster in a tiny village in the coastal town of Goa, sets out with a mismatched bunch of townspeople to find his long lost love of 42 years.

Here’s my take away from the film; the good, the bad and the funny:

The Good
I figured out at a young age that I really enjoy pastoral scenes. Whether it is in film, in pictures or described in books. This film is incredibly pastoral. It is super green throughout. Wherever the film was shot it was beautiful. The still below gives a great example of what I mean by GREEN! And we can’t ignore the beauty that is Deepika Padukone. 

The Bad
The “Bad” for me may actually be a “good” for some. The entire movie is in English. No Hindi, no local dialect. It was just plain ole English. 
Here’s why that's a negative feature for me: authenticity. 
I could be wrong but it just seems that in a small town in Goa, India, the townspeople wouldn’t speak English to each other. Not that they don’t know how, but they wouldn’t consistently speak in English and only use their native dialect sparingly. I found this very odd and it ruined the authentic feel of the film. I would have preferred to hear Hindi (or whatever the language of the area was).

The Funny
I’ll leave off on a positive note. This movie is quite funny. It has a subtle humor that is also a bit dark. Naseeruddin Shah delivers a great performance and his every day kind of wit makes you want to be his friend. I’ve seen him in many different roles and this one was just as good if not one of his best performances. Arjun Kapoor didn’t deliver any jokes, but his somber performance as a heartbroken man was surprisingly good. I’m used to him playing the bad guy. However this just shows how versatile of an actor he is. His on screen chemistry with Padukone really shined through. The playful banter between the two brought out a faint humor that keeps the movie lighthearted.