Freddy (Kartik Aaryan) runs a successful dental practice. As someone who lost his parents early in life, he is lonely but finds support in his aunt Persis, and his pet turtle 'Hardy' and spends his spare time painting his miniature planes at home. He is on the lookout for a suitable bride but faces disappointment when the women he meets reject him because of his socially awkward nature. His life, however, changes when he bumps into Kainaaz Irani (Alaya F) at a wedding. His love-at-first-sight moment is short-lived when he finds out that Kainaaz is married to Rustom Irani. This doesn't stop him from pursuing Kainaaz, who seems equally interested.
A survivor of domestic violence, Kainaaz faces the wrath of her spouse time and again, but eventually emerges out of the problem when Freddy puts the situation to rest (read Rustom). The interval will shock you, not so much as the plot but the manner in which the characters flip and perform true to their darkest elements. Not giving away the spoilers, but the second half is what holds the film together with Freddy, Kainaaz and her new boyfriend Raymond involved in a to-and-fro chase for revenge.
There is a scene in the film where Freddy discovers that Hardy, his pet turtle, is no more. Freddy's meltdown and sentiments on display during those few minutes prove not only the intensity of the character but also Aaryan's craft of tapping into emotion.
Director Shashanka Ghosh has gone all in making Freddy a compelling film that keeps us looking for the entire two-hour length. The background score (by Clinton Cerejo) and the film's cinematography (thanks to Ayananka Bose) are captivating. The star of the film is the story written by Parveez Shaikh, and the dialogues, penned by Aseem Arora, are powerful, especially towards the end.
Performances
Kartik Aaryan has pushed the envelope by attempting a film as twisted as ">Freddy, and it's applaudable to see him carry the film on his shoulders well. Rarely stepping out of character, Aaryan played Dr Ginwala with finesse and intensity that was apt for the character. I liked how owned his emotional scenes. Mind you, we've seen him in uninhibited scenes in other films too, but Freddy's sentiments were different, they were raw and connecting. Aaryan has come a long way from Pyaar Ka Punchnama, and quite a ladder he has climbed. Keeping aside that he is emerging as Bollywood's one of most bankable actors, it will be interesting to watch the kind of performances he is working to pull off in his upcoming films.
2020 released Jawaani Jaaneman gave us Alaya F and she did justice to her lively character playing Saif Ali Khan's daughter in it. Cut to 2022, she is playing a character completely different from her first, and for that, she needs great applause. It's interesting to watch that Alaya F played a side that could go dark than Freddy at one point, and yet she didn't step out of character once. The way she charmed her way into the film through her intensity and good acting skills is what made her character Kainaaz as powerful and equal as Freddy.
The two high points of the film are the interval and the climax, and while the situations are predictable, the actions are not. All in all, it was great watching characters that are layered, deeply flawed, and insanely human.
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