The Fakir of Venice is at loss of art.

The Fakir of Venice : 2 stars

India | Drama | Comedy

Cast: Farhan Akhtar; Annu Kapoor

Duration: 98 min

Release: Feb 2019

Plot (google)

A con man uses a fakir to fool the European art world.

Review:

This is the film that was supposed to change Farhan Akhtar's career and it would have if it had released all those years ago.

The Fakir of Venice is about a shrewd Con Man Adi Contractor (Farhan) hiring Sattar (Anu Kapoor) as a fake Fakir for an art gallery installation. To be honest, this is the only time he has been shown to con someone, or else he is just the guy who just gets the job done, anyhow.

Sattar is a building painter like Adi says it, who has been burying myself under the sand at Juhu Chowpatty as a gimmick to earn money.

Maybe its the fact that in a decade as an audience we have been spoiled with good acting, by Farhan himself but his sketchy and grumpy, portrayal of Adi is not something I enjoyed watching. To think about him debuting with this film back in the day may not have been the right choice. His dialogues come off forced and would have worked some 10 years ago but now, nobody really talks like him and it gets annoying after a while.

Annu Kapoor, on the other hand, used his years of experience to flow like a dead fish through the film, pun intended. He is the most grounded part of the story, and what makes the film a fun watch. He is the emotion and the tension in the story.

The film is fairly still in terms of the characters, their motivations and where the story goes. We don't see Adi going to college or earning extra money. On the other hand, Sattar was a sad being that just dies as an unfulfilled being. He is unable to get the insurance money for his sister or cure his disease. I would like to hope Adi changes as a person but we will never know. (thankfully I guess)

The makers use raw lighting most of the time and shaky frame to give the indie film feel which compliments the complex story they are trying to put forth. The one-liner plot is dragged for 98 min with a slow paced screenplay that fails to bring in the intensity or context needed.

Verdict: The Fakir of Venice is the story of Sattar which is taken over by the narrator, Adi. The potential context of art, death, and faith in the film is lost in the shallow script.

**